Depending on the age of the child, professional childcare can take place at the parental home, in the home of a childminder or in an external childcare facility.
Source of terms: City of Zurich
An external page Au Pair (German) lives with the host family and looks after one or more of the family’s children. An au pair’s tasks can also include light housework. In return, the au pair receives board and lodging as well as pocket money. Au pairs are usually from an area where a different language is spoken and attend a language school. The host parents often pay a substantial percentage of the school fees.
Babysitters look after young children while the parents are absent for short periods, usually for no more than a few hours. They tend to be employed on an ad hoc basis and are not responsible for educating the child in any way. Pay and hours are agreed between the parents and the babysitter. A external page babysitting course at the Zurich branch of the Swiss Red Cross (German) teaches the necessary knowledge and skills.
external page Childminders (German) look after one child or more children in their own home, with the hours being individually agreed. Childminders are experienced in childcare. Placements are arranged by the Gemeinnützigen Frauenverein Zürich, Zurich Women’s Association, or external page GFZ (German), which carefully selects childminder families and provides them with professional support.
The City of Zurich’s department for foster children is responsible for supervising childminders with whom children spend more than 20 hours a week.
Nannies look after one or more children in private households and generally carry out easy household tasks, too. Nannies generally have teaching qualifications or experience of working with children, for which they can provide references. The external page kihz Foundation (kihz Mobil) maintains a pool of qualified nannies.
In reciprocal childcare, parents share the task of caring for their children. Two families agree to look after each other’s children, which means neither family incurs any childcare costs.
external page Chrabbelgruppe (German) groups help parents to make contacts and share experiences. They provide an opportunity for mothers and fathers to get to know other parents in similar situations, learn from one another and offer one another support outside of meetings. At the same time, the children come into contact with their peers, learn how to interact in a group setting and get used to other people and a new environment.
A external page Chinderhüeti (German) is a facility bookable by the hour where which children of various ages are looked after on an ad hoc basis in groups, freeing up the parents briefly to do their shopping or attend appointments. While a Chinderhüeti is useful for meeting very short-term, occasional childcare needs, it is not a good way to ensure a healthy work/life balance.
Childcare centres are an extrafamilial socio-pedagogical care facility for children aged from 3 to 4 months to kindergarten age. Days are structured and pedagogical concepts are used to encourage the children’s development.
A playgroup provides the opportunity for pre-school children (between 2.5 and the age at which they start kindergarten) to play together in a group of around 4 to 12, enabling them to develop social and language skills at an early age. The facility is normally used 1 to 3 times a week in 2.5-hour blocks and is usually regarded as a form of socio-cultural development rather than childcare.
The rules for attending external page kindergarten (German) differ from one canton to the next in Switzerland. In many cantons, attendance at kindergarten is obligatory from the age of 4 and it forms part of a child’s compulsory schooling. Kindergarten is an integral part of the school system and, as such, prepares children for primary school. At kindergarten, children learn using all their senses, progressing seamlessly from educational play to play-based learning. In addition to free play, kindergarten teachers design lessons which involve a wide variety of learning processes based on the cantonal curriculum.
Out-of-school clubs offer childcare outside normal or compulsory school hours. Out-of-school clubs are run by professional staff who have gained qualifications in social work at a university of applied sciences or teaching qualifications at the Agogis PET college. The City of Zurich and the municipal authorities are gradually increasing the number of out-of-school club places available.
A external page Mittagstisch (lunch table, German) offers children of school age the option of spending lunch time together and eating a low-cost meal. As well as on the food, the emphasis is on age-appropriate care provided by carers who hold pedagogical qualifications. Lunch time care is provided by the City of Zurich’s department responsible for schools and sports.
Outdoor child-minding arrangements to free up parents on an hourly basis are organised by the parents themselves. Children can play on playgrounds or in parks under supervision. Childcare is provided by the core parent group, members of which take turns to act as childminders.
