The Jerusalem Municipality's Department of Chareidi Education
will operate a special enrollment center in addition to the
one at Safra Square, to allow parents of kindergartners to
enroll their children for the upcoming 5767 school year.
Designed to save parents time, the enrollment center will be
open this week from Sunday to Wednesday, 6:00 p.m. to 10:00
p.m. at Beit Malka, Rechov Brandeis 2. The supplemental
enrollment center will be run by a staff of municipal workers
using a new, onsite computerized system. The system will
bring together various data to make the process easier for
parents.
The enrollment reforms being introduced by the Department of
Chareidi Education are part of the Pashut Lateit
Sherut ("Simply to Serve") campaign launched by Jerusalem
Mayor Rabbi Uri Lupoliansky. "The new enrollment arrangements
will save parents valuable time, preventing bitul
Torah and loss of work hours," noted the Mayor. "The
Jerusalem Municipality is striving to streamline the service
it provides residents, which will be manifested, im
yirtzeh Hashem, in many other projects of a similar
nature which the municipality will run during the course of
the coming year."
In addition to the enrollment center at Beit Malka this year,
the Department of Chareidi Education will also make it
possible for the parents of children scheduled to study in
kindergarten (gan chova) in 5767 to enroll them at the
kindergarten itself. Deputy Mayor and Chareidi Education
Commissioner Rabbi Uri Maklev said that as part of the pre-
enrollment program kindergarten teachers at chareidi
kindergartens around the city received enrollment forms they
passed on to parents, who sent them to the municipality. The
pre-enrollment program is an innovative initiative to allow
parents to enroll their children without having to come to
municipality offices.
Municipality officials estimate that 15,000 children will
enroll for kindergarten. Enrollment is mandatory for children
born between 1 Teves 5761 (Dec. 27, 2000) and 30 Kislev 5762
(Dec. 15, 2001). Enrollment for nursery school (kedem
chova) is for children born between 1 Teves 5762 (Dec.
16, 2001) and 30 Kislev 5764 (Dec. 25, 2003).
Meanwhile enrollment for Bais Yaakov kindergartens around the
country is already underway and is scheduled to continue
until Sunday, 5 Adar.
Parents of nursery school children requesting tuition
discounts must include documentation for their income for
October, November and December of 2005. Before enrolling,
parents in every city must verify which documents they are
required to submit when requesting a tuition discount and it
is recommended they inquire whether their local authority is
eligible for a collective discount, which is available in
Bnei Brak, Beit Shemesh, Modi'in Illit, Beitar Illit,
Telzstone and other places.
The Education Ministry says this year parents who do not
submit the necessary documentation at the time of enrollment
will not be able to submit them later and will be ineligible
for a discount.
Rabbi Yitzchok Goldknopf, director of Bais Yaakov
kindergartens and day-care centers, said due to the high
demand, additional English-speaking and boys-only
kindergartens as well as integrated kindergartens for speech
delays and special-ed kindergartens will be opened in 5767
be'ezer Hashem.
He says in 5766 Petachiya operated learning programs for
children with slight and moderate retardation — special
kindergartens, integrated kindergartens and learning therapy
day-care centers. Petachiya operates classes in Jerusalem,
Bnei Brak, Modi'in Illit, Beitar Illit, Beit Shemesh and Nof
Ayalon.
Preparations are now being made to enroll babies at Petachiya
learning therapy day-care centers, which are recognized by
the Health and Welfare Ministries. After enrollment is
complete Petachiya, in cooperation with vested authorities,
will arrange placements for children.
The administration says it hopes several new classrooms in
proper facilities will be opened before the 5767 school year
commences, replacing rented apartments and bomb shelters
currently in use. The Bais Yaakov administration, in
cooperation with the proper authorities, is also working on a
campaign to improve the appearance of kindergartens in
Jerusalem and to install new playground equipment.
Enrollment for Bais Yaakov day-care centers will begin
immediately after Pesach.
