How to register your child at the Swiss local kindergarten
Most of you with children of kindergarten age should have received a letter asking you to register your child (Anmeldeformular) for Kindergarten entry 2019/2020 (Kindergarteneintritt).
Which Kindergarten will my child attend?
If you were hoping to get clarity about which local kindergarten your child will be attending, you might be disappointed. It could be June until you will know which Kindergarten your child will attend. In Zürich, there are often no fixed catchment areas and allocation to a particular kindergarten (Kindergartenzuteilung) near you depends not just on proximity. Other factors are the distance to home, number of children, as well as gender and the proportion of native versus non native speakers.
If you would like to delay entry (Rückstellung), you will have to get a letter from your pediatrician or another recognise education expert. You will send this letter together with a request (Antrag) to your district school department (Kreisschulpflege or Schulpflege). Please note that requests for early entry (frühzeitige Einschulung) are no longer accepted in Zürich.
Doing the paperwork
Fill in the registration form stating languages spoken at home (Sprachgebrauch), and – this may seem odd but is very common in Germanic countries – your child’s religious affiliation (Konfession). (You can leave it blank if you do not want to share that information or if your child does not have any religious affiliation).
You will also get a separate form which you need to fill in and send to the Schulpflege if you want to send your child to a private Kindergarten.
Go to the information evening!
Do not miss the information evening! This evening will provide valuable information about the school routine. You will also learn about services provided by your local Kindergarten or Gemeinde, such as extra German for non native speakers (DAZ) or Tagesbetreuung (extended daycare).
Take a deep breath and get ready for your journey through the local Swiss school system!
If you need more information about local school in Switzerland, you can book a personalised face-to-face or online information session with your local school expert!
More information on: https://swisseducationconsulting.ch/consulting-services/
