Our second in a continuing series — Briefed by the Bell — looks at family security in Colorado. Read the first brief on wages.

What is Family Security?

Increasingly, Colorado families struggle to accommodate the demands of work and life. This balancing act most acutely impacts those who are caregiving, including parents looking after young children, adult children caring for aging parents, or family members providing care for a loved one with a serious health need. For many of these Coloradans, taking time off to meet family care needs comes with the constant fear of losing a paycheck or job.

That’s why these workers need policies focusing on family security, including a stable, affordable, high-quality system that provides paid leave so they can work without worry. Policymakers should modernize workplace and caregiving standards to keep pace with today’s changing workforce — a workforce largely made up by working parents and older workers continuing their employment beyond the traditional retirement age.

Colorado’s elected officials should consider family security policies that provide paid leave and earned sick leave, and those that mitigate rising child care costs. Read more in our latest Briefed by the Bell to understand the issue, the facts, and the ways we can help Colorado families, employers, and the economy overall.

Other Bell resources on family security:

• Testimony: Support FAMLI to Give Colorado Workers Paid Leave
• Why Coloradans Need Paid Leave & How to Offer it
• When Employer Solutions Are Lacking, Invest in Paid Leave
• Costs & Benefits of Paid Sick Leave
• The Bell Calls on Legislature to Invest in Child Care, Early Childhood Education
• Colorado Work Policies: Adapting How We Work
• Early Childhood & Postsecondary Education Advance Economic Mobility