Low Wages for Daycare Workers Deepen Childcare Crisis in Israel

As the new school year begins, Israel faces a growing crisis in supervised early childhood daycare centers. Major operators like WIZO, Naamat, and Emunah report ongoing shortages of caregivers and educators due to persistently low wages, often near the minimum wage, despite the demanding and responsible nature of the work. The state's failure to update subsidy rates and raise caregiver salaries to match those of kindergarten assistants has made it difficult to recruit and retain staff, leading to closed daycare classes.

This shortage forces parents, who rely on these frameworks to work, to turn to private daycare centers where costs are significantly higher, sometimes thousands of shekels more per month. Even private centers struggle with staffing shortages. The government’s apparent budget savings by not increasing price baskets or providing adequate retention grants ultimately shift the financial burden onto families.

Avi Suleiman, chairman of the Mizrahi Workers Federation, emphasizes that investing in early childhood care is not merely a budget expense but a necessary support for working parents and the broader economy. He calls on the Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Finance to implement the Price Basket Committee’s recommendations and equalize caregiver wages with those of kindergarten assistants to resolve the crisis. Without these changes, the shortage will persist and parents will continue to bear the costs.