Israeli Haredi Daycare Centers Withhold Assistants’ Bonuses Amid Funding Dispute

A recent audit by Israel's Ministry of Education revealed that dozens of supervised Haredi daycare centers failed to pay assistants the state-funded bonuses they were entitled to, instead diverting the money to their own funds. These bonuses, agreed upon in August 2023, included up to 600 shekels for assistants with perfect attendance and an annual bonus of 1,000 shekels for those absent no more than ten days due to illness. Although the government transferred these funds to the daycare centers, the assistants did not receive the payments.

In response, the state is demanding to deduct millions of shekels from the budgets allocated to these daycare centers. However, Meir Shimoni, Director General of the Ministry of Education, has requested that the government waive these deductions, expressing concern that such financial penalties could cause the centers to collapse. Shimoni’s appeal was coordinated with professional officials within the ministry and aims to ensure the continuity of daycare operations ahead of the new school year.

This issue emerges amid broader challenges in the education system, including teacher shortages and parental protests, highlighting tensions as the new academic year approaches on September 1. The Ministry of Education continues to seek solutions that balance accountability with operational stability in early childhood education frameworks.