Every third daycare center in Switzerland makes a loss
Published: Thursday, Dec 7th 2023, 12:31
Updated At: Thursday, Dec 7th 2023, 12:32
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Every third daycare center in Switzerland posted a loss last year. The first-ever study of the key business figures of daycare centers also revealed that the sector has a three times higher staff resignation rate.
Due to high personnel costs, which account for three quarters of total expenses, daycare centers do not have much in the way of income, the Swiss Childcare Association (Kibesuisse) announced on Thursday. Two-fifths of the daycare centers surveyed closed the 2022 calendar year with a profit and one-third with a loss. 13% of the daycare centers surveyed did not want to provide any information.
Another characteristic of the sector is the fluctuation rate. The resignation rate for daycare centers is 30 percent. On request, this rate is normally around 10 percent. As a result, the three biggest challenges faced by respondents in their day-to-day operations also relate to staff. Sickness absence, recruiting staff with appropriate qualifications and filling advertised vacancies are the main problems faced by daycare centers.
Lack of specialist staff
Kibesuisse wrote that around half of childcare staff have not completed any pedagogical training. Due to the lack of a funding model, daycare centers are dependent on untrained employees to survive. One solution could be a subsidy model that would allow the employment of childcare staff with a tertiary degree. Such a model is already being implemented to some extent in French-speaking Switzerland and Ticino.
The Kibesuisse survey data also shows that an average of 0.4 vacancies per daycare center were unfilled. 95% of the daycare centers surveyed had at least one vacancy in the year of the survey.
Association calls for better financing models
Financing models are needed that would allow daycare centers to cover their costs. In terms of quality development, the funding should also include subsidizing the training and further education of childcare staff, the association added. This would not only improve the professional prospects of staff, but would also encourage them to stay. This would have a positive impact on quality and continuity in terms of resignation rates and staffing.
Commissioned by Kibesuisse, the Infras research institute carried out statistical surveys of daycare centers in Switzerland in spring 2023. At the end of 2022, 31,632 children were being cared for at the 621 daycare centers surveyed.
©Keystone/SDA
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