Mayor Bill de Blasio just announced a monumental change for NYC teachers.
Beginning this fall, educators will no longer have to choose between staying home with a new baby or risking their earnings. Public school teachers will receive six weeks of paid parental leave at full salary, according to The New York Times—a first-time policy that will go into effect after a long-fought battle.
According to The Times, the Mayor is in full agreement that this deal is not only fair, but necessary in the 21st century as costs continue to rise.
Currently, those teachers who welcome a new baby into the family must use accrued sick days (of which they receive 10) to create a makeshift maternity leave, which obviously does not allow for much time with a newborn. Now there will be some flexibility for those who have a new child to take into consideration. Additionally, teachers can use sick time to earn up to 12 weeks of paid leave for a natural delivery and 14 weeks of leave for a c-section, The Times further states.
At the beginning of the year, paid family leave in NYC made some changes for over 6 million employees at private companies. It made them eligible for paid time with family and loved ones under certain circumstances, such as the adoption of newborn or newly adopted/fostered child, among other situations.
Preparing for a child can be stressful enough. Efforts like these can take the edge off, and there's certainly nothing wrong with that!
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Before this change goes into effect, we have summer vacation to look forward to. If you're looking for exciting summer activities for kids. Make a splash at the city's best swimming pools for kids, venture to one of the best beaches for kids near NYC and cool off with a scoop from one of these delicious ice cream shops for kids.