Over 55,000 children under the age of 3 in Jerusalem — 79 percent — are in unsupervised daycare settings, the Knesset Research and Information Center informed lawmakers during a Monday discussion of early childhood education, called in the wake of the deaths of two infants last week at an unlicensed daycare in the capital.

According to the research body’s report, 55,100 children under 3 are currently outside the supervised daycare system in the capital, with an additional 13,400 in Beit Shemesh, 12,000 in Bnei Brak, 7,500 in Tel Aviv and 6,100 in Rahat.

Only 21% of children under 3 in Jerusalem are registered at supervised daycares, a very low number compared to the other cities among the biggest 10 in the country — 44% in Bnei Brak, 45% in Ashdod, 49% in Netanya, 53% in Haifa, 55% in Holon, 58% in Tel Aviv-Jaffa, 61% in Petah Tikva, 61% in Rishon LeZion and 62% in Beersheba.

Among all local authorities in the country, the highest percentage of children in supervised daycares is in Ness Ziona (97%), Har Adar (94%), Rosh Pina (88%) and Ramat Hasharon (84%), while the lowest is in the Bedouin locales of Rahat, Arara and Kuseife (12%).

The data was presented to the Knesset Education Committee, which held a joint discussion with the Knesset Welfare Committee and the Committee on the Rights of the Child in the wake of the tragic deaths of four-month-old Leah........

© The Times of Israel