Groundwork Ohio's New Report on Paid Family Leave: Filling the Gaps in FMLA for Ohio Families

76% of Ohioans lack access to paid family leave, a vital support that improves health outcomes and strengthens families.

With generous funding from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Groundwork Ohio has been proud to explore Paid Family Leave policy for Ohioans. Since January 2024, Groundwork Ohio has led comprehensive efforts to assess the impact of paid leave through data and research, gathered feedback from families with lived experience, and engaged stakeholders from diverse regions across the state. Caitlin Feldman of Groundwork Ohio has spearheaded the organization of a cross-sector workgroup consisting of leaders, concerned citizens, and passionate advocates. Together, they aim to deepen collective understanding of the legislative history, identify current and future opportunities, and determine strategic approaches to advance paid family leave in Ohio.

We are thrilled to introduce our latest report, The Case for Paid Family Leave in Ohio, where we examine the critical value of paid family leave for infants, parents, and families. The benefits are vast, including improved health outcomes for mothers and babies, reduced infant mortality rates, and diminished emotional and financial stress. Yet, despite these well-documented advantages, 76 percent of Ohioans are employed in jobs that do not offer access to paid family leave. Those with access are most often white individuals earning six-figure salaries. A comprehensive paid family leave policy for all Ohioans presents an opportunity to enhance health equity and strengthen economic support for families in need during one of life’s most physically and emotionally demanding transitions.

We look forward to our continued work alongside stakeholders across the state as we work to identify our ongoing role in making progress on this critical strategy. As we do so, after having evaluated the far-reaching benefits of paid leave and challenges to making progress for Ohioans, we have also taken the opportunity to investigate Groundwork’s own organizational leave policy. With the support of the Groundwork Ohio Board of Directors, we are now proudly implementing a new and improved paid parental leave policy for our team. This change sends a strong and consistent message to both our internal and external stakeholders that this policy is a priority and progress is possible.

We hope you’ll join us!