In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in March 2020 Congress enacted emergency paid family leave (Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act) as well as emergency paid sick leave. This brief suggests lessons for facilitating the use of emergency paid family leave by lower-income families, drawing on research by ASPE on families’ participation in state paid family leave programs. It offers considerations and possible next steps for human services organizations, early childhood education programs, schools, and others who work with lower income families and their employers and can assist them in learning about and using the new emergency family leave program, facilitating its implementation for those in greatest need.
Other ASPE products on paid family leave can be found on our Paid Family Leave page.