Starting today: 'Holiday schools' will operate during Hanukkah vacation
The program is meant to provide Israel's kindergarten children and first and second-graders with a sense of continuity and a stable framework, which has been lacking.
By TOBIAS SIEGALPreschool children from the southern city of Ashkelon, celebrating with the Israeli flag, on 18 April, 2010 the Independence Day.(photo credit: EDI ISRAEL/FLASH90)
The Education Ministry announced that it will be operating "schools for the holidays" during Hanukkah, providing many exhausted parents with a well-needed break. The program will begin on December 13, 2020. The program is meant to provide Israel's kindergarten children and first and second-graders with a sense of continuity and a stable emotional, social and educational framework, which has been lacking ever since the coronavirus pandemic broke out.The Education Ministry will operate the schools for 5 days during the Hanukkah break. It will operate throughout the country and will serve communities from all sectors. According to the ministry, the holiday schools will provide children with a controlled, supervised and quality framework, while saving hundreds of shekels for parents. The curriculum will be rich, diversified and will include creative activities, the ministry noted.Enrolling one child for an entire day at the holiday schools during Hanukkah will cost between NIS 0-40, depending on the social-economic status of the area. The schools will carefully maintain Health Ministry guidelines. As such, kindergarten groups will include 22 children on average, while groups for first and second-graders will include 18 children on average.
