Staff Shortages in Daycares: What This Means for Your Child

Staff Shortages in Daycares: What This Means for Your Child

The staff shortage in childcare is one of the most pressing problems in the Swiss social sector. Daycares are desperately searching for trained personnel, waiting lists are getting longer, and working conditions for existing professionals are deteriorating. For you as a parent, this has direct consequences: on the availability of places, the quality of care, and the stability of caregivers for your child.

This guide shows you the current situation, explains the connections, and gives you concrete tips on what to look out for.

---

Current Figures: How Big Is the Problem?

Staff Shortages in Numbers

The personnel shortage in Swiss daycares is well documented and has worsened in recent years:

Indicator	As of 2025/2026
Open positions in childcare	Approximately 4,000–5,000 (estimated, based on industry associations)
Turnover rate in daycares	20–30% per year
Average length of stay in the profession	Approx. 5–7 years after training
Career exit rate	Approx. 50% leave the profession within 10 years
FaBe training places (per year)	Around 4,000 (not all choose the childcare specialisation)
Demand for new professionals per year	Estimated 3,000–4,000 (replacement + growing demand)

Why Are So Many Professionals Missing?

The reasons are varied and interconnected:

• Low wages: A trained Childcare Specialist (FaBe) earns a median of around CHF 4,600–5,200 gross per month in Switzerland. Given the high responsibility and demanding work, this is too little for many.
• High workload: Large groups of children, staff shortages, noise, physical demands, and emotional strain lead to exhaustion.
• Lack of recognition: Working with young children is often not perceived by society as skilled professional work.
• Limited career prospects: Advancement opportunities are limited — beyond daycare management, there are hardly any further levels.
• Growing demand: Due to the expansion of childcare places (a political priority), the need for professionals is growing faster than supply.

---

Impact on Care Quality

What Happens When Staff Are Missing?

When daycares cannot find enough qualified personnel, this has concrete effects on everyday life:

Impact	What it means
Larger groups	More children per professional, less individual attention
More interns	Less experienced staff, higher proportion of trainees
More frequent staff changes	Children lose caregivers, settling in becomes harder
Fewer activities	Outings, projects, and special offerings are cancelled when staff are lacking
Stress on existing staff	Exhausted professionals can be less responsive to children
Shorter opening hours	Some daycares reduce opening hours or temporarily close groups

Long-Term Consequences

Research clearly shows: the quality of early childhood care has a lasting impact on children's development. What matters most is the relationship quality between professional and child, the group size, and the staff-to-child ratio. When these factors come under pressure, the children who suffer most are those most dependent on good care — such as children from socially disadvantaged families.

More on what quality features make a good daycare in our article Recognising Daycare Quality: What Parents Should Look For.

---

Staff-to-Child Ratio: What Is Prescribed, What Is Actually Practised?

Cantonal Regulations

In Switzerland, there is no uniform national staff-to-child ratio. Regulations are set at cantonal level and vary considerably:

Age group	kibesuisse recommendation	Typical cantonal requirement	Reality (estimated)
0–18 months (babies)	1:3 (1 professional to 3 children)	1:4 to 1:5	Often 1:5 or worse
18 months – 3 years	1:5	1:5 to 1:6	Often 1:6 to 1:8
3–5 years	1:8	1:8 to 1:12	Often 1:10 to 1:12

What the Numbers Mean

• kibesuisse (the industry association for childcare) issues recommendations considered the quality standard
• Cantonal regulations set minimum requirements — many cantons follow the kibesuisse recommendations, but not all
• In practice, the ratio is often only achieved by including interns and apprentices, not fully trained staff

Qualification Mix

Beyond the sheer number of carers, their qualifications are also crucial. A typical qualification mix in a Swiss daycare looks like this:

Qualification	Proportion (approx.)
Trained FaBe / HF Early Childhood Educator	30–50%
FaBe apprentices (in training)	20–30%
Interns	10–20%
Assistants (without professional qualification)	10–20%

Tip: Ask about the specific staff-to-child ratio and qualification mix when visiting a daycare. Good daycares are transparent about this.

---

What Parents Can Do: Recognising Quality Warning Signs

Positive Signs

Even in times of staff shortages, many daycares do outstanding work. Look for these positive signs:

• Professionals know your child by name and are aware of their preferences and quirks
• The staff seem calm, present, and attentive — not stressed and rushed
• Professionals stay long-term — low turnover is a quality indicator
• There are regular parent meetings with concrete observations about your child
• Activities such as outings, crafting, and movement sessions take place regularly
• The daycare management communicates openly about staffing shortages and their solutions

Warning Signs

These indicators may point to quality problems caused by staff shortages:

• Frequently changing caregivers — your child no longer knows the names
• Your child suddenly shows regression (sleep problems, clinginess, aggression)
• At pick-up, staff seem stressed and cannot report on the day
• Activities are regularly cancelled with the explanation that there isn't enough staff
• The group size seems noticeably large
• Meetings are postponed or cancelled
• There are more interns than trained professionals in the group

What You Can Concretely Do

1. Speak to the daycare management: Share your observations factually. Ask about the current staff ratio and the measures being taken to address the shortage.
2. Get involved in the parents' council: Together, parents carry more weight when it comes to quality demands.
3. Document changes: If you notice the care quality declining, record this in writing.
4. Seek a conversation with the supervisory authority: Every canton has a supervisory authority for daycares. For serious quality issues, you can contact them.
5. Explore alternatives: Use the kizi.ch search to compare other daycares in your area.

---

Political Solutions

Training Offensive

Various cantons and the federal government are working on measures to train more professionals and keep them in the profession:

• More FaBe training places: Cantons are creating additional apprenticeships and internship positions
• Facilitating career changes: Shortened training pathways for people from related professions (e.g. teachers, nursing professionals)
• Higher Professional School for Early Childhood Education (HF): The HF programme is being strengthened and offered in more cantons
• Recognition of foreign qualifications: Simplified procedures for recognising childcare qualifications from abroad

Better Working Conditions and Wages

The key to solving the staff shortage lies in better working conditions:

• Wage increases: Several cantons and cities have introduced or raised minimum wages for daycare staff
• Collective labour agreement (CLA): The CLA for childcare, in effect since 2024, sets minimum standards for wages and working conditions
• Working hours: Calls for more preparation time and less direct care time per day
• Supervision and continuing education: Investments in the mental health and professional development of staff

Connection to the Daycare Initiative 2026

The Daycare Initiative 2026 calls for stronger public funding of childcare. If more public money flows, daycares could pay better wages, which in turn would ease the staff shortage. The initiative is expected to come to a vote in 2026 and could fundamentally change the framework conditions.

---

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is my child poorly cared for in a daycare with staff shortages?

Not necessarily. Many daycares compensate for the shortage through good organisation, dedicated staff, and clever scheduling. What matters is whether your child has stable caregivers, feels comfortable, and is developing well. If you notice changes in your child, speak to the daycare and observe the situation closely.

How do I know if a daycare has a good staff-to-child ratio?

Ask directly during your visit: how many trained professionals care for how many children? What is the proportion of apprentices and interns? Good daycares communicate openly about this. Compare the figures with the kibesuisse recommendations (1:3 for babies, 1:5 for toddlers, 1:8 for children aged 3+).

What can I do as an individual about the staff shortage?

You can get involved politically (e.g. support the Daycare Initiative), advocate for better conditions on the parents' council, show appreciation for the professionals' work (a thank-you goes a long way), and present the care profession as a valuable option when your own children are choosing careers. Sharing articles like this one also helps raise awareness.

Will childcare costs rise because of the staff shortage?

Yes, that is likely. Better wages and working conditions cost money that must ultimately be financed by the operators, the public sector, or the parents. The Daycare Initiative aims for the public sector to take on a larger share, so that costs are not placed one-sidedly on parents.

---

Conclusion: Look, Ask, Get Involved

The staff shortage in daycares is a systemic problem that cannot be solved by individual parents. But what you can do: look carefully at whether your child is well cared for. Ask when something concerns you. And get involved — on the parents' council, politically, or simply through appreciation for the professionals who give their best every day despite difficult conditions.

Further reading:

• Recognising Daycare Quality: What Parents Should Look For
• Daycare Initiative 2026: What Parents Need to Know
• Cantons in Transition: Latest Decisions on Childcare

Compare daycares near you now: kizi.ch Search