Registration for the private kindergartens for the next school year has begun - and the kindergarten owners have informed parents that the prices will climb by hundreds of shekels.
On the one hand, the burden on the parents is very heavy and reaches tens of thousands of shekels per year, on the other hand, many of the owners of the private kindergartens are finding it difficult to survive the wave of price increases.
The repayment of the mortgage, the electricity, the water, the fruits and vegetables, the food, the fuel - everything just got more expensive during the last year.
Everyone pays the price, but two sectors feel it more strongly.
The first is parents of small children up to the age of 3 with expenses such as rent or mortgage and a significant additional expense on education.
The price of a private garden can reach NIS 5,000 per month.
On the other hand, there are business owners, including dormitory and private kindergarten owners, whose expenses have also increased significantly - the rent for the building, the electricity, the supplies for preparing lunch, the wages of the nannies they employ - which has caused their profit to erode.
Both parties - the parents of the toddlers and the owners of the private daycare centers - are facing a broken trough and are forced to absorb the increase in prices that may "drown" some of them.
Kindergarten.
Lack of staff and nannies who are not willing to work on Fridays, photo: no credit
In recent months, the prices of private gardens have been soaring - this is happening all over the country, periphery and center.
The prices range from 3,500 to 5,500 shekels per month, and the parents are forced to pay for the month of August as well.
Recently, parents also received a message that the kindergarten will remain closed on alternating Fridays.
The reason for this is a lack of staff and nannies who are not willing to work on Fridays.
Even now, at the time of registration, the owners of the gardens announced that the price would increase and not only by 100-200 shekels.
There are gardens where a drastic increase of several hundred shekels was recorded - which amounts to more than 4,000 shekels per year.
We promise - and we wait
In his inauguration speech as Minister of Education, Yoav Kish promised that the education frameworks from birth to age 3 would be free, just like the frameworks for ages 3-6.
But there is still no plan, and the implementation is expected to take a long time.
In the meantime, the state does not put its hand in its pocket.
In Israel there are fewer subsidized dormitories and more payment for private kindergartens, and the public spending on childcare facilities is low compared to the European Union countries (18% versus 71% respectively).
"What causes the large price increase are the increases in the economy, but also the regulation, the regulations and the laws when it comes to preschool," says Shani Kalfon, the chair of the Association of Private Daycare Centers in Israel and owner of a private daycare center in Hadera. "We are in favor of supervision, and of course there should be supervision, But let there be logic in it.
For example, the need to issue an 'exceeding permit' permit for the structure to operate in a kindergarten (over 36 children), even though this has nothing to do with the safety of the structure.
This means that some kindergartens have reduced the number of children and tuition has increased.
There are bureaucratic matters that we feel are unnecessary and increase the cost, but do not affect the children.
The solution is simple - to turn us into educational institutions and give us all the benefits such as VAT, income tax and municipal taxes. This will allow us to reduce hundreds of shekels per month for each parent," Kalfon says.
Yifat Shasha-Biton and Yoav Kish change roles.
The incoming minister promised in his inauguration speech that the education frameworks from birth to age 3 will be free, photo: Oren Ben Hakon
"Half salary goes"
Coral (29) is married and lives in Modi'in.
She and her husband work, and have two children aged 10 months and 2 years.
The couple pays a mortgage and two frames for the children.
"The cost of the kindergartens is 6,200 NIS each month, and within this framework we have to pay for the entire month of August and additional summer camps."
According to Korel, they also suffered a price increase: "At the beginning of the school year in the private kindergarten, there was an increase of 400 NIS - that's almost 5,000 NIS a year. We pay 3,400 NIS for the kindergarten for the older son, and 2,800 NIS for the daycare for the little one, excluding Fridays .
"Next year I would like to put her in a private kindergarten again. In the places I checked, the payment is NIS 3,900 per month."
She feels that the expenses are too great: "You have to give up a lot. More than half of your salary just for gardens. We also have a mortgage, which also suffered an increase due to the interest rate. We try to make our income as high as possible and that the expenses are not unnecessary, which is not an easy task at all.
"I would like the state to help, to subsidize the dormitories. Not every person could stand what we are standing, it is impossible to live like this. We and many more do not risk, we work and earn, but the feeling is that no matter how hard you try - it is not enough."
"Getting closer to the minus"
Little Rose of Hadera is the mother of two daughters, a 4-year-old and a 1-year-old.
"Everything became more expensive - mortgages, kindergartens, everything. The increase in kindergarten prices happened because of the transfer of the dormitories to the Ministry of Education. On the face of it, this is a welcome move, but it entails many things that have not been resolved to the end.
"The move caused a lot of dormitories to close, and there aren't many options for parents, it's very burdensome financially. I know that there are steps that can be taken to lower these prices. The question is how much it engages the elected officials and how much it is on the agenda.
"Steps like recognizing dormitories as an educational institution, exempting them from property taxes and all kinds of things like that. Bottom line, both my husband and I work. We are educated people, and month by month our bank account is shrinking. If a few years ago we could save, then now we are taking giant steps closer to the red ".
Little and her husband pay 4,150 shekels a month for daycare for their little daughter, after an increase of hundreds of shekels compared to last year.
The couple pays 1,300 NIS for afternoon tea for the older daughter, since there is free education from the age of 3 to 6.
In total, they pay 5,450 NIS for the two girls.
"It is a very heavy expense, but there is no choice. I would be very happy if they keep the promise of free education even from the age of zero. It will make it easier for the parents."
"Lots of private gardens are closing"
Dana Roxas has been operating her private kindergarten in Eilat for 22 years.
After years of working as a teacher and kindergarten teacher in the city's educational institutions, she decided to open her own business.
At the same time, she serves as an emotional coach, an urban instructor in a course for caregivers, a parent instructor and a sleep consultant.
Dana says that over the years the requirements have increased - and so have the expenses.
Today, it charges parents twice or more for kindergarten services, compared to the price a decade ago.
The reason lies in the regulation and the decision to bring the private kindergartens under the supervision of the Ministry of Education, and mainly - the increase in property tax, water, electricity and food expenses.
Dana Roxas, photo: no credit
"They decided to bring the kindergartens under umbrella and supervision, and this brought the private kindergartens to crazy expenses. Every year we are required to bring in electrical inspectors and construction inspectors for the roof and pergolas. We reduced the number of children allowed to be in the kindergarten, and require the instructors to undergo training and studies - and the operators of the kindergarten are obligated to finance them.
"On the one hand, we are defined as an educational place, but on the other hand, we are charged business property tax, which is very expensive. The costs in the last two years are crazy, mainly due to the increase in the price of food products and the increase in the prices of water, electricity and property tax. The increase in hourly wages is also significant. Today, there are a lot of kindergartens Private schools are closed, because the expenses that are not under the kindergarten teacher's control exceed the income."
Yaron Doron and Ronit Zilberstein assisted in the preparation of the news
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