Via the New America Foundation:

In 2004, California enacted the nation’s first paid family leave program,  which enables parents to take up to six weeks off to bond with a new child and still receive a paycheck for that period. The program is part of the state’s disability insurance system and funded through an employee payroll tax so employers do not pay for their employees’ time off.  (It also allows parents to take time off to care for a sick spouse, child or registered domestic partner.)

Now that the program has been up and running for several years, do we have evidence that it’s working? Can it serve as a model for changes at the federal level and in other states?

For this podcast, New America’s David Gray talks with Ann O’Leary, executive director of the Berkeley Center on Health, Economic & Family Security (Berkeley CHEFS), who reflects on many of the program’s positive results.

Listen here