The In-Home Option, Israeli Style

When Yaffa Marcus was growing up in Israel, there were always children around – inside, outside, at home and in other people’s houses.

“I think one thing that is really disturbing here is that children are not outside playing freely, not like in Israel,” says Marcus, a credentialed teacher who has run Gan Yaffa out of her home for 17 years. “I think here we miss that, and we want that for our children.”

That may explain a particu-larly L.A. phenomenon – the plethora of in-home day cares run by Israeli women. A look at the ads in a local Hebrew newspaper reveals dozens of ganim (nurseries) and mishpachtonim (family-style homes) in the Valley and the city, serving infants to age 5.As with any day care, quality varies widely among providers. But the in-home option may be a good starting point for families searching for a homey, Jewish atmosphere.

“We were looking for a safe and clean environment where there was good interaction with kids and the teachers cared about the kids,” says Alec Schramm, whose son Eitan, now 2, has been at Edna’s Daycare since he was about 1 year old. “All the usual things were primary, and the Jewish content was secondary.”Still, with so many Jewish options in Schramm’s Pico-Robertson neighborhood, it was easy to find a place where Shabbat was celebrated every week, conversation was in Hebrew and English, and many songs, art projects and stories had Jewish themes.

For Arinn Makovsky, as for many other parents, day care was the preferred option for her 20-month-old daughter.

“I wanted Aliza to be in a social environment with other kids,” says Makovsky, who has had Aliza at Edna’s Daycare since she was about 1. “I thought she would grow from it.”

But finding the right place is sometimes a grueling task, and for every nurturing and safe environment, there is a day care horror story.

Andrea Narin was eager to start her twin boys in day care when they were about 1, because she had heard such good things from friends. But after looking at a dozen or more places, both Jewish and not, she hadn’t found anywhere that seemed safe, clean and nurtur-ing. Instead, Narin saw things like a provider who had her left her toddler charges with a teen-age daughter; children running naked and dirty at another place; and one in-home setting where anyone had easy access to the center from the street, and babies crawled on gravel as 5-year-olds zoomed past.

“After about two months I gave up. It was really depress-ing,” she says. “Philosophically, I knew I wanted them to be at a day care, but I couldn’t find the right place.”

Most parents check out several day cares before choosing one.

“I just went on a lot of intuition and on knowing other people who had brought their kids there,” says Ricki Vogel, whose now-2-year-old son Michael was at an Israeli day care in the Valley from when he was a few months old.

Edna Barnston, who has been running her day care for 11 years, says parents of infants as well as older children should make sure the kids are being stimulated and held, not simply changed and fed.She says parents need to be comfortable with the age range and the style of interaction with the children. There are many other small differences to look for: whether meals are provided, if kids watch any television, if the day is rigidly structured or flexible.

When looking for day care, parents should make sure the provider is upfront about costs, vacation days and expectations of parents and children, say Barnston.

Parents need to be sure they are comfortable communicating with their child’s caregiver.

Many of the Israeli day cares are licensed, but some are not. Licensing includes visits from inspectors and from the fire department, plus some nutritional oversight. Some have insurance, which is not required by law.

In-home day care ranges in cost from $25 to $35 a day.

“I think it’s important that children are raised together,” says one provider in the Valley. “I think it’s better than each child in his own home. They get to be in a social atmosphere, they learn to play and share, they learn to be more indepen-dent than when they are at home with mommy.”

Yes, they also might pick up more colds, but that doesn’t bother Schramm.

“My feeling is that a kid is going to get a certain number of colds anyway, and this way he gets them earlier rather than when he’s going to miss school,” says Schramm.

Most day care parents feel the experience has helped their children grow.

“It’s hard to get used to the idea of someone else taking care of your children in their formative years,” Makovsky concedes. “But I know Aliza is definitely benefiting.”