Petah Tikva mayor rolls out plan to regulate preschools

Petah Tikva Mayor Rami Greenberg has outlined steps to improve local daycare regulations in light of the recent charges of child abuse in daycare centers.

A Supervision Daycare Law was enacted in October requiring licenses for private daycare centers with toddlers up to age three, but the law has not yet taken effect. According to Carmit Polak-Cohen, legal adviser for the Israel National Council for the Child, it could take five years for the law to be implemented fully, as training and certifying each teacher requires a long process.

Greenberg plans to bring a number of regulatory measures to the city council, which will include a request for immediate implementation of the 2018 law. The Supervision Daycare Law mandates that video cameras be installed in the childcare spaces, even if they are located in private residences. Without these CCTV cameras, daycares will be unable to receive a permit from the city’s planning and building committee.

The mayor’s plan includes a training program for teachers, in conjunction with the Education Ministry. He plans to ramp up supervision for preschools and daycare centers by placing them under the umbrella of the kindergarten supervisions department, which he said was strong.

“It is important to note that the staff of the kindergarten department in the city is one of the best in the country,” Greenberg said. He remarked that this type of program should protect preschool children as well.

“We will continue to do everything possible to ensure the safety of the children of the city and the peace of mind of the parents,” he said.

Daycare operator Carmel Mauda was charged in early July for abusing 11 toddlers in her care. Mauda allegedly tied up children, suffocated them in blankets and forced them to eat their own vomit.

Stephanie Wasserman and Emma Mcavoy contributed to this report.