• Selection of Playgroups (German only)
• There is an English Speaking Playgroup

• Canton of Bern, Childcare
• City of Bern, Childcare incl. KI-TAX platform, babysitting, short-term solutions.

General information

• Daycare centers are open from Monday to Friday, usually from 7 a.m. to 6.30 p.m.
• The KITA can define a minimum number of days on which you must have your child looked after in order for him/her to be admitted (e.g. three days per week).
• Some KITAs take children until they start with kindergarten and others will take care of your child until the end of kindergarden.
• The costs depend on the income and assets of the parents, as well as on the amount of care required and the number of children.
• Certain KITA are subsidized. The city of Bern reduces the costs of childcare with childcare vouchers. The application can be submitted online.
• Childcare vouchers will also be available for non-residents of Bern from the summer of 2020.
• Most KITA have a waiting list. We strongly recommend that you reserve a KITA spot at least 9 months in advance directly with the KITA.

Overview of KITA

• Overview: KITA accepting childcare vouchers
• Overview: KITA without childcare vouchers
• Popepoppa: KITA in French
• Globegarden: KITA in English/German
• KITA for Children with Special Needs

Tip

Whenever possible, choose a KITA in your own neighborhood, since your child will be enrolled in the local kindergarten where you live. This ensures that the travel time from the KITA to the kindergarten and vice versa is as short as possible.

• A distinction is made between day-care centres, day schools and all-day schools (the city of Bern wants to merge day schools and day-care centres in the future).
• The service is open to all parents and children.
• The services are voluntary and fee-based.
• Many day schools also offer transportation.

Day care centres for school children (Tagesstätten)

• In the city of Bern: open 50 weeks a year from Monday to Friday.
• Pupils spend at least three days a week in the Tagi.
• There are support groups, common leisure activities and holiday camps.

Day schools (Tagesschulen)

• They are closed during the school holidays.
• The offer includes lunch, leisure activities and task assistance.
• Parents can decide on how many days their child uses the offer.

All-day schools (Ganztagesschulen)

• As of summer 2020, Bern will have four all-day schools: Schulhaus Stöckacker, Spitalackertrasse, Wankdorf and Bümpliz-Höhe.
• They combine teaching and supervision. Students will spend their lessons, lunchtime supervision and leisure time in the same classroom and with a constant teaching and supervision team.
• Childcare services for children outside school hours (before and after normal class hours, including lunch, leisure activities and task assistance).
• Parents can decide on how many days their child uses the offer.

• Kindergarten and School System in the Canton of Bern (great overview, including school holidays, Lehrplan 21, health and difficult situations)
  
  
• The Ecole Cantonale de Langue Française (ECLF) in Bern is a public school (kindergarten as well as grades 1 through 9) that follows the curriculum from the French-speaking Swiss cantons. The main language of instruction is French, with German and English taught as subjects.
  
  
• Persons with privileged status who do not have to register with the municipality can register their child directly at the school nearest to their place of residence.
  
  
• Important: Transfer from secondary school to high school/Gymnasium is not guaranteed, but only possible on recommendation or with an entrance examination. A popular alternative to the Gymnasium is a vocational training. Those interested in an apprenticeship complete a trial apprenticeship at an early stage and apply directly to the company.
  
  
• Did you know that despite the “Harmos” project (aimed at harmonizing compulsory education in Switzerland), the school entrance age still varies in some cantons? Education is a cantonal affair, and the situation has evolved over the years. Harmonizing many different school systems takes time.

• Overview of Vocational Training, SERI
• Overview of Colleges of Higher Education, Canton of Bern
• Overview of Universities of Applied Sciences, SERI

Apprenticeship training enjoys an excellent reputation in Switzerland, and around two thirds of Swiss young people complete an apprenticeship after finishing their compulsory schooling. The country’s low unemployment rate is due in part to the fact that young adults are integrated into the working world earlier than in other places. After finishing their apprenticeship, a large majority of them go on to complete another practice-oriented course of study at a college of higher education or university of applied sciences.

In Switzerland, lifelong learning is strongly encouraged within the framework of its very accessible education system. Anyone who decides to complete a vocational apprenticeship first can still pursue an academic degree afterwards – with increasing options to do so while continuing to work.

• Overview of Technical Secondary Schools (Fachmittelschulen) in the Canton of Bern
• Overview of Cantonal Secondary Schools (High Schools/Gymnasien) in the Canton of Bern

Technical Secondary Schools (Fachmittelschulen) are for pupils who target a career in the fields of in the professional fields of health, social work or education. The technical school also prepares for higher tertiary education like College of Higher Education or University of Applied Sciences.

• Overview of Swiss Universities, swissuniversities
  
  
• Each university decides independently which admission requirements apply to the individual courses. Depending on the university, the admission requirements for the same course of study may therefore differ.

• International Schools in and around Bern

The Musikschule Konservatorium Bern is a music school offering classes and courses for all ages

• City of Bern (German classes only)
• Canton of Bern, Language Classes for Migrants (with search function)
• Your municipality may also offer language courses.

• The State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) is responsible for recognizing foreign qualifications.
• The Vocational Information Center (BIZ) Bern is happy to help with questions about your foreign qualifications.

• Foundations For Learning (in Basel and Zurich)
• Nathalie Foundation (in Gümligen)
• Sport/Exercise for People with Disabilities
• Speech Therapy: Professional Association of Bern Speech Therapy (speech therapists can be chosen by language or location)