| Re: Childcare and Schooling in Switzerland
I would suggest you find a good playgroup (spielgruppe) - there are English and German / Swiss-German groups around...even Spanish ones...
I know it's hard to get out there and find things when you speak a foreign language, and you have a very demanding toddler to look after...but it will be worth the effort...
If there is a speech delay for your child, the first thing is to check the hearing, and do a medical history, and then, expose your child to as much good-quality example as possible. The TV is not enough for language - in fact, TV time takes away from 'real' communication time...
Instead, go out each day, find things to do - play at the park, talk to people at the shop, meet all your local shopkeepers...say "Hi' and I'm sure you will find some who speak english, or will take time to talk to your child in the local language...
BTW, my training (child development) would say that your assessment from the hospital is correct. Having more than 1 language does not cause a delay....at the most 1 month.... so if your child needs speech therapy, it will be because of hearing problems, or processing problems with the brain or mouth, or because your child is choosing not to speak...not because it's German/Spanish/English....
If your child has a speech delay, I would not recommend a large, noisy Krippe/Kita. They need somewhere that they get clearly understood, good quality language examples, and enough time to hear and understand what is going on - if they have any sort of hearing problem, then being in a busy and noisy environment won't help - but for the social aspect (and it sounds like you suspect there is more than just language issues) - then a good quality preschool would be good.
What preschools have you tried ? Are you prepared to travel further than Uster ? Places you could ask would be your local doctor, the local library (and they usually have fun activities planned for kids), the community centre (GemeinschaftZentrum), even your local pharmacy, will know what is available in the local area - playgroups, music, art, craft, story time...
Good Luck!
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