The quality of early years education and childcare should not depend on where you live, an organisation representing Swiss towns and cities has said.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/ilj
The cities’ initiativeExternal link – which groups together education and social welfare heads from around 60 towns and cities, including heavyweights Zurich and Geneva – said that in many places, childcare and early education for the under fours was still very patchy. The cost is high and creche places are not always widely available, a statement released on FridayExternal link added.
It was important for all children in Switzerland to have access to good early education, the statement continued, to be “prepared for Kindergarten from a language, social and motor skills point of view”.
The cities’ initiative is calling for more support from the government, cantons and businesses, as well as better coordination between these various actors. Common standards should be established across the country, the initiative’s president Nicolas Galladé said.
The Swiss parliament in September last year extended for a third time a state-funded programme, despite opposition by the government, to boost the number of creches and other school care centres. The programme was introduced in 2003 with the aim of creating about 57,400 places for children across the country.
More
More
Government urged to boost early childcare and education
This content was published on
A panel of experts has called for increased efforts to boost early childcare and education availability in Switzerland.
Switzerland condemned for deciding to deport gay Iranian
This content was published on
Switzerland violated the prohibition on inhuman treatment by considering that a gay Iranian could be returned to his country.
Gestational diabetes found to increase risk of adult-onset diabetes
This content was published on
A research team from the Lake Geneva region has identified persistent dysfunctions in glucose regulation in women with gestational diabetes. In the long term, this can increase the risk of adult-onset diabetes by up to ten times.
Swiss village must be evacuated by midday on Sunday
This content was published on
The village of Brienz-Brinzauls in eastern Switzerland, which is threatened by a rockfall, must be evacuated by 1pm on Sunday. All residents must leave the village.
This content was published on
A former judge of the Graubünden Administrative Court in eastern Switzerland has been found guilty of rape, sexual harassment and threatening a former trainee.
Costs and care time increase in Swiss retirement and nursing homes
This content was published on
In 2023 the costs of retirement and nursing homes increased by 5% compared to 2022 and those of assistance and care at home by 7%. Together, they amounted to CHF15 billion.
This content was published on
Almost half of the population in Switzerland shows clear to pronounced signs of smartphone addiction, according to a survey.
Swiss healthcare stakeholders want to save CHF300 million
This content was published on
The main players in the Swiss healthcare sector want to save around CHF300 million ($340 million) in healthcare costs a year from 2026.
This content was published on
Switzerland is home to the world’s most expensive childcare. To change this, the government is suggesting introducing special tax breaks.
Switzerland named among biggest losers in expat survey
This content was published on
Switzerland is now the 44th best country to live as an expat, according to a survey which highlights the cold realities of life in the Alpine nation.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.