SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The push to offer paid leave nationwide is in high gear. A plan already passed the U.S. House as part of the Build Back Better Act, but it faces unanimous Republican opposition in the Senate, where a vote is expected in the coming weeks.

California is one of nine states plus D.C. already offering paid leave, so advocates are focused on convincing holdout Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., in a state hit hard by the opioid crisis.

Neil Sroka, communications director for the group Paid Leave for the U.S., said paid leave is sometimes about caring for yourself, so you can be there for the people who depend on you.

"When someone needs to get treatment for addiction recovery, they oftentimes need to go to inpatient services for two weeks or four weeks," Sroka explained. "And for many, that means choosing between a future without substance-use disorder and their job."

Opponents say the $2 trillion Build Back Better bill is too costly.

Meanwhile, California advocates are working to improve the system in the Golden State, where people can take up to eight weeks of paid family leave per year, as part of the state disability program, and recover 60% to 70% of their salary. State data showed many low-income families can't afford to use the program, because they need their whole salary.

This year Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed Assembly Bill 123, which would have increased the pay rate to 90% for all workers, citing concerns it would have raised payroll taxes.

Sroka pointed out Build Back Better would help California fund the program.

"One of the provisions of the paid-leave program is it would offer additional funding support for states like California that already offer a program," Sroka noted. "But most importantly, it would be a federal framework that will make sure that everyone has access to it."

Next year, the state Legislature will reconsider Assembly Bill 995, which would require employers to offer five days of paid sick leave per year, up from the current three.

Starting today, families throughout Massachusetts will swap their digital entertainment for the annual challenge of "Screen-Free Week."

The global event encourages people to participate in whatever way makes sense, whether it is going without an app or device for the whole week or even just a day.

Jen Kane, coordinator of Screen-Free Week for the nonprofit Fairplay, said the goal is to reduce time spent on screens for entertainment.

"Like maybe for the week, don't have phones at the dinner table, not have phones in the bedroom at night," Kane suggested. "Both of those are great goals to have because they can really impact the whole family dynamic and the health of the family a lot."

Kane pointed out there are no rules to "Screen-Free Week." It is just a chance to power down and reconnect with family and friends.

Studies show school-age children spend more time with screens than in any other activity but sleeping. Screen time increased for everyone during the pandemic, but experts cited a concerning increase in social media use among children ages eight to 12.

Kane advised parents can set rules around screen-time but also set an example.

"It does have to involve the parents because the parents have just a complicated relationship with screens as their children do," Kane noted.

Libraries and schools will also take part in "Screen-Free Week", providing families with activities to substitute for screen time. Participants are encouraged to pledge their goals for the week online at Fairplay's website.


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United Way of Connecticut is launching a network hub for family child care providers. The new hub, created in partnership with the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood, connects family child care services into regional networks to help families looking for child care.

Recent deficiencies in child care have been influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a study by the University of California-Berkeley, child care jobs plummeted at the start of the pandemic, but they have been rebounding steadily.

Sherri Sutera, senior vice president of child care service at the United Way of Connecticut, described some of the goals of the program.

"A goal is to really increase the number of individuals in that field," Sutera explained. "By doing that, we want to make it more cost-effective for them to do that, to have them have access to all sorts of resources and support, so they can actually create a business out of their home."

Another goal is helping child care providers attain national accreditation. While the program is still new, there are certain elements Sutera will grow in the future, including expanding the number of toddlers family child care home providers are allowed to work with, which the state currently caps.

Sutera noted there are some misconceptions about working in child care. The most common is families not considering family child care as a way to care for kids while they are working or doing higher education activities. She added the program is designed to alleviate some of the burdens working in child care brings. It will also address some things child care providers are not always able to take on.

"They don't have a lot of time to take advantage of professional development opportunities," Sutera outlined. "To really spend time on administrative tasks, managing enrollment and paperwork, and doing taxes, and working toward professional-development goals and quality indicators such as getting accredited."

Sutera is excited to work with child care providers and hopes to bring them together with families who need them.

Parenting was challenging even before the COVID pandemic, but a unique program in Cambridge teaches new parents the skills they need to nurture their children and themselves.

It's called Baby University and includes 14 once-weekly parent-child playgroups and workshops, that cover everything from a child's brain development to parent relaxation techniques.

Shirley Elliott is a recent graduate. She said she initially joined the program to help build a community for herself and her three-year-old daughter.

"It's about understanding that you're not on this journey alone," said Elliott, "and if you reach out, others can come to you, because we really are going through the same thing."

Baby University is part of the City of Cambridge Department of Human Service Programs. Parents also receive in-home visits by 'Baby U' staff and learn to grow support networks, as well as new friendships.

While priority is given to low-income families, all new parents in Cambridge are welcome to join. More than 460 have graduated, so far.

Baby U was inspired by the successful Harlem Children's Zone, which takes a block-by-block approach to reducing the cycle of poverty through early childhood and family services.

At Baby U, fathers especially are encouraged to take an active role in their child's development. Baby U graduate Tyrone Fells said he appreciated the chance to talk to other Dads, especially about the separation anxiety he experienced with his infant daughter.

"Baby U does teach that and shows us just the importance of establishing your role as a father," said Fells, "and you know, being there and seeing you, and playing and interacting with you."

For other parents, Baby U may help break a cycle of trauma and teach them how to safely discipline their child.

Parents also receive free children's books, and learn the importance of what's called "serve and return" - responsive interactions that can benefit a child's physical and emotional growth.

Still, parents say it's the community-wide connections they appreciate the most, and the realization that in the sometimes stressful journey of parenthood, they are not alone.