800 children to be left without kindergartens

The city already opened 19 additional kindergartens to cater for the sudden growth in the number of young children in the city.

By MIRIAM BULWAR DAVID-HAY (TRANSLATED)
Some 800 young children in Tel Aviv have been left without a place at any kindergarten in the coming school year because of a shortage of pre-schools caused by the unexpected baby boom in the city in recent years, reports Yediot Tel Aviv. Some 400 five- and six-year old children due to enter compulsory kindergarten (gan hova) and a further 400 three- and four-year-olds due to enter junior kindergarten (gan trom-trom hova) have been left with no place to go after finding that all municipal kindergartens are fully enrolled for the 2007-8 year. According to the report, the problem is particularly severe in the central and northern parts of the city, especially in Zahala, Shikun Dan and North Tel Baruch. The city has promised to do everything it can to solve the problem before the school year begins this September, saying that places will be found at least for the older children - those due to enter compulsory kindergarten - even if those are in places distant from the children's homes. The city already opened 19 additional kindergartens in the current school year to cater for the unexpected and sudden growth in the number of young children in the city, and is planning to open 17 more in the coming school year. Because of a shortage of suitable buildings for kindergartens, Mayor Ron Huldai asked Education Minister Yuli Tamir recently for the authority to open kindergartens in residential buildings. According to the report, some 3,887 children have enrolled for compulsory kindergarten and 3,334 have enrolled for junior kindergartens in Tel Aviv this year, and this number is expected to rise by 2,000 over the next two years. A municipal spokesman said the city expected that many three- to four-year olds would be left without places at municipal kindergartens in the coming school year and their parents would have to send them to private kindergartens. Several parents said they hoped they would not be forced to travel long distances to take their children to kindergarten.