A daycare in Yokne'am was revealed on Thursday to be in a condition that is not fit for infants to be in, according to a statement put out by the children's parents.
The parents claimed that the daycare caters to more than 50 infants who are all crammed into two rooms because the building is too small and that there is much mildew and dampness in the building year-round.
The city's municipality has allegedly ignored complaints by parents and requests for a new building for a while, while officials at the daycare claim that they had an understanding with the municipality that the building was being hired temporarily and that they would be moved to a new building soon.
The statements added that because the building is not big enough to accommodate the number of children that attend the daycare, the kids are not split into groups by age as required of certified daycares. This means that the children's needs are not being met by age group, which could stunt their development.
The building is affecting the kids' hearing, breathing
Maintenance experts have confirmed that the children are faced with health and safety risks, while the building is old and has been neglected. A., the mother of a baby who attends the daycare, said in the statement that her daughter has been suffering from breathing issues and has even been admitted to the hospital since she began attending the daycare.
Other children have been negatively impacted by the noise that results from more than 50 children being crammed into a space that is too small for them.
"In order to hold a conversation in the daycare, you need to speak loudly otherwise you won't be heard," said S., whose son attends the daycare. "This can damage their hearing and exhausts the staff. This problem has caused my son to yell when he's at home and so do most of the daycare's kids. The only reason I keep my kid in the daycare and fight for it is that the staff is more amazing than any other I've seen in other daycares."
According to the statement, many of the families who send their kids to the daycare are in a difficult economic situation and cannot afford to transfer their children to different programs. Other families agree with S. and don't want to lose out on the daycare's staff who they say is good and safe. They all agree that they would prefer to leave their children in the daycare if they could get a suitable building.