Silva Anixter Family Aftercare Program

The aim of afternoon daycare is to offer a solution after formal school hours and to provide an exceptional educational framework for the children of Weizmann Institute employees and students.

The WIZO Afternoon Daycare Center at the Weizmann Institute operates based on the values of a warm and welcoming home, community, connection to nature, encouraging exploration and curiosity, creativity and personal expression, and importance of friendship.

Afternoon activities encourage children to have independent conflict resolution and mediation skills, as well as independence and personal responsibility for individual and group tasks.

These values are reflected in the ongoing educational activities in the afternoon, while revealing and expanding educational content and topics.

Adaptation of core content and educational insight, is done in full cooperation with the pedagogical planning team and the steering committee at the Weizmann Institute.

• Multiculturalism and internationalism - Exploration and exposure to different cultures, through familiarity with the various features of countries, customs and cuisines.
• Nature and animals – Animal families, becoming familiar with animal characteristics by subject - in the sea, in the jungle, in our environment and more. Agriculture – Cultivating spice and vegetable gardens.
• What's around us – Walking tours around the Institute, collecting various elements from nature - leaves, small stones, pine cones and more - observing through a magnifying glass, asking questions and getting to know each one. 
• Group dynamics – Tasks to strengthen group interaction, challenging games - treasure hunt, the race for a million, pass the gift, relay race and more.
• Appreciation and respect - Children in the afternoon daycare center practice appreciation and self-esteem for their work, as well as encouraging friends and promoting pro-social initiatives.

• Parents are our partners in thinking and planning, and participate in various activities based on their requests and ability, including recommendations for different activities and topics.
• The daycare staff regularly updates parents on activities/going’s on at the center, and in-depth conversations are held with parents, as needed, by the center’s director and/or the staff.
• As an integral part of the Weizmann Institute, the center enjoys its outdoor spaces and the vast amount of knowledge at the Institute for the benefit of the children and their activities.

• Lunches are served in reusable home-style dishes. Meals are freshly cooked every day and menus are prepared and adapted to meet children’s needs.
• Children eat together around at a table to encourage open conversation and share their daily experiences. 
• The center uses a bare minimum of disposable utensils. 
• Emphasis is placed on the use of recycled materials at the center. 
• The center combines work methods in small, age-appropriate groups, both in its activities, creativity and in group dynamics.
• Heterogeneous age groups are a significant advantage, whereby older children act as "big brothers" and help with homework, creativity and more, all under the supervision and direction of the staff.
• Heterogeneous creativity - Children are encourages to initiate activities (e.g., plays, movement and dance classes, quizzes, etc.) in an initiative that combines different age groups to enhance their understanding of their own abilities and empathy that is so important at this age.

• The afternoon daycare center combines work methods in small age-appropriate groups. This applies to activities, arts & crafts, and group dynamics.
• Heterogeneous age groups are a significant advantage, whereby older children act as "big brothers" and help with homework, creativity and more, all under the supervision and direction of the staff.
• Heterogeneous creativity - Children are encouraged to initiate activities (e.g., plays, movement and dance classes, quizzes, etc.) in an initiative that combines different age groups to enhance their understanding of their own abilities and empathy that is so important at this age.

• Activities are carefully chosen based on a deep understanding of the nature of the activity and the skills it promotes.
• Activities are done in two groups of 12-15 children.
• Activity leaders are selected following comprehensive examination and review by the center’s director, with an emphasis on educational principles, quality levels and in accordance with parent/child wishes. 
• The choice of activities will strive to include content not provided in schools or kindergartens, or will include enhanced content beyond what is offered outside of the center. 

The afternoon daycare center staff will undergo advanced training and instruction to enhance the quality of service and care, and to provide the tools to achieve high educational quality.

We celebrate birthdays at the center with an emphasis on traditional birthday games, with the child at the center of the celebration.

The afternoon daycare center is divided into 2 separate groups, where each group has a teacher/group leader and a group member.

• Pick-up stations will be selected according to the number of registrants, and pick-up will take place in kindergartens with 4 or more children, and in schools with 6 or more children.
• Without prejudice, based on the above, pick-up stations will be determined according to constraints of distance and pick-up time, therefore, adding kindergartens or schools far away from existing pick-up stations will not necessarily be possible.
• Children can be brought to the center independently, offsetting the transportation costs.

• Our center operates every day, from 13:00 to 17:00 
• On vacation days by the Ministry of Education, from 8:00 to 17:00 

Every day, the children arrive at the center in 2 transportation rounds: 
 

• First round – Pick-up at 12:45 from the Bechor Levy school 
• Second round – Pick-up at 13:30 and 13:45 from the kindergartens

The lunch schedule is flexible and adapted to the needs of the children, weather conditions, etc.

Full Day Schedule During Ministry of Education Vacations

On particularly hot or rainy days, the schedule changes accordingly, and when there is a special occasion, such as an activity or a performance.