For working fathers and mothers, reliable childcare during working hours is a central concern. In the city of St.Gallen, there is a well-developed childcare offering: daycare centers for children from the age of three months, daycare for school-age children, as well as a lunch table for high school students. Parents will find a qualitatively good and financially viable range of childcare options for preschool-age children in St.Gallen. Numerous daycare centers and day families offer a comprehensive range of childcare options to supplement family time.
Offers overview
What does daycare offer in the city? - Judith Siering in an interview.
You are, so to speak, the "highest childcare provider" in the city of St.Gallen. What is your personal conviction in the daycare of children?
Well, I wouldn't call myself the highest childcare worker, because I don't directly look after children. But of course, a department head must always have the needs of the children in focus, because only in this way can a good child-friendly offer be promoted together with the employees. At the beginning of my professional career, I worked in a day care center (at that time still an after-school care center). My convictions from back then are actually still the same: Children benefit from other children, the community is central and promotes development in a positive way. Children need suitable spaces (also free spaces) to spend their free time as well as reliable and positive reference persons who accompany them.
The city of St.Gallen offers daycare throughout the city. What does this mean in concrete terms and for whom is the offer intended?
The offer is aimed at all children who are resident in the city and attend a city elementary school or a city kindergarten. Children from special schools and private schools can also be admitted. The day care centers open at 07:00 in the morning for morning care and are then open continuously from 11:40 at noon until 18:00. During school vacations, the day care centers are open continuously from 07:00 to 18:00.
"The fact that the city of St.Gallen has a qualitatively good daycare offering is also known to other communities and cities in Switzerland."
Judith Siering, Head of Department Childcare City of St.Gallen
Does the city offer more than other communities with this service?
Yes, the city of St.Gallen is certainly further ahead than other smaller communities. Daycare has a very long tradition in the city of St.Gallen. As early as 1887, a first after-school care center was opened under the auspices of the charitable society. In 1918, the city of St.Gallen took over responsibility for running the after-school care centers. What is special about today's day care offer is that we are needs-based, which means that every child has the right to a place in day care, so there are no waiting lists. In the city of St.Gallen, parents have the freedom to choose how many care units they would like to register their children for. Depending on their needs, this can be one lunchtime unit or five full days a week.
How does a family living in St.Gallen benefit from this offer and where do they have to report if they would like to take advantage of it?
Parents who would like to register their children in a daycare center should report to the daycare center located directly at the children's place of residence and school. Newcomers who may not yet know exactly which school building or kindergarten their child will be assigned to are welcome to contact the department secretary directly. Registration forms can also be downloaded from the Internet at Tagesbetreuung Schulkinder | stadt.sg.ch. There you will find further information about day care.
However, there are also childcare options for children of preschool age?
There are numerous privately run daycare centers (Kitas) in the city of St.Gallen. As a rule, children from the age of three months until they start school can be admitted there. Numerous daycare centers are subsidized by the city of St.Gallen. In addition to the daycare centers, there are also daycare places with childminders.
How many children are currently cared for in daycare centers in the city of St.Gallen?
Currently, around 1,700 children are cared for.
There are certainly a wide variety of nationalities and age groups. What needs do all these children and their parents have in connection with daycare? Can you name a few?
Every child and every family is unique, so the needs are also individual. Our goal is to provide a good quality and affordable service for a broad majority of families. The age range in daycare services is broad. The youngest children are four years old, the oldest 13. The daycare staff is therefore challenged to do justice to both the younger and the older children. There is a need for age-appropriate rooms, play and activity opportunities, but also for age-appropriate supervision of the children. By the way, for students of the upper school we offer lunch tables that meet the needs of this age group.
Are there principles according to which the caregivers work or convictions in order to meet these needs of the children and parents?
Our highest orientation framework is the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child - our principles are derived from this. The daycare regulations, the daycare framework concept and the pedagogical quality guideline form the common framework for all daycare services. These documents can also be found on our website.
Recently, all daycare centers and lunch tables in the city of St.Gallen were awarded the quality label "fourchette verte - Ama Terra". What exactly is this and what does it mean?
The Engelwies daycare was only recently awarded the label, as this daycare has only had its own kitchen infrastructure since the move to the Bruggen school building. All other businesses have had this quality label for longer. The first establishments were already certified in 2014. "Fourchette verte - Ama terra" is a national label for a balanced and varied range of meals in family daycare facilities. When purchasing, preference is given to food from ecological, socially responsible and animal-friendly production. Seasonal and regional foods are processed. An important aspect is also the cultivation of a child-friendly dining and table culture.
How high do you rate the quality of daycare in the city of St.Gallen in general and is it monitored?
We are proud of our quality. The recent survey of parents and children confirmed that we are on the right track and that our services are highly appreciated by parents and children alike. We take critical feedback from parents or children as an opportunity to review standards and improve them where possible. Our daycare teams are also asked to select a focus from the quality guidelines each year and to deal with it in depth.
The fact that the city of St.Gallen has a good quality daycare program is also known to other communities and cities in Switzerland. We are therefore often asked about topics such as pedagogical concept, meals, vacation care, tariff structure or management structure.
In conclusion: What does the future hold for daycare? Are there any new approaches or offers?
Our newest offer is lunch at the upper school, and we need to establish this even more strongly. With the completion of the new Riethüsli school building, we will then also have a fully developed daycare offering in this neighborhood that is comparable to the other offerings in terms of both space and concept.
For more information on the day care services offered in the city of St.Gallen, please visit: Day Care for School Children | stadt.sg.ch
