Language Activities

The Bet Canada and Jessie Cohen Day Care Centers are multi purpose Day Care Centers with a high number of children who are characterized as being at high risk.  The language skills of the parents in the  Bet Canada DCC are very poor and the children who are educated in the DCC are exposed to two languages, (Hebrew and Arabic).  Research has shown that children who are exposed to two languages have to have very rich language skills in order to cope with the two languages.

From reports of the staff in the Jessie Cohen DCC, and from professionals who work in the DCC, the reality is a very poor grasp of language, due to, amongst other things, a lack of reading materials in the home.

The Ramat Eliyahu DCC has a large number of children from homes which speak Amharit, and a few children from the Former Soviet Union, the children are not as developed as they should be, due to deficits in their environments and the exposure to two languages.  Slow language skills leads to a delay in social interactions.  This program, which is operated through the staff,  provides a cognitive infrastructure, language, and emotional and social activities to the children of the DCC and improve their language skills at an early age.

There are three main aims:

 For the children:  Creates contacts and trust, increases vocabulary, and uses of 
    language, integration between the different cultures, making friends through play.
 For the staff:  Learning the tools for better language skills.
 For the parents:   Regular use of the lending  library in the DCC and activities for 
    parents and children (such as story hour, shows, etc.)