Launch of early childhood coalition in Israel

A new coalition has been launched in Israel to advocate for improving access to affordable, quality childcare for children aged under 3, and higher levels of investment in early childhood.

The coalition is supported by the Bernard van Leer Foundation in partnership with ANU – Connect to Change, a leading civic advocacy organisation in Israel. It was launched earlier this month at the Globes Business Conference in Tel Aviv, at a roundtable led by Knesset member Yifat Shasha-Biton and including Foundation board member Yarom Ariav, as well as stakeholders from academia, business and government. The event was covered on TV news by Israel’s Channel 2.

Of around half a million children aged 0-3 in Israel, only 20% are in child care covered by regulatory frameworks. With the possibility that responsibility for this age group could pass from the Ministry of Economy to the Ministry of Education, there is an opportunity to define new educational frameworks, improve standards, expand the workforce and raise their level of skills.

The coalition will define an advocacy plan for policy reform, as well as working on the broader issue of raising awareness of the social and economic case for investing early