About the book, T. Berry Brazelton, MD writes:

“This is a long overdue book and I am proud to recommend it. We have been so fortunate to have had Ed Zigler lead us in obtaining the little bit of parental leave we have been able to get. It is so critical to provide the time in early infancy for mothers (as well as fathers) to learn about their babies as they make their attachments to their newborns and infants. Paid care leave will make this valuable time available to the underprivileged poor as well as the rich. This book should lead the way.”

Kathleen McCartney, Dean & Gerald S. Lesser Professor in Early Childhood Development at the Harvard Graduate School of Education writes:

“In this important volume, Ed Zigler, Susan Muenchow and Christopher Ruhm make the strong case that U.S. family policies have not kept pace with the “profound social transitions” accompanying the dramatic increases in maternal employment. Because the first years of life provide a foundation for healthy development – social, emotional, cognitive, linguistic, and physical – it is critical that we build public will to support young children and their families, as most European countries do. The U.S. is the outlier, and we must ask ourselves if this decision makes sense from a social justice, education, health or economic perspective. This book is a clarion call to invest in the next generation by expanding access to paid leave.”