Help us build a new early childhood center for children with disabilities in Ashkelon

Chimes Israel has been rapidly expanding its rehabilitative early childhood programs to meet Ashkelon’s ever-increasing needs. Despite being a major target of Gaza rocket fire, Ashkelon is one of the fastest growing cities in Israel. Our Ashkelon center for children with disabilities. ages six months to three years, operates in four inadequately repurposed private homes. They are full of small rooms and many stairs that are extremely difficult to navigate for special children and their cumbersome equipment. Caravans/mobile homes have been placed in the yards to provide the extensive one-on-one therapy these children require. The classrooms are overpopulated and there are children waiting at home for special needs daycare placements. Some babies are being bussed as far as 40 minutes each way to daycares outside of the city. Because the houses are not protected, during the last two conflicts when rockets were reigning down on Ashkelon and people had only 15 seconds to get to shelter, the children couldn’t go to daycare and lost significant developmental progress. Together with the Ashkelon Municipality, we are building a new, state-of-the-art rehabilitative early childhood center to serve 80 children. The Waldbaum Family Rehabilitative Daycare Center, named for its benefactors, will enable Chimes to provide high quality care in Ashkelon for years to come. The building will also be protected, so the children will not have to flee to shelter in times of emergency. We have obtained government and private donor commitments for 83% of the funding, with $1,060,00 left to raise. In appreciation of major donations, there will be opportunities to dedicate rooms to loved ones. Concurrently, we are fundraising for a second Ashkelon center for 60 children, which is nearly 50% committed with $2,350,000 left to raise. This center seeks a donor for the building's name, and will also recognize major donors on the building's walls.