Source: Jerusalem Post
Israeli Preschools with more than 39 children will gain an additional caregiver in the upcoming school year, according to an announcement this week at a joint press conference given by Education Minister Naftali Bennett, Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, and Haim Bibas, chairman of the Federation of Local Authorities in Israel. Some 300,000 three and four year old children are in the municipal preschool system, with many facilities filled to capacity with 35 children and only two caregivers – one preschool teacher and one assistant. Starting in the 2015/16 school year, the approximately 4,000 preschools that care for 30 for more children will have an additional assistant on staff.
The total cost of the “preschools stepping forward” reform is NIS 400 million and it will be divided according to need, covering from 50 percent to 90% of the cost of the program, depending on the Central Bureau of Statistics ranking of the municipality.
In addition to the second assistant, all of the approximately 4,600 municipal preschools will benefit from other aspects of the reform. While educational programming exists for the preschools, the reform includes strengthening the programs in areas such as mathematical thinking, music and art, and more.
Each preschool will receive up to NIS 5,000 to be used at the discretion of the preschool teacher, with the purpose of enriching the classroom environment.
The reform also puts an emphasis on teacher-student, teacher-parent, and community relations, as a second assistant will allow for more one-on-one care in the classroom, more time to be in touch with parents about students’ progress, and also appoints a primary teacher for every 15 preschools to provide assistance and support for the educational staff.
Read the entire story at the Jerusalem Post.