English-Speaking Daycare in Zurich: Where It Is, and What It Costs

Of the 3,171 childcare places on our Swiss map, 36 are confirmed to work in English. Thirteen of them are in the city of Zurich and six more in the rest of the canton. In the city, a subsidised Kita place costs a parent between CHF 12 and CHF 120 a day, depending on a contribution factor the city sets for the household; the city subsidises up to 240 days a year for children aged 0 to 4. Not every Kita offers subsidised places, so ask before you sign.

Most parents arriving in Zurich ask the same two questions in their first week: is there a Kita near us that works in English, and what will it cost? Here are both answers, from our map and from the city's own pages.

The English-speaking Kitas in Zurich

Our Kita map plots 3,171 childcare places across all 26 cantons. Of those, 36 are confirmed to work in English, from what each place says on its own website. Others may work in English too; these are the ones we could confirm. Some are bilingual rather than English only, so ask how the day is split.

In the city of Zurich (13)

• Bilinguale Kinderkrippe Blüemli
• Children First
• Joey Kinderkrippe
• KiddieLand
• Kita Spielhuus Elefant
• Wings School
• globegarden, seven locations: Alfred-Escher, Friedensgasse, Münchhalden, Seldwyla, Stadelhofen, Talacker and Thurgauerstrasse

In the rest of the canton (6)

• Horgen: Shining Stars Two
• Thalwil: Froschkönig
• Uster: globegarden Stadtpark
• Wädenswil: globegarden Wädenswil
• Winterthur: globegarden Archhöfe and globegarden Trollstrasse

The list is alphabetical and is not a recommendation. Open the map and switch on the English filter to see each place with its address and website.

What a Kita costs in the city

The city of Zurich subsidises Kita places for children aged 0 to 4. For a subsidised place, a parent pays at most CHF 120 and at least CHF 12 a day; the city pays the difference. Where you land depends on a contribution factor the city sets for your household. The city's own examples: at a factor of 50 percent a parent pays CHF 66 a day, at 75 percent CHF 93.

The subsidy covers a basic offer of up to 240 opening days a year and 11.5 opening hours a day. A Kita may charge extra for anything beyond that, and it decides for itself whether it offers subsidised places at all. Places without a subsidy are priced by each Kita.

How to get the subsidy

• The city subsidises a set number of days a week, the subsidised care scope. It is based on reasons such as employment, education, job seeking, volunteering, health relief for a parent, or language and social integration.
• Have that scope confirmed first, then request your contribution factor online from the city.
• Choose a Kita that has a contract with the city's Social Department, because only those can bill a subsidised place. Ask each English-speaking Kita directly whether it has a subsidised place free.
• Questions go to the city's Sozialdepartement, Team Elternbeiträge.

Ask two things on the first call: is there a subsidised place, and how much of the day is in English?

Before you sign

• Waiting lists are common, and no official source publishes waiting times for Zurich. Contact several places early, ideally before you move.
• Check the notice period and what happens in the summer and Christmas closures.
• Ask whether meals, nappies and settling-in days are included in the day rate.
• From about age four, the Swiss school system takes over with kindergarten. Our fact sheet on schools and childcare explains the steps.

Map data checked on 1 September 2026; the city's subsidy rules checked on stadt-zuerich.ch on 17 October 2026 (Betreuungskosten und Subventionen, Grundangebot, Berechnungsbeispiele). Outside the city, each commune in the canton sets its own subsidy rules.

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