SHEKEL Child Development Center in East Jerusalem

SHEKEL Child Development Center in East Jerusalem 

Since 1993 SHEKEL has been operating a Child Development Center serving the Arab population of East Jerusalem. The center provides a variety of services for 1500 children aged 0-8 and their families. A disproportionate number of Arab children are born with special needs due to the high number of consanguine marriages, births to older women and lack of parental care. Children with special needs often do not receive the services they need to maximize their potential due to financial limitations, difficulty of travel and cultural considerations. Since early intervention is the key, this is the stage of life when programs have the greatest long-term effect. About 500 new children come to the center each year. They are referred by their local family doctors, pediatricians, municipal welfare offices and sometimes parents initiate contact. The national health insurance companies have child development centers for the Hebrew- speaking population in Jerusalem. SHEKEL provides the only child development center for the Arabic-speaking population. The center provides medical assessments, para-medical treatments, psychological counseling, social welfare services, parental support and guidance. 

Target Population 

1500 Arab-speaking children in East Jerusalem aged 0-8 with special needs which range from development delays and learning disabilities to cognitive disabilities, from Down Syndrome to autism/PDD to various severities of mental retardation. 

Staff: Doctor specializing in child development, physical, occupational and speech therapists, psychologist and social worker. 

Opening Hours: Sunday-Thursday  8:00-19:00 

                        Friday –              10:00-18:00

                        Saturday –           8:00-18:00

Tel. 02-5323885, Tel/Fax. 02-5324105 

Address: Shuafat, East Jerusalem