Having a child in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is gut-wrenching, emotionally exhausting, stressful, and all-consuming. Parents are deeply concerned and usually desperate for updates and answers. They want to spend every possible moment by their child’s side, but for many families, that is not an option. Worries about their job security and lost income can force parents to make an impossible choice between a paycheck and being physically present for their newborn when they need them most.
Fortunately, Colorado is changing that reality. In a first-in-the-nation move, the state in 2025 expanded its paid family and medical leave program to include paid NICU-specific leave. The benefit became available in January of 2026.
Early experiences can alter developmental trajectories for newborns. Babies in the NICU may be exposed to bright lights, loud noises, and medically necessary but often painful and taxing medical interventions. This environment is stressful not only for infants but also for their parents. Being present by holding their child, learning their cues, and participating in hands-on care is how parents and children bond, establish trust, and begin building the foundations of their lifelong relationship. Research shows that consistent parental involvement is associated with better health outcomes for babies, including increased weight gain and stronger neurodevelopmental progress, and shorter stays in intensive care. It also means reduced stress and anxiety for parents.
Yet despite how vital this time is, many parents are forced to return to work while their child remains hospitalized. Others exhaust their paid leave during a lengthy NICU stay and are required to return to work almost immediately after bringing their baby home, leaving little to no time to recover, bond, or adjust as a family.
Colorado’s paid leave expansion is a significant step forward.
Building on the state’s existing Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) program, the new policy allows eligible parents of NICU-hospitalized infants to take up to 12 additional weeks of paid leave while their child is in intensive care. This allows them to be by their child’s side during critical moments without fear of losing the income they need to support their family. Just as importantly, it also preserves their bonding time by allowing parents to take FAMILI’s standard 12 weeks of paid leave after their child leaves the NICU. This ensures families do not have to sacrifice one essential period of care for another.
This expansion is not just an advancement in care policy, but a broader commitment to valuing families and supporting them during their most vulnerable and critical moments.
The Colorado advocates and legislators who helped bring SB25-144 across the finish line offered several important take-aways from their experience:
- Lived experience is vital in policymaking.
The NICU leave expansion is a powerful example of how lived experience can translate directly into policy, as this legislation emerged from and was shaped by firsthand experiences in the NICU.
Senator Jeff Bridges, a prime sponsor of SB25-144, has a son who was born prematurely and spent months in intensive care. During that time, Bridges witnessed parents making agonizing decisions as their paid leave ran out before their babies were ready to come home. Jennifer Greenfield, who helped guide early paid leave policy discussions in the state, also recognized the desperate need for expanded paid leave because she navigated the NICU after the birth of her twins. Senator Faith Winter, also a prime sponsor of SB25-144, was a NICU baby herself and grew up with stories of challenges her parents faced trying to navigate work while taking care of her in between shifts.
Together, these lived experiences helped reveal a gap in existing leave structures: for NICU parents, 12 weeks is often insufficient to support both recovery and bonding. Winter recalled the moment that prompted the introduction of SB25-144. “Senator Jeff Bridges came to me and said, ‘I’m in the NICU, and the parents here are in so much pain and having to make such horrible decisions. I want to help fix this. Will you help me fix this?’” she explained.
For Winter, the policy’s success underscores the importance of representation in policymaking that reflects the complexity of family life. “This is a very good example that it matters who is at the table, and I firmly believe that our democracy is the strongest and the best when we have different experiences, different connections, different communities, and different backgrounds,” she said. “This solution came from lived experiences, and that’s why diversity and democracy are so incredibly important.”
- Persistence and innovation made this progress possible.
Colorado’s paid leave journey, and its eventual NICU expansion, was not an easy one. After years of stalled legislative efforts, repeated negotiations, and hard-fought compromises, paid leave legislation repeatedly fell short of passage. Rather than abandoning the effort, advocates and lawmakers chose a more innovative path. In 2020, Colorado became the first state in the nation to enact paid family and medical leave through a ballot initiative, a bold move that reflected both persistence and creativity in the face of continued setbacks. Proposition 118 included the core components advocates fought for and passed with more than 57 percent of the vote. Voters in deep blue and deep red counties alike supported it, underscoring that paid leave has broad support that translates beyond partisan lines. Since taking effect, FAMLI has supported hundreds of thousands of Coloradans during some of life’s most critical moments.
The strength and stability of the FAMLI program created the foundation that made the NICU leave expansion possible without raising premiums for employees or employers. As Lydia Waligorski, formerly of Clayton Early Learning, explained, “We were able to balance the economics of paid leave and work on the rate and the collection and get that right, and then we were able to expand the program.”
Rep. Lorena Garcia sees Colorado’s persistence as a lesson for other states considering similar policies. “With this and other leave and pro-family policies, it really is better to try than not try,” she said. “Not everything will pass, and maybe some things will not pass as you hope them to, but you should always try.”
- Paid leave programs can, and should, evolve as policymakers learn more about how families interact with them.
Leaders in Colorado recognized the needs of families facing complex or unexpected circumstances, particularly prolonged NICU stays, and expanded their paid family and medical leave program to address these gaps. Rather than treating paid leave as a static policy, the state continued to adapt its program and recognize that a one-size-fits-all approach can leave some families behind. It is a lesson for other states, including those with established paid leave policies, that the work does not end with implementation. Policymakers should continue learning, updating, and expanding programs in response to emerging needs.
Lawmakers are increasingly acknowledging that the reality of family life does not always neatly fit into policy boxes. “I think people are recognizing that all working families are different, and we can’t have just single, uniform policies that we expect all families’ life situations to fit under. We have to be a state that is nimble and flexible,” said Rep. Lorena Garcia, who co-sponsored SB25-144. “I think this is a great example of how Colorado policy making is shifting to be more responsive to the real needs and communities, and not just the broad majority understanding of what most families go through,” she added.
Paid leave is about family stability, economic security, and human dignity. “At some point during our working lives, we are going to get sick, maybe have a baby, maybe face a health concern of our own or a loved one’s…These things happen, and you do not need to lose your job, your house, or your livelihood when they do,” said Waligorski. Paid leave allows parents to focus on healing, caregiving, and recovery without the constant financial stress.
For families with babies in the NICU, that stability can make all the difference.
“Colorado’s NICU expansion is not just smart policy, it is policy with a heart,” said Jacy Montoya Price, Senior Director of Advocacy and Issue Campaigns at the Alliance for Early Success. “When families are facing some of the most frightening and uncertain moments of their lives, having the time and support to simply be there for their child can be so transformative. Colorado’s leadership and innovation are showing what is possible when policymakers really listen to and respond to family needs. When policy is rooted in lived experience and guided by compassion, it does not just support families through crisis, it helps them emerge even stronger on the other side.”
Note: This story includes insights from an interview with Senator Faith Winter conducted prior to her passing in November 2025. We are deeply grateful for her dedication and advocacy on behalf of Colorado children and families, which helped make this NICU leave expansion possible.