Quality of Educare

About the Initiative

Improving early childhood educare in home-based frameworks

The Quality of Educare initiative seeks to promote high-quality educare for every child from birth to age three, boosting developmental potential from the outset. In Israel, only half of children from birth to age three attend regulated frameworks that receive professional guidance from the Ministry of Education. The remainder are cared for at home or in unsupervised settings. This initiative works to improve the quality of care in home-based settings by expanding local authorities’ responsibility over these frameworks and providing caregivers with training, supervision and support supplied by professional organisations.

Currently, five civil society organisations (AJEEC-NISPED, Eretz-Ir, Branco Weiss, Northern Goals and Oranim Academic College) are working with five local authorities (Rahat, Dimona, Netanya, Ma’alot-Tarshiha and Kiryat Ata). They are developing strategic plans for early childhood and building professional networks of educators and caregivers who receive ongoing professional support.

In partnership with the Shashua Family Foundation, the initiative is guided by a professional advisory committee comprised of academic and field experts, alongside a partners’ forum that includes relevant government bodies.

 

Improving early childhood educare in supervised frameworks

Following the passing of the Daycare Supervision Law in 2021, responsibility for early childhood frameworks serving seven or more children from birth to age three was transferred to the Ministry of Education. The JDC and Yad Hanadiv have partnered with the Ministry to support this significant reform.

The partnership seeks to build professional and organisational infrastructure while improving the quality of frameworks, expanding local authorities’ responsibility and reducing gaps for children from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

The initiative focuses on two main areas: 1) Improving the quality of educare through the implementation of pedagogical approaches and tools and promoting professional development for daycare staff; and 2) Increasing local authorities’ responsibility for infants through dedicated training for educare managers and the appointment of Early Childhood Managers in each local authority and district, in partnership with the Northern Goals non-profit.