These Children Deserve the Best Possible Start in Life! 

Despite being one of the most heavily targeted cities by Gaza rocket fire, Ashkelon is one of Israel's fastest-growing cities. Chimes Israel operates two early childhood centers in Ashkelon for children ages six months to three years, housed in four inadequately repurposed residential homes. They are overcrowded, full of stairs, lack wheelchair access, and have minimal air raid protection. In the event of a security escalation, children and staff have only 30 seconds to reach a safe room—if they can even get there at all. The stairs are a serious obstacle for children with mobility challenges, and the protected spaces are too small to hold all the children, much less the children with the staff. One of the locations has no safe room.

Early diagnosis and proper intervention are critical for achieving the most favorable outcomes in young children with disabilities. Despite all our wartime efforts of at-home therapy visits, remote learning, and home therapy equipment, when the children returned to the centers after three months at home, they displayed significant developmental setbacks. 

 A new early childhood center will enable Chimes Israel to provide high-quality, professional services, treatment, education, and support for hundreds of preschool children in Ashkelon for years to come. We owe these children the best start in life through uninterrupted therapeutic services delivered by highly skilled and caring professionals in a state-of-the-art, fortified facility. Your support of this project will advance the lifetime abilities of hundreds of children for many years to come.