well if the place is full it has about 30 kids and 8 staff. the staff pay 100 each a month for the food that the kids share, there may be another small reserve if necessary.
its surprising that it lets itself down in these small, stupid, basic ways when it could be taking over the world in a really good way.

I've also found this message. I think they must be kidding with it. They are looking for a "super-nanny" who supervises and educates the child, cooks, irons and cleans the "small 160 square meter house" .... even does the shopping. Unbelievable!!! That is a slave what they are looking for, not a nanny!!

Unforutnately my figures were from the time, when the staff didn't contribute.

Wonder why the owner of a fabulous, top class daycare needs a nanny!
Is there a hint in there somewhere for the other mothers?
Just saying.

My child has been attending GG for 6 months now and after seeing many other Swiss nurseries/krippes/whatever you call them, GG was the best for us.

The teachers are respectful, don't show up at work covered in multiple piercings, & are genuinely engaged in the child's learning too. I am provided a daily report on paper every-single-day that outlines what my child ate, how long their nap time was, what activities they did on the day and any additional info that might be useful to me as the parent. All the other places had no process in place to communicate to me about my child unless I asked.

My child could count to 10 at 2 yo, knows all their colors, is learning the alphabet, has learned so much socially, loves to attend the dance/sing class, talks about all their friends at school all the time.

They go outside every day to the park, they take field trips, etc.

The toys are all wood and lovely. They have a huge selection of books and many other things.

In the 6 mo my child has been there, all the teachers have remained the same and have all been excellent.

Overall, I could not ask for a better preschool for my child. They are receiving excellent care and learning. The uniforms are a bit silly for such young kids, but we don't care. Makes getting ready for the day easier. Overall, we are extremely pleased with our decision and price wise, they were in-line with many other schools in the area, expensive but so is everybody else.

Globegarden changed some bullet points on website. One year ago, when I signed they promised, this is just a small part of it:

Our concept is bilingual - which means, we have at least two teachers on
each group. One speaks in English with the children and the other one in
German. Furthermore assistances support the groups, so we can ensure that the ratio of teachers to children is always above average. The groups are furthermore supported by art, music, drama and dance teachers who teach our talent program and work with the children daily during the week. We believe it is important to train child's abilities and their individual ways.
We ensure individual nourishment like this and the discovering of many of the children's talents.
On the other hand we try to focus not only on flexibility and individuality
for the children but also the families. We therefore offer long opening
hours from 7am to 9pm on almost 365 days a year, only closing on public
holidays and between the 24th of December and the 2nd of January. You, as a family can take 5 weeks of vacation at any time during the year (as we have no summer or spring closings) and you get these costs refunded in total (monthly fees already show this deduction in our tuition fee excel tool). So you don't ever again have to worry about summer programs or holiday clubs at an additional cost. Participation in mummy/daddy lunches under the week is one of our many features to ensure that you to spend as much time as possible with your child next to your every day work life and demands.

This is just one small part of promises that they are not keeping. Sometimes there is nobody who is able to talk English, and I never received refund while we were on vacations.
Main "target" for GG management are companies and parents that dont care about costs, as it will be paid from company. My feeling after being in GG for 1 year that they play on card that we simply dont have another option, very ignorant and rude. I am talking only about management, as girls that are working are very nice with babies, and my baby is happy. But it is simply bitter knowing that something else was promised and agreed.

Unfortunately, I'm one more parent who isn't happy with the place in terms of

- cleanness
- food

Whenever I pick up my daugther they get the same (tasteless rice waffel and carrotts).

What I also dislike that often they don't go out. The whole day they spend indoors, though it's not even raining!?

The toilet area looks always very dirty but how should staff clean it several times a day if they got 16 kids to watch with only 2 teachers?.....

The teachers are kind and we like them.

I'm already looking for a new place.

I am truly concerned that parents are not aware of the safety risks to which their children are exposed in some nurseries here. In the UK we have OFSTED who regulate childcare institutions and act immediately when a childcare centre falls short in compliance to childcare regulations. There is no such governing body in Switzerland and regulation on Health & Safety in the nursery environment is very basic.

I have been living in Switzerland for many years, have kids and have first hand experience as both a mum and childcare professional into childcare here.

I would urge all parents to check out who is actually looking after their children during nursery hours. There are currently children and babies at risk as some institutions are knowingly ignoring the legal requirements for group sizes and staff:child ratios. Typically they will have 9-12 babies with a praktikant or at most one group leader plus praktikant. Amongst childcare professionals it is known which nurseries are taking these risks with our children.
The social departments of Kanton Zug or Zurich do not allow more than 6 babies (3 - 18 months) in a baby group. In addition there must be two qualified staff present ( 1 per 3 babies). Qualified means that their childcare qualifications are recognized and accepted by the Swiss authorities and at a minimum have completed their education in childcare, holding a childcare diploma / degree.

Some of these institutions have been reported to the authorities by staff and parents recently. However they are still operating while being investigated.
There are plently of very caring, responsible childcare professionals and childcare companies here where the children and their safety do come first . In my experience the authorities are also trying to ensure good care and safe environments but do not have enough staff to manage the growing number of nurseries in the last two years and do not have a regulatory body like OFSTED for support.

I suggest that parents ask for the shift plan, do check the staff turnover and ask the staff if they are Praktikants, Apprentices or qualified staff.

This is my first post on English Forum, sorry if it sounds grim, but I suspect it might be of concern to many english forum members. As a childcare professional, I want to protect children at risk. In a good nursery with caring professionals and owners, kids thrive.

Hi,
I am quite new here, but seeing all the negative publicity on GG (unexpected for me really) decided to post my humble opinion in support of ZurichSwissMiss. Our son goes to GG in Basel for 4 months now and I agree with ZurichSwissMiss - cannot ask more from a kindergarten. Our kid just loves it, the care he receives is great, overall can't complain. I guess then every city location is different. My advice is for every parent to check for themselves, do not simply rely on forum opinions - if I have done that, probably I would not have dared to let my kid go to GG.
Good luck to everyone looking for a kindergarten place!