The Crisis That Starts in Daycare – and Could Explode in Israeli Society | Marcel Assouline

Marcel Assouline calls for a strategic plan to integrate early childhood education into the education system, arguing that the transfer of responsibility to the Ministry of Education in 2022 did not bring change. He notes that in the 2024 school year, 518 daycare centers closed, and emphasizes the need for candidates in the 2026 elections to commit to this issue.

In his opinion column, Marcel Assouline argues that Israel has failed to integrate early childhood education into the education system, despite the transfer of responsibility from the Ministry of Labor to the Ministry of Education in 2022. According to him, the ministry focuses mainly on supervision and control of daycare centers, not on developing the field, training personnel, or improving the employment conditions of caregiver-educators. He notes that in the 2024 school year alone, 518 daycare centers for toddlers aged birth to 3 closed, leaving thousands of families without a framework. Assouline calls on parties running in the 2026 elections to commit to a national early childhood plan that ensures full integration of early childhood education into the education system, including resource aspects, to strengthen the country's social resilience.