Assisting Educators: New Program to Train Hundreds of Educational Aides
About 600 educational aides from approximately 50 municipalities are expected to join the "Ofek BeTnuah" ("Horizon in Motion") program in the 2026/27 school year. The initiative will allow them to earn a bachelor's degree in early childhood education, receive a teaching certificate, and obtain an annual scholarship of 6,000 shekels to help address the national teacher shortage.
Local government is promoting a new program designed to open a professional advancement track for kindergarten educational aides while simultaneously addressing the shortage of teachers in the education system. As part of the program, called "Ofek BeTnuah," participants will be able to study for a bachelor's degree in early childhood education and receive a teaching certificate.
For years, these aides have worked alongside kindergarten teachers and children, gaining intimate knowledge of the educational environment and accumulating significant experience. However, for many of these aides, known as "sayatot," opportunities for advancement within the system have remained limited. Local authorities now seek to transform this experience into a professional career path, allowing them to become teachers themselves and eventually advance to management positions.
"Ofek BeTnuah" is a professional development program for educational aides in local authorities. Its goal is to enable interested employees to acquire academic and pedagogical training while creating an additional reserve of educators from the existing workforce. Along with their studies, participants will receive financial assistance, including an annual scholarship of 6,000 shekels.
A Solution to the Teacher Shortage
This move is particularly important given the ongoing difficulties in recruiting personnel for the education system. Local authorities believe that rather than relying solely on external recruitment, it is more effective to train aides who are already familiar with the kindergarten environment, the children, and the municipal system.
"Every parent knows the kindergarten aide, the one who is always there for the children alongside the teacher, doing the same work for years, giving her heart and soul—without a career horizon," said the chairman of the Federation of Local Authorities and Mayor of Modiin, Haim Bibas. "We decided to change that."
Local government officials present this initiative as a dual solution: creating a professional future for employees who have spent years in the same role without a clear advancement track, and increasing the pool of qualified teachers by training experienced personnel already within the system.
According to program data, approximately 40 educational aides have been trained so far. The program is expected to expand significantly in the 2026/27 school year, with about 600 aides from approximately 50 local authorities across the country expected to join.
