Israeli Daycare Subsidy Eligibility Calculator

Israel’s Daycare Subsidy Landscape

Israel’s Ministry of Economy operates a nuanced subsidy system for daycare centers known as Maon or Trom Gan. Parents submit annual forms detailing employment levels, education programs, and household income. Based on these disclosures, the ministry assigns a tuition band that reduces monthly fees by hundreds of shekels. Because the point system involves multiple variables—employment percentage, study hours, special support status—families often rely on spreadsheets or phone calls to nonprofit advocacy groups just to estimate whether they qualify. This calculator makes the process less opaque by modeling the same factors used by the ministry and showing how they combine to create a subsidy band. Rather than replacing official determinations, it offers clarity so parents can plan budgets, pursue additional work hours if necessary, or gather documentation to improve their point total.

Demand for subsidized daycare slots is fierce, especially in cities like Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, and Modiin where young families cluster. Understanding subsidy tiers early helps parents decide whether to join waiting lists or explore private daycare alternatives. Employers also benefit by seeing how adjusting an employee’s working hours might impact childcare affordability. With this tool, you can explore how incremental changes—adding a distance-learning course or increasing part-time shifts—affect the points assigned to your family.

Inputs Grounded in Ministry Criteria

The household income field captures gross monthly earnings from all sources, including salaries, self-employment, rental income, and taxable stipends. The Ministry of Economy calculates eligibility based on per-capita income, so the calculator divides your household income by the number of family members (two adults by default, or one if you check the single-parent box, plus the number of subsidized children). Enter the number of children you expect to enroll in subsidized daycare this year; the tool assumes they fall into the same subsidy band, though you can run it multiple times for different age groups.

Employment percentage reflects the fraction of a full-time workload. Working 182 hours per month counts as 100 percent. Many parents combine partial work with academic study; the study-hours field translates approved vocational programs, ulpan attendance, or university courses into additional points. The special support field captures official designations such as a child with developmental delays or a family recognized by social services; such statuses can add fractions of a point. Checking the single-parent box grants extra points and adjusts the household size used for income-per-capita calculations.

How Points and Income Bands Are Calculated

The calculator first converts employment percentages into points using a scale similar to ministry guidelines. A caregiver working 100 percent earns two points. Employment above 120 percent (common among physicians or shift workers) caps at 2.2 points. Percentages between 80 and 99 percent convert to 1.8 points, 60 to 79 percent to 1.5, 40 to 59 percent to 1.2, and 20 to 39 percent to 0.8. Anything below 20 percent yields zero points. The second caregiver follows the same schedule unless the single-parent option is selected, in which case the calculator grants an automatic 0.5-point bonus to reflect policy accommodations for single mothers and fathers. Study hours add 0.1 point per five weekly hours, capped at 0.5. The special support input adds directly to the point total, allowing social workers or certified therapists to estimate how official recommendations influence subsidies.

Income bands follow a simplified representation of ministry tables. Let be the household’s gross monthly income and the adjusted household size (adults plus children). The per-capita income is . The calculator compares and total points against subsidy thresholds. Households with NIS and fall into Band 1, receiving approximately 1,150 NIS per child. Band 2 applies when and , granting 900 NIS. Band 3 covers with , offering 700 NIS. Band 4 extends to and , awarding 400 NIS. Families above these thresholds receive Band 5 (no subsidy). These values approximate ministry matrices and provide a realistic planning baseline.

Daycare tuition varies by age group because staffing ratios and facility requirements change. The calculator assumes typical full-day fees of 2,600 NIS for infants, 2,300 NIS for toddlers, and 1,900 NIS for older preschoolers in unsubsidized centers. Subsidies subtract directly from those fees, and the result is multiplied by the number of children to show the household’s monthly outlay.

Mathematically, the net tuition per child is _\text{net} = T ₀ − S , where ₀ is the base tuition for the age group and is the subsidy per child. Total monthly cost is _\text{net}, with representing enrolled children. The calculator never reduces tuition below zero; if the subsidy exceeds the base tuition, the result simply displays zero cost.

Worked Example for a Dual-Earner Family

Yael and Amir live in Haifa with two children. Their gross monthly household income is 18,500 NIS. The younger child is 20 months old and attends a recognized Maon. Yael works 100 percent while Amir works 90 percent. Neither parent is studying, and they have no special support status. The calculator assigns Yael two points and Amir 1.8 points, totaling 3.8. With two adults and two children, the adjusted household size is four, making the per-capita income 18,500 ÷ 4 = 4,625 NIS. Comparing these figures to the thresholds places the family in Band 4 because their points exceed 1.6 but per-capita income sits between 3,800 and 4,500 NIS. They receive a subsidy of 400 NIS per child, reducing the toddler’s tuition from 2,300 to 1,900 NIS. If both children attended the same Maon, the household would pay 3,800 NIS total per month instead of 4,600 NIS.

Suppose Yael begins a graduate program requiring 10 weekly study hours. The calculator adds 0.2 points (0.1 per five hours), raising the family total to 4.0. The points remain above the Band 4 threshold, but the per-capita income is unchanged, so the subsidy remains 400 NIS. If Amir reduced his hours to 60 percent, his points drop to 1.5 and the total becomes 3.5—still within Band 4. However, if Amir shifts to 40 percent employment, his points fall to 1.2, reducing the total to 3.2. With the per-capita income still high, the family stays in Band 4, but they now have less disposable income, prompting them to reconsider the trade-off between work hours and childcare costs.

The table shows how a reduction in household income could move the family into Band 2, increasing the subsidy by 500 NIS per child. Financial advisors can use the CSV export to run longer-term simulations or compare childcare savings across multiple families in a congregation or cooperative.

Using the Results for Decision-Making

The results panel summarizes key insights: your total points, per-capita income, subsidy band, subsidy per child, net tuition per child, and total monthly cost. It also lists the base tuition used, so you can adjust the default values if your daycare charges differently. The copy summary button produces text ready for WhatsApp discussions with other parents or for inclusion in a budget spreadsheet. Downloading the CSV yields a structured dataset ideal for community organizers who need to evaluate subsidy eligibility across dozens of families before submitting bulk paperwork.

The calculator encourages proactive planning. Parents contemplating a new job can adjust employment percentages to see whether the resulting points would still secure a subsidy. Single parents can verify how the point bonus interacts with their income to determine if working extra shifts jeopardizes assistance. Social workers assisting clients may enter special support points granted by the welfare department to illustrate how documentation changes the subsidy level.

Limitations and Assumptions

This tool approximates Ministry of Economy rules and should be used for planning rather than final eligibility determinations. Official tables differentiate between multiple children in care, kibbutz communities, and recognized versus private frameworks; the calculator assumes a single band for all enrolled children. It also uses simplified point thresholds and per-capita income cutoffs that mirror recent policy but may shift annually. Always verify the latest ministry circulars and submit required documentation such as pay slips, study certificates, and residency declarations. The subsidy amounts assume full-day care; part-day frameworks may calculate discounts differently. Treat the output as an informed estimate that empowers you to prepare paperwork and advocate for your family, not as a guarantee of financial aid.