Frequently Asked Questions
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A list of the most commonly asked questions.
No, you’ll receive a lump-sum payment equivalent to your regular compensation from the UFT Welfare Fund at the end of your six-week UFT parental leave instead.
If you are not eligible for parental leave because you have not been employed by the DOE for 12 months and in active service for 12 months prior to your child's birth, you are able to take a traditional maternity leave. There is no minimum service requirement to be eligible for maternity leave.
Maternity leave begins the day your child is born. You can use up to six weeks of your accumulated CAR days (sick days) for a non-cesarean delivery or eight weeks for a cesarean delivery. If you don't have enough CAR days in your bank, you may submit a request to borrow up to 20 additional sick days or, in some cases, use a grace period.
You will continue to be paid and maintain your health benefits during your leave as long your absences are covered by CAR days, borrowed days or a grace period. Please note that members will not be paid beyond the six to eight weeks after giving birth.
Your payroll secretary can tell you how many CAR days you have accumulated or your pay stub also contains that information, which can be found on the DOE payroll portal. You would apply for a maternity leave online through SOLAS.
If you have been working for the DOE for more than 12 months, but were not in active status in the past year, you would also be eligible for an unpaid child care leave at the conclusion of your maternity leave.
Please contact a UFT leaves specialist before applying to discuss your options at 212-331-6311.
See a comparison between maternity and parental leaves for additional guidance.
Births over the summer are subject to the same time frame as births during the school year. A UFT member can use days from their CAR bank for any work days once the new school year begins up to six weeks after birth (or eight weeks following a C-section), and the six weeks of parental leave must be used within 12 weeks (or 14 weeks following a C-section) after the date of birth.
Members with at least one year of service, or paraprofessionals with at least two years of service, may apply for an unpaid child care leave immediately following a UFT parental leave. The child care leave can extend to the August following the fourth birthday of their youngest child, but the parent must work for 12 months (they need not be consecutive) after they return from child care leave. If they do not return to work for this duration, they will be required to pay back the UFT parental leave benefit.
One of the following must be submitted by the birth parent or the partner of a birth parent:
- a copy of your child's birth certificate
- a copy of your child's footprints or a letter from the doctor or hospital, on official letterhead, stating the child's birth date, parent names, and type of delivery.
For adoption or foster care, you must submit official adoption or foster paperwork.
To avoid delays, you may wish to choose options available before the birth certificate arrives so you can submit your documentation as soon as possible.
Supporting documentation may be uploaded directly to SOLAS or sent via email to: SOLASleavesfax [at] schools [dot] nyc [dot] gov (SOLASleavesfax[at]schools[dot]nyc[dot]gov).
Read more about UFT parental leave »
Birth parents, partners of birth parents, adoptive parents and foster parents may be eligible for a UFT parental leave. You must be in a title represented by the UFT, be on the Department of Education payroll for a minimum of 12 calendar months and be a full-time employee or an H-bank/nonpedagogical employee who works 20 hours or more weekly. F-status and per-diem employees are not eligible.
Members who have taken one parental leave are eligible to take another parental leave after 10 calendar months of active status. Members who take a UFT parental leave must return to work or active status for at least 12 calendar months or they will be required to pay back the benefit.
Check your eligibility for parental benefits by using the UFT Parental Leave Guide. Log in to the UFT Member Hub to check it out!
You should apply at least 15 days prior to the anticipated due or covered event date, but no later than 10 days after delivery to ensure timely payment of the benefit from the UFT.
If your baby arrives much later than the due date, you can revise your application in SOLAS. Just log back in within 10 days of giving birth. You have to confirm the birth date regardless.
In general you should apply as soon as possible when you know your plans for using your CAR days and any additional child care leave, however keep in mind that you will not be able to apply earlier than two months in advance of the anticipated event. You should also notify your school or work location so they can begin to plan for your absence.
1. It is recommended that you apply using the DOE's self-service online leave application system (SOLAS) at least 15 days in advance of the anticipated date of birth or adoption. You’ll be asked if you intend to use your CAR day balance if you are the birth parent and if you plan to take an unpaid child care leave after your UFT parental leave ends. You will also be asked for the first day you anticipate being absent from work and the last day you anticipate being absent from work (not the date of your return).
2. After the birth, you must confirm the birth date in SOLAS within 10 days (except if there are extenuating circumstances). The actual date of birth or covered event will be used to determine the final start and end dates of your leave. During these 10 days, you can amend your application if you change your mind about using your CAR balance or taking an unpaid child care leave following your UFT parental leave.
3. If the baby arrives and you have not already submitted a leave application, you have 10 calendar days afterward to notify the DOE via SOLAS or you may forfeit your right to take the leave. In the case of extenuating circumstances, you should provide the reason the deadline was missed to ensure the leave can be granted.
4. Submit required documentation through SOLAS no more than 21 calendar days after the birth.
For non-birth parents, your UFT parental leave will start the next day, but still will end no later than six calendar weeks (eight weeks for a C-section) starting on the day of the event. For birth parents, parental leave will start after the use of any CAR/sick days towards a recovery period.
Members are eligible for an additional UFT parental leave if they have been an eligible employee in active status for 10 calendar months following the initial covered event, exclusive of time on an unpaid leave other than parental leave.