HARRISONBURG, Va. (ROCKTOWN NOW) – Paid parental leave will be available beginning in January to all full-time and part-time employees with the City of Harrisonburg.

An update to the Parental Leave Police was revealed at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting and it states that city employees can use up to eight weeks of paid parental leave within a six-month period. The benefit will be available to city employees after they have been employed for at least six months and have worked at least 500 hours.

Council member Monica Robinson supported the new policy as it pertains to birthing and non-birthing parents.

“So this would be very helpful for grandparents like myself, who then are suddenly parents again and it takes a little bit of time to get everything straight,” Robinson said. “And so we’re not just thinking in old term of new parents. I think this is wonderful.”

Changes to the parental leave policy came after a study was conducted and three-fourths of all city employees participated, and that included 85 percent of all full-time employees, that gave their feedback on the benefits.