Good practice

Suiza – Programa Federal de Ayudas a Guarderías — Financiación de Cuidado Infantil Extrafamiliar (2003–2026)

Switzerland · Bern · See the Switzerland profile

El programa federal suizo de subvenciones a guarderías (desde 2003) cofinancio ~63.000 nuevas plazas extrafamiliares hasta 2020, ayudando — principalmente a madres — a conciliar trabajo y familia. Prorrogado hasta 2026; el Consejo Federal prepara una ley permanente.

~63,000

Nuevas plazas de cuidado infantil cofinanciadas (2003-January 2020)

~100,000 across ~3,200 facilities

Total nacional de plazas de cuidado infantil (2020)

Details

Maturity: Established
Promoter: Federal Social Insurance Office (BSV / OFAS)
Period: 2003–present
Keywords: government, early childhood education, social policy

Context

La Ley Federal suiza sobre Ayudas Financieras al Cuidado de Menores fuera del Entorno Familiar (en vigor desde el 1 de febrero de 2003) concede subvenciones iniciales a cantones, municipios y organizaciones sin ánimo de lucro para crear plazas de cuidado infantil reguladas, partiendo de la premisa explícita de que el coste inasequible del cuidado infantil es la principal barrera estructural a la participación de las madres en el mercado laboral.

Results

Entre 2003 y enero de 2020, el programa cofinanció aproximadamente 63,000 nuevas plazas de cuidado infantil, contribuyendo a un total nacional de alrededor de 100,000 plazas en unos 3,200 centros. Un estudio revisado por pares, basado en un experimento natural que aprovechó la variación cantonal en la oferta de cuidado infantil, encontró que una mayor disponibilidad de cuidado infantil aumenta significativamente las horas de empleo remunerado de las madres, aportando evidencia causal que vincula los resultados del programa con avances en igualdad de género.

Conclusions

El programa se ha prorrogado tres veces, la más reciente hasta el 31 de diciembre de 2026, y el Consejo Federal está redactando una ley permanente que lo sustituya; el 58% de las mujeres suizas empleadas todavía trabaja a tiempo parcial (2023).

Implementation

Implementation detail (cost, timeline, staffing, conditions for success) is not yet available for this practice.

Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

C-NAPSE web research — accessed 2026-06-23
Federal Social Insurance Office (BSV / OFAS) — accessed 2026-06-23
BSV — Financial Support for Childcare — accessed 2026-06-23
SWI swissinfo — Swiss parliament approves childcare allowance — accessed 2026-06-23
PMC 6214297 — Childcare and maternal employment: natural experiment in Swiss cantons — accessed 2026-06-23
Eurydice — Early childhood education and care funding in Switzerland — accessed 2026-06-23

Quality score: 85/100

How is this calculated?

Evidence: Quasi-experimental

Top 22% in this catalogue (719 scored practices)

Scores cluster high, so position within the catalogue is often more telling than the number alone.

Evaluation

Evaluated by C-NAPSE

Score profile — the dimensions behind the score — how it's computed

Transferability / replicability2/3

Federal start-up grant models for childcare exist in Austria, Germany and other OECD countries; Swiss design and BSV eligibility criteria are publicly documented and replicable.

Impact on gender equality1/1

~63,000 new regulated care places co-funded 2003–2020 (BSV); cantonal natural-experiment research (PMC 6214297) causally links childcare expansion to increased maternal employment hours.

Effectiveness1/1

Continuously operational for 20+ years and extended three times, consistently absorbing available grants each cycle.

Efficiency1/1

Start-up grants leverage cantonal and communal co-investment; federal contribution covers part of establishment costs, multiplying public expenditure impact.

Evaluated outcomes1/1

Peer-reviewed cantonal natural-experiment study (Bettendorf et al., PMC 6214297) provides causal evidence linking Swiss childcare supply expansion to gender employment outcomes.

Sustainability1/1

Active and extended to 2026; Federal Council drafting a permanent replacement law to institutionalise support.

Achievement / evidence1/1

~63,000 new places 2003–2020 (BSV); total regulated supply reached ~100,000 places across ~3,200 facilities by 2020.

Gender-mainstreaming embedding1/1

Reducing childcare gaps is explicitly framed as a work-family reconciliation and gender equality measure in the legal preamble and national equality strategy.

Curator validation0/1

Awaiting curator review.

Cite this

Evidoria. Suiza – Programa Federal de Ayudas a Guarderías — Financiación de Cuidado Infantil Extrafamiliar (2003–2026). Persistent ID: fb807710-29f7-4a83-856a-d494c8a6c358.

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