Accessible, high-quality child care is imperative for parents of young children to enter, succeed, and remain in the workforce and meet their families’ needs. And yet Colorado’s early care and education sector is experiencing a shortage of qualified workers. Think it’s just a problem for working parents? There’s a ripple effect to the health of our economy. Everyone relies on someone who relies on child care and it’s an essential ingredient for the growth of businesses. To get more people into child care careers, it’s going to take multiple strategies. With input from our cohort of direct service and public policy grantees and over 50 expert stakeholders in ECE, workforce development, and public sectors across the state, WFCO will continue to prioritize legislation which will advance the early care and education sector. 

Thousands of Coloradans need time off to care for family members each year – whether that’s bonding with a newborn or adopted child, caring for an aging parent, or addressing a major medical issue. Without paid family and medical leave, families can face financial hardship or devastation. Some employers currently offer paid family leave, but many Colorado employees are left behind. In fact, only 17% of the Colorado workforce have access to paid family and medical leave and only 8% of workers with incomes in the bottom quartile have paid family and medical leave. No Coloradan should have to choose between caring for a loved one and providing for them. Access to paid family and medical leave means more women can remain in the workforce, more families can stay afloat, employers can retain talent and reduce costs, and economic activity increases.

Our state is considering many aspects of how to make paid family and medical leave a reality for all Coloradans. Analysis of research and thoughtful, insightful input from diverse members of our community has led WFCO to the following priorities. We believe that a policy that addresses these priorities will ensure that paid family and medical leave will work for women, especially women who earn low wages, their families, and their employers. We believe in an inclusive and equitable policy that includes:

• Wage replacement rates and job protections that make it feasible for those earning the lowest wages to utilize paid leave and maintain financial stability
• Covered purposes for leave that address a range of family caregiving needs and the worker’s own health and safety needs
• Leave periods that realize the health and economic benefits associated with sufficient paid leave
• Equitable premiums that are affordable to workers and employers across all sectors and industries, while maintaining adequate resources for a sustainable system
• The broadest participation possible, across all sectors and industries, with employers of all sizes

WFCO will continue to advocate for an approach to paid family and medical leave that addresses these priorities. We believe the inclusion of these key elements will ensure paid leave will work for Coloradans who need it most – workers who earn low wages and their families. We are confident that a paid family and medical leave system that works for women, their families, and their employers will work for everyone in our state..