- Every third daycare center in Switzerland made a loss last year.
- This is shown by a study by the Swiss childcare association “Kibesuisse”.
- In addition, the staff leaving rate is currently three times higher than usual.
“Kibesuisse” attributes the high losses primarily to personnel costs. They make up three quarters of the total effort. Two fifths of the daycare centers surveyed ended the 2022 calendar year with a profit and a third with a loss. 13 percent of the daycare centers surveyed did not want to provide any information.
No funds for qualified personnel
The survey data from “Kibesuisse” shows that an average of 0.4 positions per daycare center were unfilled. 95 percent of the daycare centers surveyed had at least one position to fill in the survey year. Because of the meager financial resources, daycare centers are forced to hire untrained staff – people without pedagogical training. The association is therefore calling for financing and subsidy models that allow daycare centers to cover their costs.
Legend:
The average age of daycare staff is 29 years.
KEYSTONE/Christian Beutler
Financing models should be designed in such a way that more carers with tertiary qualifications could be employed. Such a model is already being partially implemented in French-speaking Switzerland and Ticino.
The exit rate must be reduced
The training and further education of carers should also be promoted. This would not only improve the professional prospects of the staff, but such measures would also encourage employees to stay, hopes “Kibesuisse”. This would have a positive impact on quality and continuity in terms of exit rates and job filling.
The exit rate for staff is currently 30 percent – and for trained staff it is as high as 33 percent. Normally the rate is 10 percent. A total of 621 daycare centers took part in the survey, which together look after over 30,000 children.