Sleep is a Public Health Issue. Time to wake up the Israeli Government.
A recent BBC News article (‘Afternoon naps’ aid children’s learning) highlights the importance of children (as well as toddlers) having an afternoon nap.
This was an american study, and perhaps this was why the results were focused on the childrens memory recall and task performance. I would be more interested in this regard to the impact on health – that children require adequate sleep in order to be physically strong in order to fight off illness. And of course, quite simply – to be – happy! Surely that is a valid reason?! But still, the study reinforces an important point which I have been making for some time. Until children reach school age, they need to be given the opportunity to rest during the day. The current gan opening times (07:30 until 14:00, although most children do not arrive until after 08:00) do not facilitate this. By the time a child returns home, washes their hands, and settles down to lunch, most of their waking day has passed. It’s late both for lunch and for a rest. (Note – I have seen children who appear to adapt to this system, and appear happy, but I am not sure it does them any good in the long run. Time will tell.) Bear in mind most children go to gan 6 days a week, although they do finish a little earlier on Fridays. This is their life for 10 months a year.
Finally, the Israeli government seems to be somewhat aware of their error (רוצים את הילד מוקדם? כעת זה מותר), and they are allowing all children the option to finish gan at 13.30 if their parents sign a form. This was previously available at my sons gan, but I did not sign it as I felt that 13.30 was not early enough. (It does not facilitate lunchtime at a respectable hour.)
Still, I suppose you could call this progress.
The issue seems to be part of the cultural attitude to sleep (see previous blogs I have written on the matter – Excuse Me Sir, but when do they Eat? and It Needs to be about the Kids) – Israelis think I am nuts because I believe my 4 year old benefits from a rest (occasionally a nap) during the day, and a gan finishing at 14:00 does not facilitate that. Well now it appears that the evidence is with me. Here are my thoughts:
1. Kids benefit from a midday nap. Even after age 2. I always noticed that, and now it seems others are researching this and finding it applies to other kids, not just mine. (I often have to tolerate people treating me like I am crazy, as if my child is weak/wimpy because he functions better after a rest!)
2. Kids need to eat around 12:00 – 12:30. Exactly what is quoted in the above article, as found by the Ministry of Health study. What on earth is the point of having these establishments run research studies if they are not applied?
3. The issue is apparently about paying ganenot. They need to work more hours to get paid a respectable wage. OK, so lets pay them for all the hours they spend on parents meetings, clearing up, planning activities and interacting with parents (I get emails from Roni’s ganenet before 06:00, this indicates someone who works around the clock, why not recognise this?
Its pathetic that children have to suffer when there is such a simple solution. Not to mention the ganenot having to struggle to work with the exhausted children. I collect mine at 13:00 and my 3 year old is always hungry and tired. My 4 year old less so, but only because I get him home quickly, feed him and offer him quiet time (what he does with this is his business, but he does sometimes sleep), and I will tell you he is always refreshed after this downtime. Some days it can be like a new day for him, and he will start creative projects or ask me interesting questions. The point being if I collected him at 14:00 this would not work out so well.
The country seems dead set on raising health problems. Children who are not well fed and rested equates to health and social problems which are totally preventable. Why do this?? The country can’t afford it! The attitude seems to be to run everyone down to the bone, adults and children alike, and I feel is linked to the number of illnesses people get here. Last year the country was plagued with a winter of lung illnesses, hospitals were filled to over 150% capacity. The situation was so bad that when I myself was suffering from horrifying coughing fits during the last month of my pregnancy, (probably whooping cough) I held off going to the hospital because I didn’t want to expose my unborn child to any more illnesses!
Wake up Ministry of Health. Children are really just like us, just smaller. They need food and rest. And they should be allowed some time to themselves.