Practical Information

Day Care

Child care in Switzerland is both difficult to find and expensive, as these facilities are private, receiving no help from government funding. The demand for childcare facilities often exceeds their availability and long waiting lists for places are not uncommon. Full-time care for pre-school aged children (a crèche) can cost up to 2000 CHF per month. Other options are to find a private childminder (Tagesmutter) who is someone who cares for children in her own home, or hire the services of an Au Pair, who is generally a young woman from another country who will care for your children in your home. The web site Tagesfamilien Schweiz can help you locate a childminder in your area. The Pro Filia web site can provide assistance with hiring an Au Pair. There are few all-day child care centres to accommodate working parents, with most having a two-hour lunch break in the middle of the day during which children are expected to return home. This is slowly changing, but such places are the exception rather than the rule.