Demand for childcare on the rise

The demand for supplementary childcare services for families and schools has increased significantly since 2005. The offer of services during the school holidays, for example, is popular.

The need for childcare in the canton of Zug is increasing, according to a report by the Department of Home Affairs. From 2005, the number of places in the canton has risen from around 1,600 to a good 5,000 full-time places, according to a report in the Childcare (Kinderbetreuung) Monitoring Report 2022. This corresponds to an increase of around 210%.

The childcare rate - i.e. the number of children cared for in relation to the total number - is 43% in the pre-school sector and 35% in the school sector in the canton of Zug. This "significant increase" shows the importance of supplementary childcare for families and schools, as government councillor Andreas Hostettler is quoted as saying: "The expansion of services is not only central for the population of Zug, but also for the economy."

Places for infants are particularly popular
Lunchtime care and places for babies are particularly in demand: according to the statement, the demand for infant places dominates the waiting lists. Childcare during the school holidays also remains an important issue. Every municipality in Zug offered childcare in 2022, while the average occupancy rate at the day-care centres is 72%.

At the same time, there is a shortage of skilled workers in the childcare sector - at least one position could not be filled in about one in three facilities in 2021, according to the statement.

The Zug municipalities co-financed childcare in 2021 with more than CHF 16 million: on average, CHF 958 was spent per child aged 0-12. In the case of day-care centres, the trend is moving in the direction of childcare vouchers, which allow parents to use childcare places at reduced rates.

The vouchers thereby go directly to the parents, who can decide for themselves which facility they choose for care. "The compatibility of work and family should not be a question of income, but must be possible for all sections of the population," says Andreas Hostettler.