The number shaking parents: more than 20,000 toddlers left without a framework

Daycare crisis: more than 20,000 toddlers are expected to start the school year without a place in supervised daycare centers, a jump of about 20% compared to last year. The Daycare Forum and Na'amat warn that the shortage of caregivers has already become a social and economic crisis. Many parents will be forced to choose between expensive private frameworks that are not subsidized and giving up going to work, a situation that directly harms working families, the job market, and the economy. The forum calls on the Ministry of Finance to implement without delay the Finance Committee's decisions regarding updating caregivers' wages, arguing that this is a vital step to curb the abandonment of personnel, recruit new workers, and increase the number of places in daycare centers. Hagit Pe'er, chair of Na'amat, added: "These data constitute a red warning sign for the State of Israel. When more than 20,000 toddlers remain without a framework, this is no longer just a crisis of the daycare centers, but a social and economic crisis that harms working families, children, and the entire economy. The state must fulfill its commitments, immediately implement the Finance Committee's decisions, and correct the ongoing distortion in caregivers' wages."