ABSTRACT
Several aspects of child care in Israel may puzzle other Western researchers in this field, and can only be understood in their cultural and historical context. For one, Israeli society takes it for granted that it is expected to share the responsibility of caring for young children with the individual families. It may seem strange that the taxpayer in a country with a history of economic difficulties should support a network of mother–child centers that provide universal, free of charge, pre- and postnatal health care. The same taxpayer, through the National Insurance, also supports paid maternity leave for all working mothers. Moreover, parents take it for granted that the community shares the responsibility for rearing and educating their young children. Most parents believe that it is important for a 2- to 3-year-old children to be in some type of group setting, and feel they do not meet their children’s developmental needs adequately if they are kept at home. The community is expected to provide these group settings. In fact, in 1986 (Israel Ministry of Education and Culture, 1989b) 67% of all 2-year-olds and 92% of all 3-year-olds were in out-of-home settings (i.e., nursery schools and/or day care). These figures refer to the Jewish population, as most of the Arab minorities live in traditional, rural settings, where the responsibility for the preschool child rests with the immediate and extended family.
