Paid Family Leave in the United States
Taking care of babies is taking care of the world
Jade's Vision is a movement for paid family leave in America, called Early Childhood Social Security that protects the first five years of life and brings back the village.
Maternity Leave Matters Monday
After I was fired for asking to work part-time, I started Maternity Leave Matters Monday. For a year, while Nova was still a baby, I put her on my hip, picked up a microphone, and walked up to strangers at parks, malls and stores to ask them one question:
"Do you know we are the only developed country that doesn't have paid maternity leave?"
Teenagers, grandparents, teachers, business owners, fathers, and people without kids all stopped to answer. Paid leave shapes every family in this country, so I didn't just ask mothers.
Featured in Women's History Month
Visionary Women in The Urban News, Asheville, NC: 2026
"Advocate for mothers and families"
What Inspired Jade's Vision
Having a baby saved my life. It cured my depression and drinking, but I almost didn’t have a baby because America is the only developed country that does not have a national paid family leave policy. When I went back to work, I asked to work part-time to prioritize my baby, and I was fired. So I started a movement and interviewed strangers with a baby on my hip. A year into my advocacy, I was featured in Women’s History Month on the Urban News March 2026. Now I’m writing a memoir and a vision for a world that centers children, mothers and human well-being, a care economy mixed with Early Childhood Social Security. Workers pay for retirees social security for 20-30 years. We protect our elderly, we should protect the beginning of life too.
When we prioritize babies and families, we all win as a collective society.
Born Into Separation
America is the only wealthy nation that doesn't guarantee paid maternity leave— This post explores how early separation harms babies, the science behind the mother-baby bonding, and our national wellbeing—and why its time we demand better.
Let's Connect
I love to hear from my readers and fans! Let me know if you have any questions, concerns, mother challenges, or ideas to contribute to Jade's Vision.
Remember, it takes a collective to make change