Over the past 20 years, we have specialized in developing community-based educational programs for marginalized young children in Israel. Since its inception, our innovative model has continued to evolve, and today we support over 40 educational programs serving more than 1,000 children annually, in collaboration with local communities, authorities, and donors.
Our model operates with a holistic, relationship-based approach, placing the child at the center. Around the child, we have built a comprehensive system of quality, supervised education, therapeutic and social support, and cross-sector collaborations with the community, civil society organizations, municipal authorities, and the state. The saying goes, “It takes a village to raise a child”—we are that village.
At the heart of our model are the educational programs of the Unitaf project. These programs provide quality, supervised education for children aged 0-6 and serve marginalized populations across Israel, primarily in Tel Aviv.
Our programs are built on collaboration as a strategy and are based on a guiding triangle:
1. The Educational Program Owner:
– A woman from the children’s community who speaks their native language and understands their culture. She is often herself an undocumented refugee in Israel and lacks formal educational training. We help her establish the program, provide professional training, and support her in pedagogical and managerial aspects of running the business.
2. Pedagogical Instructor:
– An experienced educator from our team who provides ongoing professional training for caregivers and supports the pedagogical activities in the program. This ensures that the education provided is high-quality, supervised, and aligned with the standards of Israel’s Supervision Law for early childhood education.
3. Social Worker:
– A trained social worker who provides therapeutic and social support to the children, the educational staff, and the parents.
Given that our programs serve marginalized populations, children, along with their surrounding systems, face emotional challenges, developmental delays, and manifestations of post-trauma. To address these, additional specialists such as occupational therapists, speech therapists, psychologists, and enrichment instructors work with the children to enhance language, literacy, and overall development.
At the heart of our model are the educational programs of the Unitaf project. These programs provide quality, supervised education for children aged 0-6 and serve marginalized populations across Israel, primarily in Tel Aviv.
Our programs are built on collaboration as a strategy and are based on a guiding triangle:
1. The Educational Program Owner:
– A woman from the children’s community who speaks their native language and understands their culture. She is often herself an undocumented refugee in Israel and lacks formal educational training. We help her establish the program, provide professional training, and support her in pedagogical and managerial aspects of running the business.
2. Pedagogical Instructor:
– An experienced educator from our team who provides ongoing professional training for caregivers and supports the pedagogical activities in the program. This ensures that the education provided is high-quality, supervised, and aligned with the standards of Israel’s Supervision Law for early childhood education.
3. Social Worker:
– A trained social worker who provides therapeutic and social support to the children, the educational staff, and the parents.
Given that our programs serve marginalized populations, children, along with their surrounding systems, face emotional challenges, developmental delays, and manifestations of post-trauma. To address these, additional specialists such as occupational therapists, speech therapists, psychologists, and enrichment instructors work with the children to enhance language, literacy, and overall development.
In every child’s life, there are two key anchors: their nuclear family, which is their entire world, and the educational program where they spend many hours daily. The well-being of a child’s family is crucial for their personal development and future—a factor that becomes even more complex for families living on the fringes of civil society, struggling to survive in Israel without social rights and under challenging conditions.
As part of the holistic model we have developed, we also work to support the child’s family based on their specific needs and in full collaboration with the parents. We believe that the relationship between educators and parents is a vital and impactful tool in the process of assisting the child.
To this end, we:
– Strengthen parents through individual coaching and group workshops.
– Assist families in navigating government agencies and securing their rights.
– Provide scholarships and collect donations of essential supplies for families at risk.
Through these efforts, we ensure that both the children and their families have the support they need to thrive, building a foundation for a brighter future.
We strive to expand our efforts and support more marginalized children across the country
