Recent regulations enacted to improve the quality of early childhood education for children under the age of three have created an opportunity to bridge early childhood education (ECE) accessibility and quality gaps for Arab communities. Three strategic field-building initiatives in the North and South have made advances in response, ranging from improving coordination and training, to building local authority capacities for enhancing ECE services.
In Israel, the primary childcare options include certified daycare centers, recognized family daycares, and privately-owned family daycares (Heb. mishpahtonim). Certified daycare centers and recognized family daycares are supervised by either the Ministry of Labor or Education, and a government decision from April 2023 allocated subsidies and tax benefits exclusively to parents using supervised settings. Most Arab children are enrolled into unregulated ECE frameworks. While unsupervised family daycare services tend to be more affordable, they often do not provide quality services and are considered less safe for children.[1]
In January 2022, an early childhood reform (GR-951) was enacted in Israel, driven by the advocacy of early education stakeholders who stressed the need for comprehensive, high-quality early childhood education (ECE). The reform transfers oversight of daycare centers for children under the age of three to the Ministry of Education, making it responsible for facility standards, pedagogical and safety supervision, and regulatory frameworks. This change aims to establish a cohesive educational continuum that spans from birth to age 18, tailored to meet the developmental needs of children at every stage of their growth. A budget of NIS 240M was allocated for the implementation of the reform.
In April 2023, the government introduced a five-year plan to reduce daycare costs, improve care quality, and expand subsidized facilities. Starting in 2024, the plan includes increased subsidies, tax benefits for families, and NIS 2.2 B for new center construction, with an annual budget of NIS 1.3 B in subsidies and benefits.
There is a broad consensus among early childhood experts that accessible, high-quality early education can reduce economic inequality and boost social mobility. Research shows that infants in these programs, particularly from low-income families, gain significant cognitive, social, and emotional benefits, laying the foundation for their future. Early childhood development also benefits communities by improving educational outcomes, increasing earning potential, building a skilled workforce, and lowering crime rates. Additionally, quality frameworks are crucial for enabling parents, especially mothers, to re-enter the workforce.
While Israel’s ECE system generally has high participation rates, Arab children’s enrollment is notably lower due to various factors. The recent reform and the five-year government plan, though met with critiques, hold potential to bridge these gaps.
Despite the Israeli government’s adoption of various policies aimed at enhancing early childhood frameworks prior to the reform, these measures have not provided sufficient benefit to those with the greatest need. A study by the Taub Center showed that during the 2019/2020 period, Arabs made only 8% of all children in supervised daycares. A majority of Arab children under age three are placed in unregulated settings. There is only one supervised daycare center for every 2,000 children under 3 years old in Arab society, compared to one for every 250 in Jewish communities.
The Arab community in Israel faces several barriers that hinder access to any early childhood services, supervised and unsupervised.
Local authorities are crucial partners for the Ministry of Education in implementing policies for early childhood care, especially for children from birth to age three. A strong connection between local authorities and daycare frameworks can improve the professionalization of staff and integrate services provided to children and their families.
While local authorities can appoint an Early Childhood Supervisor to oversee these initiatives, funding for this role is often lacking. Currently, only 36% of Arab local authorities have appointed a supervisor compared to 48% of Jewish authorities, and many positions remain unfunded.
Al Bayader association, in partnership with Al Tufula, is working to enhance early childhood development for Arab children in Israel. The initiative’s pilot project will collaborate with three Arab local authorities to implement a city-wide, multi-disciplinary early childhood development system focusing on four key areas:
By coordinating with civil society and government agencies, this pilot will serve as a model for improving the quality of early childhood care and education while honoring the cultural heritage of Arab society.
Over the course of one year, the pilot project aims to create a blueprint for national scaling. Insights gained from this pilot will guide future expansions to other Arab communities in Israel, seeking to ensure every Arab child has access to quality early childhood education.
In 2023, as part of Government Resolution 1279, the Department for Social and Economic Development of the Bedouin Society in the Negev, along with the Authority for Economic and Social Development for the Bedouin in the Negev, launched a multi-sectoral process to strengthen the early childhood ecosystem. Based in research and data provided by Eshhar Social and Community Services Ltd. and NAS Research and Consulting, a forum was established to foster collaboration among government ministries, NGOs, local authorities, and philanthropic organizations, meeting several times a year.
Forum, which convenes 3-4 times per year, engages in collaborative planning to budget, implement, and evaluate both existing and new activities and programs. This includes joint discussions to define success metrics, assess current program effectiveness, and identify gaps that need addressing, as well as enhancing coordination among civil society organizations and relevant local authorities and government departments. It also includes a mapping that was conducted of civil society and human capital within local authorities as part of the research project. Key participants include the Centers for Culture, Youth, and Sport in Rahat and Segev Shalom, local organizations like AJEEC, Ma’ayn Shalom and Al-Baqour Association, the Kehilla Association, nationally operating entities such as the JDC, Beterem – Safe Kids Israel, and Goshen Community Child Health and Well Being, and academic institutions like Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Kaye Academic College of Education.
The forum highlighted that while the challenges faced are common across the broader Arab society in Israel, they are deeper in the Negev Bedouin communities. There is a significant difference in particular between villages and cities: Rahat, Hura, Segev Shalom residents have higher awareness, higher demand and accessibility of the services. In more remote, smaller villages there is a lack of supervised settings, alongside persistent accessibility limitations. The situation in unrecognized villages is even more challenging.
The “Halakat” initiative,(“Circles”) launched by the Northern Goals Association of Rashi Foundation in partnership with the Yad Hanadiv, aims to enhance the quality of care for infants aged 0-3 years in Arab communities within Haifa and the Northern districts. Recognizing the vital role of informed and well-equipped caregivers in fostering nurturing environments that support healthy development, the initiative adopts a comprehensive, research-based approach to elevate care standards in unregulated settings.
Over the six-year span of the initiative, three key areas of focus include empowering parents, enhancing local authorities, and improving educational-care frameworks, particularly in unregulated environments. Tailored interventions will provide professional guidance for caregivers, conduct awareness-raising activities for parents, and foster collaboration with local authorities to develop effective management tools for early childhood systems.
Additional Projects in the Initiative
[1] Private family daycares serving less than 7 children are not supervised.
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