The Parents Aren’t Alright – DC’s Poor Parental Leave Policies

Birth rates keep trending down in America (and not even a global pandemic and mandatory lock-down seem to have helped). While there may be many factors contributing to this decline, the policy around parental leave is surely a contributor.

How much time should a parent receive off? Should fathers be included in parental leave? Who should foot the bill? We have daycares in DC, but now caregivers have to go through much more training to receive a license. Virginia and Maryland don’t have the same rules, but the waitlists are long and they are very expensive or questionable. What can be done to better support young parents who still want to build their careers?

It’s time to dive into parental leave policy in the DC Hub to figure out what’s working, what isn’t, and how we may try to change things for the better. It’s 2022, we shouldn’t have to choose between making a living, or building the family we want.

We’ve invited policy experts on parental leave to guide us through this discussion, Carrie Lukas, Rachel Greszler, and more.

This Socratic discussion-style dinner will take place in person at Lapis in Adam’s Morgan. The night will kick off with a time to network and then flow into a seated dinner where we will open the floor to discussion on the policies that dictate the options for young parents in the workforce. We will have a few subject matter experts in the room to help guide the discussion and provide helpful insights into the landscape and history of parental leave policy.

Dinner and drinks are included in ticket price.

All AF Hub members (not National members) are able to attend free. Please email Lydia to request your complimentary ticket at lydia@americasfuture.org.