Stories like these help bring the numbers to life. Each claim represents a father who feels supported and able to be there for the moments that matter most.<\/p>\n
\u201cPaid Family Leave gives fathers the opportunity to be present for some of the earliest and most meaningful moments in their children\u2019s lives,\u201d said Stewart Knox, Secretary of the Labor & Workforce Development Agency. \u201cWhen we make it easier for workers to care for their families, we strengthen the wellbeing of everyone who keeps our state moving.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Golden State has recently reached new milestones in parents accessing bonding time. In 2025, there were more than 482,000 applications \u2013 the highest in program history. In 2004, just 18% of bonding leave applications came from men. Two decades later, 51% of bonding leave applications came from men.\u00a0<\/p>\n
From FY 2023-24 to FY 2024-25 there was a 6% increase in the number of fathers choosing to take bonding leave, reflecting a shift in how families are choosing to use PFL benefits. New parents can use benefits all at once or spread out over a 12-month period.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFor more than 20 years, Paid Family Leave has helped workers put family first,\u201d said Nancy Farias, Director of EDD. \u201cAs demand for the program continues to grow, including more fathers, we\u2019re making it easier to understand, access, and manage claims online so more Californians can get the support they need, when they need it most.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Making it easier for Californians to bond with their child\u00a0<\/p>\n
Under Governor Newsom\u2019s leadership, the state has made key efficiencies to increase access bonding time:\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Visit Paid Family Leave for Fathers and apply online today.<\/a><\/p>\n California\u2019s leadership in supporting men and boys\u00a0<\/p>\n The growing number of fathers taking bonding leave reflects California\u2019s broader efforts to support men and boys at every stage of life, from early childhood and mental health services to workforce training, mentorship, and career pathways.<\/p>\n California is one of 14 states and the District of Columbia that offer PFL. Parents in households where men take PFL are more likely to report positive signs of mental and physical health. There is also reduced risk for infant and child mortality in homes where fathers take bonding time, helping save lives.\u00a0<\/p>\n Building on Governor Newsom\u2019s executive order<\/a>, California has made nation leading investments into men and boys by expanding mentorship and service opportunities and creating stronger pathways into high-demand careers, empowering young men into good jobs and a strong sense of purpose:\u00a0<\/p>\n 195,000+ men trained through workforce programs since 2020
\n8,800+ men supported through reentry employment pathways
\nMore than 500,000 youth and families have accessed behavioral health supports through BrightLife Kids<\/a> and Soluna<\/a>, which have seen 275% growth in use since early 2025\u00a0
\nGoal to engage 10,000 young men in service and volunteerism through the Men\u2019s Service Challenge<\/a> by 2026
\nExpanded outreach for the Emergency Medical Service Corps and for health professions where men are underrepresented
\nSince 2019, more than 667,000 apprenticeships have been created \u2014 exceeding Governor Newsom\u2019s goal of creating 500,000 apprenticeships by 2029<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Stories like these help bring the numbers to life. Each claim represents a father who feels supported and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":367498,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,9,8],"class_list":["post-367497","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-california","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367497","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=367497"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367497\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/367498"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=367497"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=367497"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=367497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}