In an August article, Brookings researchers outline a variety of policy options to better support working parents and other caregivers. To reduce the timesqueeze, authors suggest providing workers a minimum of 20 days of paid leave for any reason. This time could be used to meet caregiving demands or for selfcare. As workers tend to be most time squeezed in their mid-life, allowing for mid-career sabbaticals of up to 12 weeks of leave is another way to support paid leave. Regarding childcare infrastructure, authors elevate universal prekindergarten and subsidized childcare as especially important. Finally, matching the school day schedule to the average workday (9am 5pm) would create better alignment for working parents and likely improve educational outcomes.
