Well organised for kindergarten

Timetable, quarterly plan, quarterly target, annual plan and snack sheet. Plus parent appointments: Visiting mornings or afternoons, parents' evenings, parent-teacher conferences, kindergarten coffee and Räbeliechtlischnitzen, the associated parade with the whole family and the end-of-year party. There may also be a theatre or Christmas carol singing. Whew! Parents of nursery school children have a tight schedule, or more precisely: a tight schedule.

This adds up to a good ten appointments per child, which must be attended throughout the year. No problem if parents can't go every time themselves - godparents, grandparents or friends are also very welcome at the kindergarten.

However, the numerous appointments are also a sign of quality - that your child's teachers take a lot of time to organise a varied kindergarten year. Many children are incredibly proud and happy when their family visits them at kindergarten and they are allowed to show them their things. For most parents, however, kindergarten is a big change in terms of supervision and organisation.

Childcare options in kindergarten

Kindergarten is part of primary school and is therefore subject to block periods in most political communities. In most cases, the child has additional lessons in the afternoon. In the first year of kindergarten, it is often possible for the child to stay at home one morning to recover. This means that anyone who previously had their child looked after all day by a childminder or daycare centre now has to completely reorganise themselves.

The flood of appointments also shows that the teachers take a lot of time to organise the kindergarten year in a varied way.

Childcare provision for pre-school and school-age children is very heterogeneous. There are big differences between urban and rural regions. What forms of childcare are available and which one suits your family situation? The following models are available:

Day schools

In recent years, the cities of Zurich, Basel and Bern have continuously expanded their range of day schools - sometimes also called day structures, day kindergartens or all-day schools. In contrast to regular schools, where the child is only at school for lessons and is looked after individually before or after and this care has to be organised and paid for by the parents, day schools generally offer childcare before lessons. Lunch is also guaranteed, as well as the opportunity to play or attend courses afterwards.

After lessons, children can play, relax or, if they are older, do their homework. Childcare is guaranteed from 7 am to 6 pm.

• Advantage: The child is looked after in a school environment for the whole day in an age-group-appropriate manner and there is no need to travel to and from the after-school care centre.
• Disadvantage: It is particularly exhausting for younger children, as the break between lunch and afternoon lessons is quite short.
• Costs: The amount that parents have to pay is determined by the canton and depends on income.

Daycare centre, after-school care and lunch

This type of childcare is offered in the municipality of residence and varies accordingly. In some municipalities, you can have your child looked after before and/or after kindergarten on an hourly or half-day basis, either in the daycare centre that they already know, or in after-school care or lunchtime clubs.

It is therefore worth finding out more and reserving a place at the latest when registering your child for kindergarten. This is because it becomes more difficult to combine work and childcare when your child starts kindergarten.

If the parents have to be at work at 7.30 a.m., but the kindergarten does not start until 8 or 8.20 a.m., the child must go to the daycare centre or after-school care before the start of lessons. If they have afternoon lessons, they must return to the after-school care centre at lunchtime and again after school.

• Advantages: The child is usually together with his or her peers; good supervision is guaranteed.
• Disadvantages: Long waiting times, few places, after-school care centres are not always separated by age group, can be noisy, often closed during holidays, changing caregivers and limited care, exhausting for kindergarten children.
• Admission fee and costs: Some after-school centres charge an admission fee of up to 200 francs. Full-day care costs around 120 francs, half a day without lunch 60 francs, half a day with lunch 85 francs, lunch only around 25 francs per child (approximate values/costs according to income). Some after-school care centres offer subsidised places.

Daycare families, extended families, lunches, after-school care, neighbours: there are numerous childcare options.

Childminder care

There are around 10,000 childminders in Switzerland. They are supervised by mediators, must complete a compulsory training programme and are obliged to undergo annual further training. Funding is similar to that of daycare centres: the associations are usually financially supported by the municipalities.

• Advantages: Only one carer, often close to home, available at short notice, inexpensive.
• Disadvantages: Waiting lists for childminders, no childcare during school holidays and in the event of illness.
• Costs: The childminder association charges around 8 to 12 francs per hour of childcare. Parents pay special expenses directly to the childminder by arrangement. Travel expenses are reimbursed at around 70 centimes per kilometre. In addition, there is a one-off processing fee of around 150 francs. Childminders who offer their childcare services independently negotiate the amount of the childcare allowance with the parents. www.tagesfamilien.ch

Care by a nanny

Childcare provided by a nanny has become popular in Switzerland precisely because external childcare costs are so high for working parents and school hours are rarely compatible with parents' working hours. This is because parents with a taxable income of CHF 100,000 or more no longer receive state support for childcare. A nanny is certainly more expensive than institutional childcare services, but she comes to the family's home.

• Advantages: Children can stay in familiar surroundings, even if they are ill, during holidays and off-peak times. Nannies usually also take on light household chores.
• Disadvantages: Expensive. Not all nannies have specific training. Many are placed through an agency.
• Costs: The salary for the nanny is a matter of negotiation and is based on training and experience. Information on salary and sample employment contract: www.hauswirtschaft.ch

There are many appointments. It is best to enter them in a weekly schedule.

Babysitter

An inexpensive and practical solution if parents are absent for a few hours, want to go out in the evening or only need to have their children looked after from time to time.

• Costs during the day: Young people aged 13 and over: CHF 7 per hour; aged 16 and over: CHF 8 to 12.
• Costs in the evening: From 7 pm: 8 to 10 francs per hour. Flat rate per evening: 25 to 0 francs for young people under 16 and 30 to 0 francs for young people between 16 and 18. Information from the handbook «Kinderbetreuung - Alternativen zur Kita» (Childcare - Alternatives to daycare centres) published by the City of Zurich's Department of Social Affairs.

School dates

• The child usually brings the information home on paper. Check this regularly.
• It is best to hang these up in a specific place in the flat, as well as the timetable.
• Keep a school agenda.
• Make a note of the day's activities, childcare times and hobbies on a large weekly plan. This will also give your child an overview

Recreation in the kindergarten

• Give your child rest breaks.
• Take the increased need for sleep into consideration.
• Don't overload his free afternoons with additional activities.
• Feel free to leave the child at home for half a day or enquire about this possibility.

Events in the kindergarten

• One parents' evening and one location meeting per year are mandatory. They serve the purpose of getting to know each other and exchanging ideas.
• Additional events are communicated via the class teacher or the school.
• The assessment interview is intended to inform you about your child's stage of development and how he or she has settled into the kindergarten.