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Childcare
Childcare services for toddlers (age 0-3) comprise play-groups as well as various part-time or full-time daycare facilities (so called "Tagesheim" structures). Lunch services and daycare families are also offered. The fees of all these services depend on the parents' income: a full-time daycare service can cost up to 2200.- CHF per child; hence less for part-time daycare.
Schooling starts with the entry into the Kindergarten for kids in the age of 4-6. The obligatory Kindergarten is free of charge and takes care of children Monday to Friday (in the mornings plus one afternoon). The two years of Kindergarten and the six years of Primary school (starting with the age of 6) compose the first stage of school education (so-called "Primarstufe" with altogether 2+6 years). Daycare structures ("Tagesstrukturen" such as canteen services, homework monitoring etc.) and "Tagesferien" (daycare offers during holidays) are optional and subject to charges.
The following second stage of schooling ("Sekundarstufe") lasts three years; obligatory school education is accomplished after altogether 11 years. For more information read also the chapter "Schools".
There is a difference between public childcare options which are administered centrally and private options which need to be contacted individually. The latter ones are partly focusing on special needs (such as extra languages, therapeutic pedagogy, reformist pedagogy following Montessori, Rudolf Steiner etc., and confessional education).
Due to the high demand for childcare services, we generally recommend registering your child at nurseries and daycare facilities early.
Family Service at the University
The web pages found under family services present the current services on offer for balancing studies, career and family at the university and in the two supporting cantons of Basel-Landschaft and Basel-Stadt. They inform about legal and practical issues related to maternity and parenthood. The team in the Equal Opportunities Office is happy to assist in terms of information and advice.
Day care at the University
The day care center at the University of Basel currently has 50 part-time places and is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 am to 6:30 pm (if needed, until 8:00 pm during the semester). The offer is open for employees and students; children of preschool age can be accommodated. Babies can be accepted in principle when they are two months old. In practice, the starting age is slightly later due to the high demand.
Hourly childcare
The day care center at the University of Basel currently has 50 part-time places and is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 am to 6:30 pm (if needed, until 8:00 pm during the semester). Children of preschool age can be accommodated. Babies can be accepted in principle when they are two months old. In practice, the starting age is slightly later due to the high demand.
Childcare in the canton of Basel-Stadt
Day care is designed for children from the age of three months. This includes day care centers, day care families and play groups.
Structured days are designed for pupils in kindergarten, primary school and Swiss orientation school. They include supervision services in day schools, school lunches, afternoon care and daytime activities during vacations.
The canton of Basel-Stadt is the only canton in Switzerland with a constitutional right to day care. The cantonal constitution guarantees that parents have access, within a reasonable period of time, to affordable public or private day care options that supplement family care for children (§ 11 para. 2 of the cantonal constitution).
All services are essentially also available for children with disabilities.
As a starting point, we highly recommend visiting the family counseling centers located at Freien Strasse 35 in Basel or making an appointment for information on the individual services you need and to learn about and start the various formalities:
Further information on day care and structured days in the canton of Basel-Stadt is available on the Day Care Office website of the Department of Education.
Childcare in the canton of Basel-Landschaft
The canton of Basel-Landschaft does not have a central referral service that provides information on the availability in kindergartens/day care centers or day care families. Further information can be found here.
For information about local childcare options, please contact the appropriate local administration office. The addresses of officially licensed and monitored childcare centers can be found here.
Childcare costs
The costs for external childcare are usually calculated based on income. Costs for third-party childcare can be deducted on tax declarations in the cantons of Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft.
Basel-Stadt
Parents who are unable to care for their children themselves due to work, education or disability are entitled to this deduction. Married couples can claim the deduction only if both spouses are unable to care for the children. The costs for childcare by a third person (e.g. day care center, nanny) can be deducted. The childcare costs must be documented. Up to CHF 10,000 in costs are deductible. The deduction applies only to children receiving third-party care and who are under the age of 15 years at the end of the tax period.
Basel-Landschaft
The following persons are entitled to the deduction: parents who have to leave their children in the care of a third person because both parents or persons in a registered partnership are working; single parents with parental custody of the child and who must work; disabled parents with custody of the child (federal only: due to professional training of the parent providing care). The deduction can be claimed for children who have not exceeded the age of 15 (cantonal level) or 14 (federal level) and who live with a parent or with parents in the same household. The out-of-pocket costs must be documented and verifiable. The maximum deduction is CHF 5,500 per child for cantonal tax and CHF 10,100 per child for federal tax.
Extra Childcare
Furthermore there are supplementary childcare options. Those services offered by the Swiss Red Cross (SRK) are usually organized on a cantonal level and open to residents of the respective canton; please inquire in the canton where you are registered.
- Babysitting service BS and BL
- Childminding service for sick children BS
- Family aid service and BL
- Familystart (before & after birth)
- Childcare by the hour
- Babsy Babysitter
- Nanny services (no link): Various international and national agencies provide Nanny services.
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