The Yad B’Yad Association was founded in 1982 by Ms. Shelly Hoshen, psychologist and pre-school age counselor. Shelly was guided by an educational philosophy which claims that all children deserve the nurturing and love that can ensure a strong foundation for a meaningful life and an opportunity to realize their full potential, and that this foundation must be built as early as possible. Unfortunately, there are still far too many children in Israel whose families are unable to provide this all-important environment. Thus the Yad B’Yad Association has dedicated itself to various projects 
designed to fill this need. 

With the help of its various Friends Associations overseas, the Association currently is running the following projects which it hopes to expand in the future:

The Warm Home The Association runs 10 such houses in the center of the country, where children at risk between the ages of three and a half and seven come after kindergarten and school hours. The children stay until six in the evening and receive from the professional staff everything that their families and neighborhood do not provide: Hot meals, cognitive enrichment, emotional support, appreciation of values and normative behavior, and an abundance of .
.warmth and love
 
The Computer House A project that opens up the world of computers, internet and hi-tech to children from distressed families and their parents – essential infrastructure for life in today’s world.
 
A Listening Ear An emergency hot-line manned 24 hours a day all year round by some 100 volunteers – mostly professionals in fields such as psychology, social work, teaching, nursing and educational counseling. The center, which is available to anyone in Israel, responds to some 20,000 
 distress calls a year
 
Food Distribution The Association delivers food baskets every month to 
some 400 needy families that are referred by the welfare services.