Childcare

The Scuola dell’infanzia in the canton of Ticino differs from pre-school and the first learning cycle of German- and French-speaking Switzerland in that it takes children from the age of three. In the rest of Switzerland children of this age are cared for by childcare facilities and services.

There are also childcare services with a special educational orientation (e.g. forest school, Infans, Fröbel, Montessori or Steiner). In addition, a day-care centre can offer a specific thematic focus such as music, multilingualism, multiculturalism or even religion. Finally, there are services that offer specific support (e.g. motor development, language development, development of social skills), especially to support the development of children growing up under difficult conditions.

In addition, playgroups are particularly common in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. Playgroups are not intended to provide childcare support for parents as such, but serve to expand the children’s realm of encounters and experience. Regular groups of eight to ten children aged between three and five years meet on a weekly basis for two to three hours to play together, do craft, etc. A playgroup leader oversees the group, usually with direct parent participation. The Playgroup Switzerland Interest Group (spielgruppe.ch) offers training and continuing training for playgroup leaders. However, training is not compulsory. In playgroups children can be given targeted support in certain areas (e.g. language support for children with a migrant background). Playgroups are maintained by private organisations or individuals, and are funded mainly from parental contributions. The operation of playgroups is not generally regulated. Playgroup leaders are rarely required to register.

Pre-school or first learning cycle

Parents can enrol their children in private pre-schools with a special focus. For information on the Grundstufe and the Basisstufe please see the corresponding comments.