Ra'anana parents angry at delay of kindergartens

The parents say their children have already been in inadequate temporary premises for two years.

By MIRIAM BULWAR DAVID-HAY (TRANSLATED)
Parents of children at two temporary kindergartens in Ra'anana are furious after meeting with municipal officials and being told that permanent kindergartens will be ready only in December this year, reports Ha'ir Ra'anana. The parents say their children have already been in inadequate temporary premises for two years, and they cannot understand why it is taking so long to construct the permanent kindergartens. According to the report, parents of children at the kindergartens "Hashikmim" and "Hashitta" emerged disappointed and angry after meeting with the officials last week. Those at the latter kindergarten were particularly upset because their temporary premises are located next to a construction site on which an apartment tower is being built, and the children are constantly being exposed to dust, dirt and noise. The city ordered work on the site stopped during kindergarten hours after one young girl was injured by a falling stone before Pessah, but parents say the children are still at risk. At the meeting with parents, municipal officials agreed to extend the kindergarten fence outward to create a 12-meter gap between it and the building site, but parents were still dissatisfied. "They told us the permanent kindergartens would be ready at the latest in December 2008," one parent said. "But what happens until then? We did not get answers and we came out of the meeting very disappointed." A municipal spokesman said the city was acting to build the new kindergartens "in the shortest possible timeframe."