Let the cameras already in daycares help protect children, in real time.

1. The law requires the installation of cameras in daycare centers for toddlers with 7 or more toddlers, unless 70% of the parents object in writing. The cameras record without audio on a closed circuit, the footage is kept for 30 to 90 days, and as a rule it is not viewed except when there is suspicion, and only by authorized parties.
2. There is no real monitoring of whether the cameras are working. According to the State Comptroller's report (2026), in about 27% of the daycare centers inspected a malfunction was found that prevented proper recording, and in more than half of the daycare centers inspected a malfunction lasted at least three consecutive months. The monitoring system required by the Ministry of Education was not installed in most private daycare centers, partly because the existing cameras do not support it. Since operators are also prohibited from viewing the footage, a malfunction is usually discovered only when the footage is requested, after there is already suspicion.
3. The 2024 amendment to the law, which the High Court of Justice upheld in 2025, set a closed list of permitted viewing options for parents, chosen by the operator. All of them are based on human viewing of video. Automated real-time analysis is not included in the list, and therefore using it requires an amendment to the law.
4. Cases of harm to toddlers continue to be discovered late and by chance: a parent who noticed signs, or a child taken for medical treatment. By that stage, the harm has already occurred, sometimes over a long period.
5. At the same time, resources for oversight and guidance of the settings have been cut. According to an analysis by the Berl Katznelson Foundation of the proposed budget, the budget for implementing the daycare oversight regulations is expected to fall from about NIS 190 million in 2023 to NIS 46 million in 2026.
6. The current situation harms children, and also harms public trust in the dedicated staff, who make up the majority of those working in these settings.

Sources: Text of the law (Reshumot, 2018) · Ministry of Education · High Court of Justice on the amendment, 2025 · Privacy Protection Authority · The amendment to the law, 2024 · The Ariel indictment, 2026 · State Comptroller, 2026 · Budget: Berl Katznelson Foundation (ynet), 2026

• Protection in real time. The protection mechanism should detect situations that increase risk early, and help prevent harm while it is happening, not only document it after the fact.
• Professional guidance and pedagogical support for staff. The tool should also be used for guidance, feedback and strengthening staff, not only for detecting failures.
• Privacy. The privacy of children, parents and staff must be protected. Ongoing video viewing, or retention of footage beyond what is necessary, must not be permitted.
• Transparency and oversight. Any use of the technology must be regulated, logged, and subject to external audit.
• State responsibility. Parents should not have to take action on their own, for example by using recording devices, to protect their children.

1. To update the law by adding a fourth track: automated, real-time analysis of the footage from the existing cameras, whose outputs are alerts and written insights for the responsible person in the setting, and in a serious incident also for an external and independent body, without ongoing human viewing of video. The track will define a technological principle, not a product, and will be open to any system that meets the regulatory standard.
2. To establish a strict regulatory standard and binding conditions for the track:
   • Approval and oversight: prior approval by a competent government body, external accuracy testing before deployment and on an ongoing basis, periodic independent audits, and continuous monitoring of camera health with immediate malfunction alerts.
   • Privacy and security: information security and privacy requirements, no retention of video beyond what is necessary, viewing of a specific clip only for a focused, authorized and logged review, logging of all access to information, deletion after a set period, and oversight by the Privacy Protection Authority.
   • Use of alerts: use of the information for protection and professional guidance purposes only, an immediate response when a child is in danger, and a prohibition on the setting deleting, editing or hiding alerts.
   • Protection of staff: a ban on ranking employees, a proper human review before any determination regarding an employee, and full transparency to staff about what is collected.
3. To allow deployment in settings from the first phase, accompanied by an external and independent evaluation study whose results will be made public.
4. To allocate a dedicated budget for the track and for professional guidance, in addition to existing oversight resources.

The declaration will be submitted to the Minister of Education and to the Chair of the Knesset Education Committee, together with a cover letter and the verified number of signatories, upon reaching 10,000 signatures or ahead of a committee hearing on the subject, whichever comes first. Signing will continue after submission, and the updated number of signatories will be submitted again at every milestone and at every hearing. Submission will be made at a meeting or by official letter, and a copy will be sent to the parties listed at the top of the declaration. Signatories who opted in to receive updates will be informed of the submission and of the response received.