How the program works

During the school year, participating children are introduced to  high-quality children’s books in Hebrew in a special Sifriyat Pijama edition  – 8 books a year for children in preschools; 4 books a year for those in 1st and 2nd grade. The books are delivered to the classroom. After initially exploring the book with the teacher, each child receives a personal copy as a gift for the family, to share together. Each book contains a parent guide with suggestions of activities and discussions for parents to enjoy with their children. In addition, teachers often initiate activities in the classroom around the books, reinforcing the values in the book and stressing the importance and joy of reading books as a family.

Sifriyat Pijama, for children ages 3-7, operates in partnership with the Israeli Ministry of Education, serving more than 80% of  preschool children and 50% of children in 1st and 2nd grade in the Hebrew-speaking state-system. The vast majority of children and their families receive the books for free.

Sifriyat Pijama for Little Kids, for children age 2-3 in day care center settings, operates similarly to the program for preschool children, with each child receiving 8 books.

How one joins the program

Sifriyat Pijama works in partnership with the Ministry of Education, which determines the communities eligible to join the program according to socio-economic rankings determined by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Preschoolers and children in 1st & 2nd grade in communities not funded through joint funding of the Ministry of Education and Keren Grinspoon Israel can join the preschool program by covering the cost through their municipal budget or by collecting a modest fee from parents.

Sifriyat Pijama for Little Kids is funded jointly by Keren Grinspoon Israel and by organizations operating day care centers, through their budgets or by collecting a modest fee from parents.

Unlike its American counterpart PJ Library, Sifriyat Pijama and Sifriyat Pijama for Little Kids are NOT available on an individual subscription basis in Israel or abroad.

However, our book titles and the parent guides are available on our website so that individuals can see the titles of the books we use, obtain them through commercial channels and access the parent suggestions on line from our website.

The Harold Grinspoon Foundation no longer operates a program for Israelis in the United States who wish to receive books in Hebrew.