Families
Haifa with kids
Gan and first-grade registration in Haifa happens once a year, in January-February, through the municipal registration centre, and gan tzaharonim are booked at the same time. The municipality lists six declared bathing beaches with lifeguards in season, and the Carmel has the zoo, Gan HaEm and large parks for weekends.
Families
Start here
7 steps, in the order most people take them.
- 1
Register for municipal gan (age 3+)
Registration is compulsory from age 3 and must be renewed every year; for 2026-27 it ran 19 Jan - 8 Feb 2026, with placements published in May. Dates for 2027-28 were not yet out on 9 Oct 2026.
Go (opens in a new tab) - 2
Register for first grade
Children register for the school of their address zone in the same January-February window; supra-regional school applications are made only then.
Go (opens in a new tab) - 3
Book an after-gan tzaharon
Tick the tzaharon option during gan registration; the programmes are run by the Neve Yosef community-centre network and open only with enough sign-ups.
Go (opens in a new tab) - 4
Find daycare for under-3s
Municipal gans start at age 3; for younger children the Ministry of Labour lists recognised daycares (Na'amat, WIZO, Emunah and others) and municipal family daycares.
Go (opens in a new tab) - 5
Plan holidays with municipal camps
The city runs summer kindergartens and "summer schools" for grades 1-3, and NIS 100 five-day school camps at Hanukkah and Pesach.
Go (opens in a new tab) - 6
Swim only at declared beaches
Lifeguards work 08:00-18:00 in the bathing season; the municipality says swimming without a lifeguard is forbidden and dangerous.
Go (opens in a new tab) - 7
Weekend outings
The Haifa Educational Zoo next to Gan HaEm, Madatech science museum in Hadar and the free Kishon Stream Park are family favourites listed by Visit Haifa.
Go (opens in a new tab)
Guides
Read next
- Schools and gans in HaifaHow gan and school registration works in Haifa, what olim children get, and the state, state-religious and independent schools newcomers ask about, from the Reali to Leo Baeck.
- Haifa's neighbourhoods comparedHaifa is a vertical city: the Carmel at the top, Hadar on the slope, the port below and the Krayot across the bay. Here's how the main neighbourhoods compare on rent, community and getting around.
Good to know
For popular gans the city may hold a lottery among families who chose that gan first. Appeals against a gan placement must be filed within 7 days.
Community groups
Where people talk
- Chabad Haifa (Russian-speaking community) on FacebookFacebook · Chabad Haifa - Russian Jewish Community Center
- Haifa Municipality Telegram channelTelegram · Haifa Municipality
- Haifa Municipality on FacebookFacebook · Haifa Municipality
- Kehilat Hadar community centres on FacebookFacebook · Kehilat Hadar
- Ohel Avraham congregation (Leo Baeck) on FacebookFacebook · Ohel Avraham - Leo Baeck Education Center
Day plans
Ready-made days
Source
- Haifa Municipality (opens in a new tab)
- Haifa Municipality (opens in a new tab)
- Haifa Municipality (opens in a new tab)
- gov.il (opens in a new tab)
- Haifa Municipality (opens in a new tab)
- Haifa Municipality (opens in a new tab)
- Visit Haifa (opens in a new tab)
This page was written for Haifa from the sources above.
