Israel

Israel has the highest birth rate in the OECD, and levels of inequality which prevent all children from getting off to a good start.

We began working in Israel in the 1970s. In a highly diverse society, our investments focus on improving services and policies for young children and their families who need customised support, such as in marginalised Arab, Haredi and Ethiopian communities. We partner with national and local government, civil society, academia and business.

Working with cities

Tel Aviv-Yafo was one of the pioneer cities of Urban95, inspiring other cities around the world. Its programme has been mainstreamed across the city, with specific emphasis on vulnerable populations in southern districts.

In 2020 we began scaling Urban95 to other diverse municipalities in partnership with the Israel Green Building Council: Tira, a predominantly Arab city; Beit Shemesh, home to a large Orthodox community; and Ashdod, a more remote city in the southern part of Israel.

Urban95 initiatives in Israel also include knowledge resources such as voluntary national planning guidelines led by an inter-ministerial committee, and the Between the Drops design competition with Bezelel Academy and the Ministry of Health, which provides an opportunity for aspiring urban designers and architects to enhance the design of indoor and outdoor spaces of well-baby clinics across the country.

Working with caregivers

Our Parents+ programme is currently working closely with the Ministry of Health in partnership with Yad Hanadiv, Goshen and Lotem Strategies Group to improve and expand parenting support services provided by nurses at Tipat Halav well-baby clinics, which reach 97% of children across all sections of society.

We also partner with the Ministry of Education to improve the quality of childcare and early years education by supporting teachers and carers to support parents.

Magic Moments, a national behaviour change initiative with HOP! Media, is helping to scale positive parenting messaging by forging partnerships with public and private sector organisations. It produces content that inspires parents to turn everyday routines into teachable, relationship-connecting moments with their children.

Working with early years champions

We bring our programmes together to unlock co-benefits and strengthen the community of early years champions in Israel.

We are investing in a multi-year research project with the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel to understand factors that impact inequality in early childhood, develop policy options and disseminate them to decision-makers.

Our partner ANU coordinates the Coalition for Early Childhood Education, mobilising public support for investment in improving access to quality childcare and parenting support.

In partnership with the Ministry of Education, we are supporting Oranim College to draft guidelines that will help standardise training of early childhood staff in daycare for children under the age of three.

We believe in thoroughly evaluating and documenting what works in our programmes. Our partners at the Center of Educational Technology and Emek Yisrael ensure that lessons learned are shareable with broader audiences.