Navigating Early Childhood Education Gaps in Israel: The Right to Education

In Israel, the division of responsibilities for early childhood education and care has traditionally fallen to two main government bodies: The Ministry of the Economy, which oversees daycare centers and nurseries for children aged 0 to 3 years, and the Ministry of Education, which manages kindergartens for children aged 3 to 6. Until 2018, the Department for Daycare Centers and Nurseries operated under the Daycare Supervision Law (Daycare Supervision Law, 1965), by which all daycare centers catering to three or more children were required to be supervised. However, enforcement of this law was lax, resulting in supervision only for those centers that actively sought it (Aviad et al., 2024). By 2018, it was reported that less than 25% of all toddlers under three were placed in supervised educational settings, with the majority attending private, unsupervised daycares (Rabinowitz, 2019; Weisblai, 2015).

Supervised daycare centers do not accept status-less children, even if they meet the socio-economic criteria, because they lack an identification number required for processing (National Social Service and Public Safety Authority of Israel, The Superior Department for Daycares and Nurseries, 2018). The alternative, the Israeli private education system, presents a financial challenge, with costs often surpassing the monthly minimum wage, particularly in central regions. Thus, most of the status-less children are placed in substandard, unlicensed preschool environments known colloquially as “babysitters.” These informal establishments, often run by uncertified individuals from asylum-seeking and immigrant communities, are marked by poor conditions: overcrowding, inadequate care, poor nutrition, and a lack of stimulation, all of which hinder the children’s cognitive and motor development (Meir & Sloan, 2016; Mesila, 2020, 2021).

Parents seeking alternatives to informal babysitters can turn to supervised daycare centers operated under the Unitaf model, as mandated by government decision #2487. Unitaf is a project run by a non-profit association and has been recognized by both government and municipal authorities as an official, licensed entity for preschool education classrooms. Unitaf is funded by three main sources: government budgets and municipal support, philanthropy, and parent tuition. This sustainable model ensures that financial management is divided such that parents’ payments and long-term agreements with government agencies fund the classrooms themselves, while philanthropic contributions support additional resources and services.

Unitaf facilities are housed in municipality-approved buildings and adhere to strict safety protocols, including fire safety measures, CPR training, appropriate staff-to-child ratios, and nutritional guidelines mandated by law. However, access to Unitaf daycare centers remains limited, leaving the majority of children in the care of unregulated babysitters.

In Israel, the right to education is enshrined in law, mandating compulsory education from age three onwards (Mandatory Teaching Law, Isr.). As these children grow and transition into the formal education system, their circumstances fail to improve. Although the municipal classrooms for children aged 3–6 are theoretically inclusive, designed to offer equal access to all children regardless of religion, race, or gender, and determined only by geographic location, in practice, in certain municipalities, there is blatant segregation within the education system. In those municipalities, kindergartens and schools for Israeli children are geographically close to separate kindergartens and schools designated for foreign children. In other municipalities, the registration process for the municipal education system is inaccessible to status-less children, often requiring an ID number that they do not have, such as when registration is conducted online. This makes it very difficult for status-less children to enroll in educational institutions, further compounding their isolation, perpetuating social stigma, impeding their educational progress, and hindering their overall development (Aviel, 2023).

This systemic exclusion underscores a gap between the de jure inclusivity of Israel’s educational system and the de facto accessibility of these services to all children. This situation underscores not only the systemic challenges within Israel’s education system but also the broader issues of intolerance and discrimination facing the asylum seeker and immigrant community. It calls for urgent reforms to ensure that all children, regardless of their legal status or background, have access to quality education and the opportunity to realize their full potential.

Obstacles Encountered by Professionals in Reducing the Educational and Developmental Gaps

The Israeli education system is confronted with the challenge of addressing the multifaceted needs of status-less children. This urgent need for effective educational integration becomes even more critical when considering the historical context of asylum seekers in Israel. Asylum seekers from Eritrea and Sudan began entering Israel in large numbers around 2010 through the breached border crossing with Egypt. Even before this influx, there was a population without status in Israel, primarily composed of migrant workers with expired visas or individuals who overstayed their tourist or crusader visas (National Population and Emigration Authority of Israel, 2016).

Status-less children born in Israel suffer from the adverse effects of their parents’ journey. Bachem et al. (2024) found that depression and PTSD were elevated among asylum seekers in Tel Aviv, and both led to a transmission of trauma resulting not only in mental health issues but also developmental delays. This is conjoined with numerous other obstacles, dangerous living conditions, poverty, experiences of racism and discrimination, health issues, and emotional strain on families due to a scarcity of quality time with parents (Aviel, 2023; Bachem et al., 2024).

Despite these significant challenges, the State of Israel does not allocate sufficient resources or provide the specialized attention necessary to meet the unique needs of these children within its budgetary considerations. This oversight highlights the urgent need for a comprehensive, systemic approach that includes research, planning, and the development of tailored programs to support these children effectively within the educational system (Meir & Sloan, 2016).

For instance, a significant number of these children do not have medical insurance, as it is both expensive and bureaucratically challenging to obtain (Aviel, 2023). Without medical insurance, essential health services such as eye and hearing tests or developmental monitoring are inaccessible. Consequently, many children with disabilities or developmental delays go undetected and untreated. This not only impedes their health but also significantly impacts their ability to learn and succeed in school.

Creating community-centered solutions is essential to ensuring the rights offered to status-less children are, in fact, obtained. An example of this is a partnership between Meuhedet—one of four state-mandated health funds and Unitaf called “Meuhedet in the Classroom,” which brings Meuhedet’s doctors, occupational trainers, and other diagnostic staff to Unitaf daycare centers to diagnose physical and developmental delays in children. By grouping appointments at a geographically convenient location for parents, this project takes into account the different socio-economic challenges that otherwise interfere with a child receiving a diagnosis and treatment. Educational institutions such as daycares and schools serve as a focal point of a family’s life and should be utilized as such.

Communication barriers between parents and municipality teachers are an additional obstacle that arises from the lack of strategic thinking and planning at both governmental and municipal levels to accommodate the unique characteristics and risk factors of this population (Meir & Sloan, 2016). First and foremost, there is a language barrier—municipality kindergarten teachers speak Hebrew, and although parents can understand some Hebrew or English, it is insufficient to sort through the bureaucracy.

In Unitaf after-school programs, caregivers are from the migrant and asylum seeker community and often serve as cultural interpreters between parents and the morning municipality kindergarten teacher. However, additional resources should be allocated to translate and integrate cultural translators into the formal education system.

Without immediate and thoughtful action to address their educational, developmental, and social challenges, both the asylum seekers and Israeli society will face the long-term consequences of this oversight. The education system has a critical role to play in initiating the necessary change. It is imperative to devise and implement a pedagogical and systemic strategy that takes into account cultural norms and practices and ensures their successful integration into the classroom and society at large. Acknowledging and addressing their needs are essential for fostering social cohesion and ensuring that they can contribute positively to the larger community (Aviel, 2023; Meir & Sloan, 2016).

Bridging Cultural and Educational Gaps: An Integrative Model for Early Childhood Education in Israel

The importance of establishing a multicultural and integrative approach to early childhood education in Israel has become increasingly evident after 19 years of observation and experience in South Tel Aviv since Unitaf was founded. Drawing on practical field experience and notions of integrative education (UNESCO, 2005), as well as underlying principles for refugee integration (Cerna, 2019), Unitaf has developed its own integrative community model. The adverse effects of community differentiation on children underscore the urgent need for a new reality—one that aligns with the principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Israel is a signatory. This vision calls for a community framework that embraces all children, ensuring equal education opportunities irrespective of their origin or civil status. The Unitaf community model aims to bridge the developmental gaps observed in children from the asylum seeker and migrant community by fostering daily interactions that nurture a safe and inclusive environment. Unitaf’s community-integrative model is structured around three foundational principles that together promote a holistic early education experience:

  1. 1.

    Increased exposure: Integration plays a critical role in supporting children with language delays by exposing them to peers with typical development. This exposure is crucial not only for bridging language gaps but also for enhancing cognitive and social skills (Röhr-Sendlmeier, 1990). Studies highlight the importance of bilingual exposure—balancing mother tongue and Hebrew—for children expected to continue their education within the Israeli system (Cummins, 2001). Early years, especially the first 3 years, are pivotal for brain development, with language acquisition playing a significant part in shaping future social and cognitive abilities (Ager & Strang, 2008; Kohnert, 2010; Zhao et al., 2021).

  2. 2.

    Fostering inclusion: The Unitaf community model is founded on promoting humane values (such as equality and multiculturalism). An integrative classroom that mixes children from various backgrounds enhances linguistic and social interactions, offering every child the chance to thrive. Key elements of the model include a culturally diverse team to reflect and honor the different cultures of the families and an inclusive attitude toward children, ensuring a balanced representation of the community’s socio-economic and cultural diversity (Achituv & Hertzog, 2020).

  3. 3.

    Cultural sensitivity: Daily interactions and structured activities must be sensitive to the community’s linguistic and cultural nuances. Classrooms’ social composition significantly impacts children’s cognitive and social mobility prospects. Providing an educational setting that respects and incorporates various cultural backgrounds is crucial for fostering an environment conducive to optimal development (Buchner et al., 2023; Horgan et al., 2022).

Implementing the Integrative Model for Early Childhood Education

For successful implementation, the Unitaf model must include several key components grounded in both practical field experience and theoretical research. These components are particularly crucial for addressing the unique needs of status-less children.

Firstly, having a diverse educational staff that reflects the mosaic of cultures within the community is essential. At Unitaf, we recruit women from the communities we work with, providing them with training, guidance, and ongoing support. This specialization allows us to be a real alternative to informal babysitters. We invite women who previously ran the aforementioned babysitters to join us, offering them comprehensive training and the opportunity to work under Unitaf’s umbrella according to Israeli standards. As a result, our staff includes Eritreans, Sudanese, Filipinos, Ghanaians, Nigerians, and other women. In mixed classes, there are two educators working together—one Eritrean and one Israeli. Research indicates that same-race representation between teachers and students can significantly impact various aspects of students’ development, including social-emotional growth and academic achievement (Gottfried & Fletcher; Achinstein & Ogawa, 2011; Ladson-Billings, 1992). For status-less children, who may already feel marginalized, having teachers who share their cultural or racial background can enhance communication, build trust, and create a more culturally responsive learning atmosphere (Wright et al., 2017). This approach helps children develop a complete identity and self-confidence, free from inherent conflicts.

Secondly, classrooms should be adapted to meet community needs, welcoming all neighborhood children and reflecting the community’s diversity. In Unitaf’s mixed classrooms, all decorations, toys, and accessories in the classrooms address the diverse backgrounds of the children. There are white and black dolls, stories in Hebrew and Tigrinya, and celebrations of holidays from Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Moreover, all neighborhood children are invited to participate in these classes and the activities they offer in the afternoons, regardless of religion, race, or gender. When classrooms mirror the neighborhood’s diversity, students interact with peers from various backgrounds, fostering cross-cultural understanding, empathy, and respect. These interactions extend beyond the classroom, contributing to a more inclusive community. For instance, research by Munniksma et al. (2013) showed that integrative schools reduced hostility toward Turkish refugees in the Netherlands, even among students who did not form friendships with ethnically diverse peers. This demonstrates that desegregated education creates a profound cultural shift beyond the tangible pedagogical advantages (Ayscue et al., 2017; Rumberger & Palardy, 2005).

Lastly, enhanced support structures for educational teams and community engagement with parents are vital. At Unitaf, each setting receives support and guidance from a coordinator—usually a social worker or a graduate of another therapeutic-educational profession—and an educational instructor. They assist the educational staff in solving problems, managing the kindergarten, supporting parents, and considering the needs of each child individually, as well as the classroom climate as a whole.

Simply granting entry to existing schools is insufficient; the current school curriculum and structures must be adapted to address the specific needs of status-less children and their families. The research underscores the importance of moving beyond mere access to education equality and toward achieving education equity (OECD, 2008). Education equity involves ensuring equal opportunities for all students and addressing systemic barriers to tailor educational experiences to meet the unique needs of marginalized populations, including status-less children.

Moreover, it is essential that students see their cultures represented in the curriculum. Academic research supports the idea that incorporating cultural representation into educational content and practices yields significant benefits, both socially and academically, for all students. When students’ cultures are acknowledged and integrated into the curriculum, they are more likely to feel valued, engaged, and motivated to learn (Ladson-Billings, 2009). A culturally relevant curriculum fosters a sense of belonging and pride in one’s cultural identity, positively impacting academic achievement and overall well-being (Milner, 2010). Grounding educational practices in cultural representation helps create more inclusive learning environments that honor all students’ diverse backgrounds and experiences, particularly those from status-less backgrounds.

Conclusion

Unitaf's integrative community model strategic approach not only addresses the immediate developmental needs of individual children but also plays a pivotal role in enriching the broader social fabric and championing a culture steeped in equality and multiculturalism. By confronting these challenges directly and advocating for comprehensive systemic reform, the commentary charts a course toward an educational landscape in Israel that is both inclusive and fair. It underscores the imperative for educators and social workers in educational settings to adopt customized strategies that not only bridge the educational and developmental divides experienced by children without recognized status but also cultivate an atmosphere of inclusivity and respect for cultural differences.

Policymakers are encouraged to consider these insights when devising consistent policies aimed at providing tailored services to all children, especially those from marginalized and oppressed groups. Since Israeli authorities are already budgeting for segregated classrooms for status-less children due to their obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, they could achieve much more effective outcomes without necessarily increasing costs by adopting the Unitaf community model. The commentary calls for a thoughtful reassessment of how resources are allocated and the creation of systemic programs specifically designed to address the distinctive needs of status-less children. Such policies should strive to close the existing divide between the current segregated state and a more cohesive, just educational system, paving the way for a future where every child has the opportunity to succeed.