Today as parents head to work, they will have something to smile about. On March 31, the New York State Legislature passed the Paid Family Leave Policy.

This policy, which doesn’t go in effect until Jan. 1, 2018, allows workers with new children to be entitled to paid leave. The policy also includes workers who have adopted or fostered children.

This means that the employee would be allotted up to 12 weeks of paid time off. With this policy, an employee can feel secure that they have a job to return to after their leave is finished. Many people are also excited because the policy allows paid leave to take care of a gravely ill family member.

This law makes New York State only the fifth state to pass such a policy. The other states that have passed similar laws are California, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Washington, but none have been as extensive as the one in New York.

The new law is planned to be phased in over four years starting in 2018. At first it will only cover 50 percent of the worker’s pay and then after four years that number will increase to 67 percent, a wage of $848 per week for the highest paid workers.

This new policy for New York is a game changer. Not only does it allow both parents to take a leave, it guarantees they will get paid during that time. This is exceptionally great because parents with newborns will be able to stagger their time off. If one parent takes time off and then another does, it means that both parents will be able to get time with the child, benefitting the child and the parent. It also allows the stress that childcare can bring to not fall on just one parent’s shoulders, possibly allowing for better childcare within the home.

The new policy continues to support the need of both parents being there for their child early on. If parents decide to stagger their paid leave time, they won’t need to debate on childcare or the cost of it. It would give parents more time to fully decide who they would like to take care of their child once they go back to work.

Another huge plus that comes from the policy is that it is beneficial for single-parent households. Again, the parent would be able to spend time with their child without worrying about a paycheck every week.

It also offers security when it comes to their job. Single parents can possibly lose their job for taking too much time off or once they go back to work they could feel like their employer is trying to replace them. With this new policy it would enable an employee to not feel that way. In the other states where this has been enacted, employees and employers have built much better relationships.

Overall, the policy looks like it will be very profitable for parents both financially and family-wise. I applaud New York for passing a policy that allows both parents the opportunity to take a leave and also that supports single-parent households as well. I think with a policy like this there will also be better relationships between employees and employers.