My husband and I are considering relocating to Switzerland, likely Basel, with our young kids and I have a question about the schooling system. I understand that many of the cantons, including Basel-Landschaft and Basel-Stadt, require 2 years of kindergarten from the age of about 4.5.
We would likely be arriving next summer and my son will have just turned 4 by the cut-off date at the end of July, which means he would be expected to start kindergarten that fall. So my question is, is there any flexibility in the start age, particularly in cases where the child doesn't speak German (my son speaks English and Italian)? I know that kids pick up language quickly at that age, but I'm wondering if the schools will consider letting the child wait a year and start at age 5. Or is the starting age of 4 usually strictly implemented?
For getting started learning the language... kindergarten is really an excellent opportunity. Many children do just that, and the kindergarten teachers are well prepared for exactly this language transition. There are other threads on this forum about it.
Do you see some other reason, such as a health or development issue, which makes you want to delay your child's start for a year?
You're right, I had read about special help in kindergarten for non-native speakers (and also about a recommendation for 6 months of German-speaking playgroup before kindergarten) and that's really encouraging.
My question does extend a bit beyond the language issue, in the sense that my son is extremely timid and I've always hoped for a gradual start to kindergarten. I think the 4 mornings + 1 afternoon per week that I've read is standard in Basel would be too much for him, especially after a move to a new country. So that's the other reason I'm wondering if they'll typically consider a delayed start.
AFAIK, you are allowed to choose if you wish your child to begin a year later:5 years of age. We were given that option in Zurich. However, every Gemeinde/Kanton may be different.
Best to ring up a Gemeinde in Basel, where you think you might live, and ask.
Yes. And in that case, the question could perhaps not simply be about delaying, but about what help and advice there might be for both issues: the language and the timidity.
Is your son already in some kind of playgroup or daycare where you are now? It might be a good idea, if he isn't, to enrol him into a local one for a couple of days or mornings a week to sort of get him into the swing of a group environment. That way, one of the "shocks" he gets when moving to a new country, learning a new language, starting formal education, etc., will be slightly dulled.
I noticed when my son started kindergarten, the kids that freaked out for the first few days (or weeks!) were the kids which hadn't had any kind of exposure to playgroups or daycares. My own son had been in nursery and took to the new set up with very few problems.
Start age is three in Ticino, and you can't delay it, in fact if you turn 3 after the start of the school year, you start the day after your third birthday.
My daughter started in November because of this, with no local language knowledge.
In Baselland you can delay, if the child is born within 15 days of the cut-off date.
Baselstadt is a bit more flexible, and you can apply for the child to delay, if you have vaild reasons for believing he/she is not ready. In your son's case this would probably apply. At a Spielgruppe (playgroup) he could ease into the transition and language.
Thanks for the reply. Yes, I take my son to playgroups here in Italy (he's Canadian-Italian, hence his fluency in English and Italian) and he's slowly warming up to the other kids. If we do end up relocating to Basel, I'd love to continue the playgroup arrangement in a German-speaking setting then enrol him in kindergarten the following year. From the other responses it seems like this might be possible, at least in Baselstadt.
By "next summer", I take it you mean the start of the school year in August 2018. If I've understood you correctly, then oh, you have a lot of time to help your child develop social skills and confidence. Children aquire new abilities so fast, given the right environment.
Although I commend you in starting to think things through, now, I'd like to encourage you... there is a lot of room for the little lad to grow, to become more used to interacting, to find out how to feel less timid, especially as you have - wisely - already started him off in a play-group. Well done for that. Perhaps you could slowly increase the number of days per week or hours per day that he spends there (or in some other social setting with peers and without you) over the coming year.
sending you this link in case you are interested in future. It is a bilingual german italian school in Basel, part funded by the italian government. I have no connection with the school but know about it.
However if I were you, I would just start Kindergarten. Its the easiest way to learn the language, make friends etc. and I would say that Swiss kindergarten is very 'playful' compared to some other countries. Honestly I think (the idea of sending him immediately) its tougher on you than for the kid who will just have a fun time there. If a delayed start is really important for you check with the Gemeinde first before you're moving somewhere. Then try to visit the school in question before you make a final decision to delay or start anyway.
My daughter is just coming to the end of her first year of KG and when she started barely spoke a word of German. The change is amazing! She has had separate German (DaZ) lessons with a couple of others whose second language is German. When she started she gravitated towards the children who could understand some English but now is happy to play with anyone. We're in the middle of nowhere, so I imagine around Basel the chances of another child understanding or speaking English is quite high.
Starting full time depends on the KG. Ours encourages a 4 morning start with the aim that by the end of the first year they do 5 mornings and one afternoon. At the KG of a friends child the reduced hours are that they can start at 9 every day instead of 815. And at another I know of, they have to start full time but can drop down if the teacher feels it necessary.
There is the possibility to hold back. One child at our KG has been held back, birthday in May, and his mum told me it's because she thinks the school leaving age is too low and she thinks her son should be older before having to decide on his career path. She's also planning to hold back her daughter who should be starting this year (and the girl is desperate to start!)
It's also possible for a child to do three years KG, or do the first two years of school in three years if they're worried about German level. I don't think this is an option if you hold back pre-KG, but I'm ready to be corrected on that.