In the latest election campaigns, most parties promised free education starting from age zero. Some made the promise because it constitutes a huge subsidy for the ultra-orthodox and Arab sectors and others due to a distributive-socialist leftist ideology and belief in the idea of a guardian state that takes care of all our material and mental needs.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
Unfortunately, Likud was pulled in to make a similar promise due to the election pressure and incorrect calculations. And yet, despite its promises, this idea should be retired.
According to estimates, such a program could cost Israel 32 billion shekels ($9.2 million) a year, which could lead to a dramatic increase in tax burden. And this does not include the cost of building new kindergartens that would house Israel's half a million children ages 0-3 in classes of 20 kids each. Add to that the search for land, which might not even be available, and the logistic nightmare that will ensue when parents will have to travel way outside the city to find a place for their children.
The benefits of such a program remain a controversy. Supporters believe it will encourage mothers to go to work, but the number of women who can be encouraged in such a manner is low – already few women in Israel stay at home due to lack of arrangement and the subsidy increased the earnings of wealthy women who already work now.
Whether Israel has the resources for this program is also questionable. The economy is already maxed out as it will be a great struggle to find nannies for those half a million babies, even from the Haredi and Arab sectors. And this is not just a financial matter, but a national one as well. Granting such free education will flood Israel with tens of thousands of nannies from the Palestinian Authority, or alternatively, the country will need to open its borders to nannies from Eastern European countries or the Far East. Israeli children will have to be entrusted to foreign workers who know almost nothing about culture and do not speak our language.
Free education for babies and toddlers is also an incredible birth incentive, and given Israel's population density, could lead to higher birth rates and subsequently to enormous economic and social challenges, which will require greater investment in education and infrastructure, harm the quality of education and opportunities, and increase the tax burden.
So what can be done instead? Mothers of babies and toddlers who wish to work should be helped in a variety of ways that are not destructive to the economy and society. This includes increasing tax credit points for mothers of toddlers at the expense of credit points for men and for older children, and expanding job grants given to those with low wages – a policy that has been proven to be particularly effective in encouraging people to go to work.
The right policy could be beneficial for both young mothers and employers, as well as the country at large.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
