So you’re a pregnant teacher (or adopting teacher), and you’re planning to take maternity leave from the classroom. It sounds like congratulations are in order … and you’ve probably got a lot of questions running through your mind. How do you plan for your time out of the classroom. Do teachers get maternity leave? What about paternity leave for male teachers? And can you get paid leave if you’re taking time off from the classroom?
As teachers, we love to plan and organize, and your impending bundle of joy is an exciting reason to get out the sticky notes, highlighters and planner. The teachers on the Teach Starter teacher team have pulled together this list of teacher-specific preparations for you to schedule before your baby arrives and your long-term substitute takes over.
Read on to find out what US laws say about maternity leave for teachers and how to plan for your time out of the classroom.
Do Teachers Get Maternity Leave?
You may have already talked to the folks in the main office or the teacher’s union, or maybe you haven’t, and you’re wondering how much maternity leave teachers get or if you even qualify for time off. The good news: The US Family Medical Leave Act is federal, and it guarantees all new parents (moms or dads) 12 weeks of time off after the birth or adoption of a new baby.
There are some states that require employers to give even more time off to new parents. For example, California law states that private employers with 50 employees or more and all public sector employers must provide up to 12 weeks unpaid family leave plus 4 months of maternity disability leave. That works out to a total of 28 weeks of parental leave per year.
Meanwhile, in Washington D.C., the law protects employees who take up to 16 weeks of unpaid leave during a 24-month period.
To see the exact amount time you can take off for a new child in your state, check out the parental leave by state guide from the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Is Teacher Maternity Leave Paid?
Now for the not-so-good news: The federal law does not require employers to pay their employees during those 12 weeks, and that includes teacher maternity leave pay. The law just stipulates that employers have to allow the time off, and they can’t fire them for taking a maternity leave.
With no federal mandate, paid maternity leave and paternity leave are both up to your local laws and individual school district. Some districts do offer paid time off for new parents, while in others, district contracts allow teachers to use their accrued sick leave to ensure they can still get a paycheck during time out of the classroom with a new baby.
Again, you’ll want to check out the laws for your state, as they may be on your side. As of 2024, 13 states and the District of Columbia have enacted mandatory paid family leave policies. Those states include:
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- New Jersey
- New York
- Oregon
- Rhode Island
- Washington
Just how much teachers can be paid during a maternity leave or a paternity leave varies from state to state. California teachers, for example, are eligible for coverage from the California Paid Family Leave insurance program, which provides up to eight weeks of paid leave to care for a seriously ill child, spouse, parent, or registered domestic partner or to bond with a new child. You won’t get your full salary — the benefit works out to about 55 percent of your weekly wage — but it’s certainly better than no pay at all!
Once you’ve determined how much time you’ll be able to take off, it’s time to get planning.
Teacher Maternity Leave Planning Guide
First Trimester Teacher Maternity Leave Checklist
The first trimester is defined as conception to 12 weeks.
- Start a paper or electronic file for all of the emails, documents and forms you’ll receive about your pregnancy or adoption. There is a lot of paperwork coming your way!
- Research your rights for maternity leave (talk to your union rep).
- If you have a partner, look into what they might be able to do for leave also.
- Think about when you’d ideally like to finish work. It’s great to have a tentative end date in mind when you’re planning, and this can definitely be adjusted.
- Think about when you’d like to inform your principal that you’re expecting. You are not obligated to disclose your pregnancy in the early stages, but you will eventually need to have the conversation so they can hire a leave replacement teacher.
- Pop lots of healthy, high-protein snacks in your desk drawer.
- Look into childcare options in your area if you expect to need it, as some areas have very high demand and long waitlists.
- Set up or update your substitute teacher folder to prepare for absences for appointments during the pregnancy.
Second Trimester Teacher Maternity Leave Checklist
The second trimester is from weeks 13-27.
- Organize assessment and grading data. Keep everything up to date in case you need to make a swift exit.
- Enjoy announcing your pregnancy to your students and their families.
- Tidy up your classroom and desk area, and begin taking home or storing personal items.
- Do some serious classroom decluttering — recycle old paper and dispose of resources and equipment that are no longer useful and your long-term sub won’t need.
- Check in with your teaching team or teaching partner about your plans.
- Check in with specialist teachers and learning support. Schedule meetings to discuss students with IEPs and other needs before you go.
Third Trimester Teacher Maternity Leave Checklist
The third trimester is from weeks 28-40.
- If you know who will be replacing you, make contact and arrange a “handover” meeting.
- If your long-term sub is a certified teacher, check with admin to see how detailed your lesson plans need to be. Some admins want full lesson plans for the entire time, while some are okay with a general outline for the sub to follow. If needed, create lesson plans for your leave replacement.
- Complete all of your paperwork for your administrator to lodge on your behalf.
- Catch up on grading, and check with admin about grading while you are on parental leave. Most subs do not get access to grading systems, so they won’t be able to enter grades. You may be asked to do it, but remember, you’re on leave! You’re not supposed to work (and doing so may put any pay in jeopardy). You may need to ask a teacher to input the grades while you are out.
- Leave passwords and logins for students somewhere safe and accessible.
- Clear off your work laptop if you will have to hand it in to IT.
- Choose a last day (if possible), and let your colleagues know when this is.
- Let your students know when you’re planning to finish work, and remind them as the time approaches.
- Send an email to parents and guardians letting them know you’re finishing up, and (if known), include an introduction and picture of the new classroom teacher.
- Set up an automated reply from your work email to begin the day you start your family leave.
- If your classroom has a fridge, clear it out.
- Pack up and take home all of your personal belongings from your classroom and common areas.
- Set up a teacher account for your sub and provide access to student messaging systems (ClassDojo, Remind, etc.) Once you’re out on leave, turn off your notifications.
And that’s it! Feel free to copy and paste this list of teacher-specific preparations for maternity leave into your planner or spreadsheet. You can add it to your existing (non-teacher) checklist or keep this one separate.
We’re wishing you all the best with your new arrival!
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