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<p>I work for a city agency (NYCDOE) and like Sue and her federal agency, there is no paid maternity/paternity leave. </p>
<p>While you can take up to 4 years off after the birth of a baby and come back to a comparable position, you are not paid for the time off and you have to pay for your own insurance. </p>
<p>One of the things I notice with women who work for the DOE is that they try to plan babies for to be due in May/June, use their sick days and get paid over the summer (because our annualized salary is paid over the course of 12 months where in some places, you are paid for the school year and collect unemployment for the summer) and come back to work in September. If a child is born July/August, they are paid until the end of august and use their sick days and perhaps borrow up to 20 sick days from future days.</p>