Short-term paid leave that allows a parent to take an afternoon or a day off to attend a school performance or athletic event, volunteer at a child’s school or otherwise take care of a child’s needs.
Benefits to Employers
- Improves productivity
- Increases retention
- Reduces complaints of discrimination towards employees with caregiving responsibilities
- Improves workplace climate
Benefits to Children
- Improves regular school attendance
- Improves grades and test scores
- Reduces behavioral/mental health problems
- Earlier identification of learning problems
- Improves likelihood of high school graduation
- Improves likelihood of attending college
Benefits to Parents/Families
- Decreases stress
- Increases engagement in children’s education
Range of Practices in the United States
Montana law does not require that employers provide parental involvement leave, paid or unpaid.
Nationwide, 51 percent of small employers (50–99 employees) and 33 percent of large employers (1,000 employees or more) allow workers to take time off during the day to attend to important personal or family needs without losing pay.
