I'm researching our potential move to CH. Hubby will work in Frauenfeld so we're looking at living in the Cantons of Thurgau/St Gallen or on the Zurich Canton border.
I posted yesterday and have been kindly told that our boys (5 in October) will start Kindergarten in all 3 Cantons Aug 2014. Our daughter (4 in Feb) will start Aug 2015.
I've done some googling and a LOT of 'google translating' and am I right that Kindergarten will be 5 mornings a week: 8 - 11:40. Then Aug 2015 the boys will go an additional 2 arvos when our daughter starts her 5 mornings a week?
I study (by distance) so am used to working 3 full mornings (9-1:30) a week whilst the kids go to preschool/Kindy here in PNG. But in CH I might be able to do 2 mornings/then work at night. What options are there for childcare in St Gallen/Thurgau for our daughter who will be too young for Kindy and for the boys who will go for the mornings only? Are there after-hours places (what name am I looking for? Krippe?)
I've not found any info about playgroups/activities/clubs for this age group using google! We want to send our children to local school/Kindy rather than International as we see this move as being long term and they/us will need to integrate into Swiss life so I'm not looking for English speaking playgroups/activities although maybe a couple a week would be great to counterbalance the frustrations of not being able to speak the language but we wish to immerse ourselves/kids in the language to help them longterm as much as possible.
Does anyone have info/links to clubs such as: soccer/touch rugby/dancing/yoga/swimming/skiing/gymnastics etc etc anything for this age group would be considered! They are very active! Or is it more a case of meeting people at the local park and hooking up on playdates etc?
Your daughter will be able to attend a Spielgruppe. They run once or twice a week for 2-3 hours in the morning or afternoon and are generally available in pretty much every village/city. Your community office (Gemeinde) will be able to let you know where they are located and who to contact.
Another option is a Krippe or Kindertagesstätte, (daycare centre) some do take kids for half days, they tend to be more expensive than a Spielgruppe, but you can send the kids for more than just a couple of hours.
As for activities, most communities have a Turnverein (Gym club) that offer parent and child sports/gymnastics classes for the little ones, and on-their-own classes for the older kids. They are great and inexpensive. The sports offered depend on the community. Most pools offer swimming lessons. Again the Gemeinde office will be able to give you information on all that is available.
There is a really nice book and website called 1001 Ausflugsziele http://www.1001.ch it offers lots and lots of great suggestions for day trips.
I know it'll depend on the kinderkrippe - but what sort of price (approximately) would I be looking at for 7/8am - 1pm for our daughter and are there any that would pick up the boys from Kindy and take them until 1pm? Any sort of rough idea would be great.
Also, what sort of cost are spielgruppen for example? Again, I know it'll depend on the town/village/city but just trying to work out an approximate cost of living without any nasty surprises i've not factored in.
I read websites saying that most mums stay at home to look after the children as childcare is really expensive so maybe I'll have to put studies on hold. eek.
I work in a Krippe and we charge 75.-Chfs for a half day, there is a minimum of two half days per week.
Most Kindergarten kids here walk home by themselves if it is in walking distance and traffic/sidewalks allow it, so if the Krippe is in walking distance from the Kindergarten they would not be picked up, but some do offer care for lunch time. Also ask about Tageshort or Mittagstisch, this is what school aged care is called.
Another alternative might be a Tagesmutter, which is basically a family daycare person, you can usually find them through a Tagesmutterverein. This is someone who offers care in their home. Again, the Gemeinde could help you find the appropriate Verein. Costs for a Tagesmutter run around 10-12.- Chfs per hour per child.
Costs for Spielgruppen vary wildly depending on how they are financed, you are looking at 50-100 Chfs a month.