About

Family Values @ Work grew out of the recognition that valuing caregiving and enabling people to be good providers and good family members is key to achieving racial, gender and economic equity. Those who started the network saw the need to raise national funds for grassroots groups who are fighting for state and local policies that make leave affordable. The goal was to build capacity and share resources, messaging, best practices and lessons from the field, creating the movement, momentum and models to pave the way for strong national standards.

Founded in 2003 with seed money from the Ford and Casey Foundations, Family Values @ Work (FV@W) has grown from 8 to 27 states* and is a recognized leader with significant experience fostering grassroots coalitions and policy change in a geographically diverse set of locations. FV@W has shaped the debates around Earned Sick Days (ESD) and Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FMLI), engaged a wide range of partners, and guided development of the most inclusive policies to date.

FV@W helps state coalitions educate the public and policymakers about the importance of universal access to ESD and FMLI, while emphasizing the particular urgency of this issue for low-wage families and children and the ways it overlaps with racial and gender inequities. Current policies still reflect the notion that families have someone home full time, even as women are primary or co-primary breadwinners in two-thirds of families. Time to care is a jobs issue, as well as a key to economic self-sufficiency and to well-being for children, families and seniors. familyvaluesatwork.org