Young children will become a cross-cutting strategic priority for the city of Tel Aviv, following the finalisation of a partnership between the municipal government and the Bernard van Leer Foundation, in cooperation with Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Tel Aviv Foundation.
The municipality has committed to co-invest and to assign a dedicated Urban95 project manager to the partnership. The partnership will work to pilot innovative models, mechanisms and practices in:
- Spatial mapping of data on early childhood
- Scaling affordable, quality childcare through public-private partnerships
- Reaching parents through a digital platform
- Increasing walking and cycling to early childhood services
- Designing spaces to play in high-density neighbourhoods
If successful, these will be scaled throughout the city. The enthusiastic response of Tel Aviv’s city leadership validates the core argument of our Urban95 programme: that urban challenges affecting young children and families are often aligned with broader municipal agendas, such as community building, quality of life, traffic, mobility and public space.
Our partnership with Tel Aviv in the coming years will provide a global showcase for this argument, as well as a testing ground for practical solutions.
Photo courtesy of Anat Kaschov
