Israel seeks after-school programs for autistic youth amid manpower shortage

The Education Ministry is considering transferring its responsibility for finding appropriate frameworks for children on the autism spectrum to a company that operates afternoon programs – the Israel Association for Community Centers (IACC) – which start at 2 p.m. and end at and 4:45 p.m., in areas where there is a shortage in human resources, according to Walla. 

At this stage, it is unclear how the government company, IACC, will succeed in recruiting the personnel that the ministry itself has struggled to find, and considering that there are also major staff shortages in the afternoon programs.

Trying to cut school hours for children with special needs

The proposed solution came about following discussions held in recent weeks at the Education Ministry regarding shortening daily school hours next year. Before the opening of the current year, the ministry announced its intention to cut 45 minutes from children's study hours, which would end at 4 p.m., instead of at 4:45 p.m. However, the Supreme Court blocked the decision overall, with the exception of atypical cases.

The result is that only 15% of the frameworks across the country received ministry approval to shorten the school day. In total, 648 frameworks were approved – 4,178 classes and kindergartens all in all.

Still, in the wake of the ongoing war since October 7, the number of frameworks that have reduced their school hours is likely much higher.

The data, which was made available following a request from an organization called The Movement for the Promotion of a Fair Society, revealed significant disparities in human resources between the different districts. In the center district, at least 28% of the frameworks shortened the school day, in Tel Aviv – about 27%, in Jerusalem's district, 17%, and in the ultra-Orthodox district, about 15%. In the southern district, about 12%, and the rest present single-digit percentages – in the northern district, Beersheba approved only seven requests, in Haifa only two, and in the city of Jerusalem itself – zero.

Based on the growing understanding that addressing a problem without distinguishing between regions would be illogical, the ministry is trying to formulate a proposal that will allow keeping school hours consistent even in districts struggling to recruit staff. However, if the solution is indeed implemented, attending school during afternoon hours will likely resemble the format of other afternoon frameworks. Meaning, there will be very little learning; the centers would function primarily as means for after-hours supervision. 

A statement released by the Education Ministry said: "The ministry is currently working on creating solutions for schooling frameworks for next year."

Comparably, the company running afternoon-hour programs at local community centers said: "The IACC is a governmental company and an executive arm of government ministries. As proven in the Israel-Hamas war, our company knows how to take on new challenges for any purpose and in any place in the country. We specialize in working with people with disabilities, including placing specific emphasis in relation to autism. Additionally, we operate a quality network of hundreds of afternoon activities throughout the country. Just like in any field where the IACC is asked to step in, especially during this complex period, the company will stand ready to perform any national task as needed."