Help Preschool Kids with Disabilities in Ashkelon

The project to build two fortified, state-of-the-art early childhood centers for children with disabilities in the rocket-vulnerable city of Ashkelon is still in its fundraising stage. We have received about 85% of the funding for one building and 45% for the other. The two projects are still several hundreds of thousands of dollars away from our goal of building two centers for 60 and 40 children in each.

Hamas-Gaza War Makes this Project Even More Urgent

Located just 9.7 km (6 miles) north of Gaza, Ashkelon is perpetually one of the hardest hit Israeli cities ongoing Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Due to its proximity to Gaza, the people of Ashkelon had only 15 seconds to get to a shelter after hearing a siren to protect against an incoming rocket. With the current Gaza-Israel war, our centers have had to close due to the fact that they are not fortified.  

Our children with disabilities in Ashkelon are invisible victims of the Hamas-Israel war. The children, ages six month to three years from our four therapeutic early childhood locations and adult nursing daycare center in Ashkelon, are experiencing a constant barrage of rockets with some living in homes that have been hit by missiles. Many are hiding in their air raid shelters day and night because their disabilities prevent them from making that 15 second escape to safety. We know from past conflicts how traumatizing the siren and bombing sounds have been for our beneficiaries. Therefore, our staff members have been reaching out to check up on both their physical and mental wellness. Several of their families live hand-to-mouth with low paying per diem jobs. With our centers closed, their children home, and their spouses called up to the army, they must stay home to care for their disabled children and cannot earn for the family. 

Coping with the rocket fire and sheltering is traumatic for everyone, however, the Chimes families with young children deal with increased hardships and setbacks that could imact their future. As early intervention in special education is critical toward improving the lifelong developmental trajectories for children with disabilities, having interruptions like these, can have a devastating effect on their future abilities. The neural circuits in the brain, the foundation for learning, behavior and health, are most adaptable during the first three years of life. Over time, these connections become harder to change. After the last war, which was only 11 days, many came back to the center having lost months of progress because they couldn’t continue therapy at home.

Chimes Israel Facilities in Ashkelon

Despite being a major target of Gaza rocket fire, Ashkelon is one of the fastest growing cities in Israel. Because of this, Chimes Israel has been hastily expanding its daycare and rehabilitative programs for children ages six month to three years to meet Ashkelon’s ever-increasing demand to care for children with autism, developmental delays, genetic syndromes, and other disabilities.

Chimes Israel’s four overcrowded, inadequately repurposed residential homes that serve as daycares are full of small rooms and many stairs, which are extremely difficult to navigate for these special children and their cumbersome equipment. This is especially true in times of conflict, when the children must be transported to shelter within 15 seconds of a siren alert.

Full of small rooms with many stairs, it is difficult for the children and their cumbersome equipment to be brought in and moved within the premises. The small classrooms now house twelve to fourteen children each. They are too small for the nearly 2 to 1 ratio of adult caregivers to children plus equipment such as walkers and wheelchairs. As the children develop mobility skills, the small classrooms begin to seem even more crowded due to the lack of space for the children to move around in their mobility equipment.

Because space is so tight in the repurposed homes, the new therapy rooms are caravans/mobile homes placed in the yards of the repurposed residential homes. At all the Chimes Israel early childhood centers in Ashkelon, the equipment is mostly worn and outdated. Because one of the Ashkelon centers needed the house’s original kitchen for a diaper changing area, this kitchen is located in a cramped crawl space under the stairs. There the cook makes a full breakfast, lunch and snacks every day.

Due to the surge in young children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Ashkelon, we have added external (caravan/mobile home) therapy rooms. Children with ASD require extensive one-on-one behavioral intervention, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and social skills training.

With the understanding that early diagnosis and proper intervention is critical for achieving the most favorable outcomes in young children with disabilities, the Ashkelon municipality has granted Chimes Israel land to build and operate a new early childhood center, and plans have been drawn for a two buildings that can accommodate 80 children in each.

In addition to private donations, a portion of the design, construction, and equipment will  be paid by the National Insurance Institute, the Municipality, and Shalem Fund. Our new fortified rehabilitative daycare centers are primarily relying on private support from committed donors to become a reality. 

The new centers will enable Chimes Israel to provide high quality, professional services, treatment, education and support for hundreds of children in Ashkelon for years to come.  The building will be fortified as a protective area, so the children will be safe and do not have to flee to shelter in times of emergency.

It will give young children with disabilities the start in life that they deserve to reach their potential.  In turn, by using their own abilities and skills to lead lives of dignity, independence and community participation, they will have the potential to make the world a better place.