The early childhood reform launched in January 2022 was a historic policy initiative to transfer responsibility for daycare centers included under the Toddler Daycare Supervision Law, 2018 (hereinafter: the Supervision Law) from the Labor Division of the Ministry of the Economy to the Division for Early Childhood Education of the Ministry of Education (formerly the Division for Pre-Primary School Education). The goal of the Supervision Law is to establish regulations for the operation of daycare centers for infants and toddlers aged 0–3 (hereinafter: toddlers), including licensing and supervision to protect the well-being, rights, and dignity of toddlers in daycare centers. The implementation of the law is intended to improve the quality of the daycare facilities in terms of structure (sanitation and hygiene; the ratio of toddlers to staff; safety in the indoor and outdoor spaces; appropriate furnishings and equipment; and staff skills) and process (the quality of the daily experience and of the social relationships of the toddlers), as well as to create a systemic education-care continuum and reduce disparities.
In September 2022, the Ministry of Education allocated, for the first time, a position in each local authority for the Director of the Unit for Infants and Toddlers who is responsible for managing all aspects of the birth to age three domain in the local authority. This individual will work to promote the authority’s accountability towards all infants and toddlers (and their parents) residing in the local authority by structuring and managing relevant work mechanisms within the authority, promoting cooperation with parents, and supporting the education-care settings.
This manual presents guidelines for the integration of the Director of the Infants and Toddlers Unit and the establishment of an early childhood service system within a local authority. The manual is based on seven documents: (1) An Optimal Service System for Young Children and their Parents in the Local Authority, 2019; (2) A Multi-System Municipal Model for Early Childhood (based on the Infancy Initiative, 2020); (3) Guidelines for Implementing the ‘Parents at the Center’ Program in Local Authorities, 2020; (4) A Contemporary Look at the Kibbutz Pre-school, 2021; (5) The Local Authority and Education-Care Settings for Infants, 2022; (6) Infrastructure for Policy on Reforms and Changes in Early Childhood Education Systems from Birth to Age Six, 2022; and (7) Implementation of a Multi-System Municipal Model for Early Childhood (Birth to Age Six) – Supporting the Local Authorities, Infancy Initiative Model, 2022.