Annotation: These guidelines are designed to assist parents in finding, evaluating, and selecting child care sites that match the values and goals parents have for the child. The first part of the guidelines describes types of care including child care centers, family child care homes, babysitters, au pairs and nannies, and after school programs. The guidelines include discussions of financing child care, finding providers, visiting the site, and dealing with concerns about care. A list of child care location services in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia is at the end.

Contact: Georgetown University, Human Resources, Faculty and Staff Assistance Program, Ground Floor-Healy Hall, 37th and O Streets, N.W., Washington, DC 20057-1021, Telephone: (202) 687-2500 Fax: (202) 687-1164 Web Site: http://hr.georgetown.edu/fsap/ Available at no charge.

Keywords: After school programs, Child care, Child care centers, Child care workers, District of Columbia, Family child care, Family economics, Maryland, Nannies, Virginia, Working parents

Annotation: This report focuses on the importance of providing family leave for working parents of infants and young children. The report provides statistical information, discusses current family leave policy, provides policy recommendations, and discusses relevant research.

Contact: Zero To Three, 1255 23rd Street, N.W., Suite 350, Washington, DC 20037, Telephone: (202) 638-1144 Fax: (202) 638-0851 Web Site: http://www.zerotothree.org Available from the web site.

• PDF

Keywords: Family leave, Infants, Parental leave, Parents, Public policy, Research, Working parents, Young children

Annotation: This report analyzes federal and state laws that provide support to new parents From access to paid leave to paid sick days to workplace rights for nursing mothers and more, the authors assess the laws and provide a letter grade, from A to F, for each state based on the extent to which it has policies that support new parents (beyond the minimal standards set by federal law). State-by-state comparisons are provided throughout the report, with maps and charts provided to illustrate contrasts. The authors conclude that most states are doing something, but not enough, for new parents, and only two (California and Connecticut) show leadership, receiving grades of “A-” for having done the most to support working parents. According to the authors findings, 18 states don’t have a single law that supports new parents beyond what the federal law requires. A special section on laws and policies that help working families is included in this second edition of the report.

Contact: National Partnership for Women and Families, 1875 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 650, Washington, DC 20009, Telephone: (202) 986-2600 Fax: (202) 986-2539 E-mail: info@nationalpartnership.org Web Site: http://www.nationalpartnership.org/site/PageServer Available from the website.

• PDF

Keywords: Comparative analysis, Family support, Parental leave, Policy, Policy analysis, Reports, State initiatives, State legislation, Working parents

Annotation: This paper provides a brief history of paid family leave policy in the United Sates and abroad; synthesizes what is known about paid leave and its impact on family and civic life; and offers a set of recommendations for policymakers, public health and early childhood stakeholders, business leaders, and federal, state, and local education agencies.

Contact: National Center for Children in Poverty, 215 West 125th Street, Third Floor, New York, NY 10027, Telephone: (646) 284-9600 Fax: (646) 284-9623 E-mail: info@nccp.org Web Site: http://www.nccp.org Available from the web site.

• PDF

Keywords: Early childhood, Families, Family leave, Infants, Public health, Public policy, Working parents, Young children

Annotation: This book, which focuses on the importance of paid parental leave after the birth of an infant, weighs the implications of existing research on child health and development along with what is known about the economic impact of parental leave policies as they have evolved in other nations and in the United States. The book defines various types of leave—maternity, paternity, parental, family, and newborn care. It discusses who receives parental leave and why or why not, who benefits from unpaid job protection under the Family and Medical Leave Act, and to what extent private firms are providing these types of leave for the care of infants or newly adopted children. Other practical issues, policy options, and financing mechanisms are also discussed.

Contact: Zero To Three, 1255 23rd Street, N.W., Suite 350, Washington, DC 20037, Telephone: (202) 638-1144 Fax: (202) 638-0851 Web Site: http://www.zerotothree.org $34.95, plus shipping and handling. Document Number: ISBN 9781934019979.

Keywords: Adopted children, Adoption, Child development, Child health, Early childhood development, Economic factors, Families, Family leave, Fathers, Financing, Infants, Legislation, Mothers, Parental leave, Parents, Public policy, Working parents

Annotation: This paper examines the impact of an expansion of Canada's paid maternity leave programs (expanding the duration of job-protected, partially compensated maternity/parental leave from approximately 6 months to a full year) on measures of children's cognitive and behavioral development at ages 4 and 5. The paper discusses previous literature on the topic, the reform and its expected impact, data, the empirical framework, differences in observable inputs across birth cohorts at ages 1 through 4, and estimates of the impact of the change on developmental outcomes at ages 4 and 5.

Contact: National Bureau of Economic Research, 1050 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138-5398, Telephone: (617) 868-3900 Fax: (617) 868-2742 E-mail: info@nber.org Web Site: http://www.nber.org Available from the website.

• PDF

Keywords: Behavioral development, Canada, Child development, Cognitive development, Costs, International health, Legislation, Parental leave, Public policy, Research, Working parents

Annotation: This journal issue includes articles that examine a variety of work-family conflicts and assess their effects both on the well-being of American employees and their families and on the productivity of American employers. The authors also suggest approaches to help working parents meet the challenges of work-family conflict. The issue includes articles on the following topics: work and families; changing families, changing workplaces; policies to assist parents with young children; families with school-age children; children with health problems; families and elder care in the twenty-first century; workplace flexibility; the government's role in work-family conflict; and international perspectives on work-family policies.

Contact: Brookings Institution, 1775 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20036, Telephone: (202) 797-6000 Fax: (202) 797-6004 E-mail: communications@brookings.edu Web Site: http://www.brookings.edu Available from the website. Document Number: ISBN 978-0-9814705-7-3.

• Link

Keywords: Children with special heath care needs, Employment, Families, Government role, Older adults, Public policy, School age children, Working mothers, Working parents, Young children

Annotation: This report addresses the question of the extent to which uninsured children could be covered under employer-sponsored insurance through premium-assistance programs, which use public funding under Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program to subsidize employer-sponsored insurance. The report provides background and discusses the data and methods, results, and policy implications.

Contact: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Route One and College Road, East, P.O. Box 2316, Princeton, NJ 08543, Telephone: (877) 843-7953 Fax: Web Site: http://www.rwjf.org Available from the website.

• PDF

Keywords: Child health, Eligibility, Financing, Health insurance programs, Low income groups, Medicaid, Public policy, State Children's Health Insurance Program, Uninsured persons, Working parents

Annotation: This brief examines existing state paid-leave policies, which some states have enacted in the absence of a federal policy. The brief discusses research on the benefits of family leave and describes the federal Family and Medical Leave Act. It then examines the strengths and limitations of existing state-level policies, with a focus on California, which in 2002 became the first state to enact paid family leave. The brief concludes with recommendations for state policymakers considering paid family leave, with an emphasis on how these policies could be crafted to best serve the needs of low-wage workers and their families.

Contact: National Center for Children in Poverty, 215 West 125th Street, Third Floor, New York, NY 10027, Telephone: (646) 284-9600 Fax: (646) 284-9623 E-mail: info@nccp.org Web Site: http://www.nccp.org Available from the website.

• PDF

Keywords: Public policy, California, Families, Family leave, Federal programs, Legislation, Low income groups, Research, State programs, Working parents

Annotation: This paper synthesizes an integrated set of policy proposals designed to help low-income working parents receive training so that they can advance to better-paying jobs and receive other services to help them get a secure foothold in the labor market and find and keep employment. The paper covers the following topics: (1) low-income working families are at risk, (2) employment-based and government supports don't do enough, (3) how could policies change to help low-income families succeed?, and (4) what would it take to implement new policies?

Contact: Urban Institute, 2100 M Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20037, Telephone: (202) 833-7200 Fax: (202) 467-5775 E-mail: http://www.urban.org/about/contact.cfm Web Site: http://www.urban.org Available from the website.

• PDF

Keywords: Family support services, High risk groups, Low income groups, Parent support services, Poverty, Professional training, Public policy, Training, Working parents