More than 100,000 signatures handed in for ‘daycare initiative’

Children play outside parliament in Bern on Wednesday, when the signatures were handed in © Keystone / Peter Schneider

Campaigners calling for more state money for daycare places have submitted 105,000 signatures to the Federal Chancellery.

If 100,000 votes are valid, the popular initiative will go to a nationwide vote.

The “daycare initiativeExternal link” demands the cost of daycare places be capped at 10% of parents’ income. It wants to make not only daycare centres and after-school care centres accessible and affordable for all families but also the entire spectrum of supplementary family and school care, such as day families.

Every child who needs a place in childcare should be entitled to it, the campaigners believe. Prices should be graded according to income.

Today, many parents cannot afford supplementary childcare, the initiative committee led by the left-wing Social Democratic Party said at a press conference in Bern on Wednesday. The result is that in many cases women with children give up their jobs completely or partially – and thus have lower wages and pensions.

Even though there are no estimates of what the initiative could cost, all representatives of the initiative committee said the state would receive more funds in the long run. The investment would be worthwhile in economic terms because the children’s educational opportunities would be increased and Switzerland would ultimately benefit from higher added value.

Cédric Wermuth, co-chairman of the Social Democratic Party, calculated that a full-time childcare place can sometimes cost more than a quarter of one’s income. “A good daycare offer is a central piece of the puzzle for more equality,” he said.