Report Reveals Overcrowded Infant Daycares and Economic Burden on Israeli Parents

A new report by the organization "Good Hands," focusing on early childhood investment, reveals that infant daycares in Israel are more crowded and under-resourced compared to OECD countries. The space allocated per infant in Israeli daycares ranges from 2.2 to 2.8 square meters, below the OECD average of three square meters. Additionally, the caregiver-to-infant ratio in Israel is one caregiver per six infants, whereas developed countries maintain a ratio of one caregiver per four infants. The number of infants per daycare group is also higher in Israel.

The report highlights a systemic crisis in Israel's early childhood care: only about 40% of infants attend regulated frameworks, while roughly one-third are in unregulated settings. Financially, Israeli parents bear approximately 70% of daycare costs, significantly higher than the 25% average in developed countries. Regarding caregiver training, Israeli regulations require only 220 hours of training, and about half of caregivers lack professional qualifications, contrasting with most OECD countries that require academic education.

Dolev Knaan, a policy researcher at the 121 Association, which partners with the advocacy group behind the report, told Kan News that substantial investment in early childhood education now will yield future benefits. He noted that Israel invests only a tenth of the OECD average in early childhood education, resulting in overcrowded daycares and low wages for educators, which hampers recruitment and retention of quality staff.

The advocacy group proposes a national program for education from birth to age three, aiming to improve caregiver ratios, group sizes, training, salaries, and increase subsidies for parents. Implementing this program would require an additional 8 billion shekels annually but is expected to generate a net economic benefit exceeding 14 billion shekels in the long term. Knaan urged the incoming government to establish an interministerial team led by the Ministry of Education to develop the program and allocate necessary budgets.

The report also references ongoing issues with unregulated daycare centers, which have previously been implicated in financial misconduct involving assistants' salaries.