Terms & Conditions

Enrollment

Children - 3 months and older - may be enrolled in our “KiTa Märliwält” day-care center by completing and submitting the application form. This submission reserves a place on our waiting list only. A binding reservation will require a contract that needs to be signed by the parent(s) and the “KiTa Märliwält” management.

A ‘familiarization’ phase is possible at any point, provided there are free spaces available. Entry dates are predominantly at the beginning of each month. We recommend that a child spends at least 2 days per week in our day-care center (but of course we also take children in for one day) and we encourage that the agreed-upon ‘caring days’ remain the same each week. Due to staff planning and capacity limitations, we will not be able to accommodate all last-minute scheduling changes, so please call us to review the current situation.

Please note that we welcome all children, irrespective of race, ethnicity, national origin or religion.

Opening hours

“Kita Märliwält” is open from Monday to Friday, from 7:00 a.m. to 6:30p.m. The day-care center is closed on public holidays and between Christmas and New Year.

Please note the day-care center closes at 4:00 p.m. on the days prior to Ascension Day, Good Friday and Christmas. Please have a detailed look at a yearly calendar.

Our company holidays are aligned with the City of Zurich school holiday schedule i.e. we are closed the last week in July and first week in August.

The day-care center closes at 1:00 p.m. on “Knabenschiessen monday” and on “Sächsilüüte”.

Rates for Non-Subsidized Families:

Whole day / children 19 months and older CHF 129.00

Whole day / toddler up to 18 months CHF 149.00

The costs are cleared via a monthly flat rate. We calculate an additional CHF 20.00 for toddlers due to the additional supervision required and expenditures. The sibling discount is 10 % of the regular monthly fee, the first child pays the full rate. We are not able to offer a reduction in the event of illness or an accident of either a child or a parent.

The monthly rate is calculated as follows:

Example:

Daily rate (CHF 129.00) x Child (1) x Days (2) x 4 weeks per month = CHF 1’032

Daily rate (CHF 149.00) x Child (1) x Days (2) x 4 weeks per month = CHF 1’192

Payment terms

Signing the care contract binds the parent(s) to punctual payment. The monthly rate must be paid upfront for the agreed amount of care days (as per contract).

Additional days are added to the next statement. The daycare management is not obliged to accommodate children if there is a payment delay of more than 14 days.

Familiarization Period

The familiarization period consists of 4 days and spans over approximately 2 weeks. Parents should keep in mind that this process could take longer, depending on how the child adapts. During this time frame, a carer is specifically assigned to support the child. Parents are always especially advised during this period, to be accessible and flexible to collect the child (if needed).

Over the course of the 2-week familiarization period, the times in the day-care center will be increased gradually. When the child feels comfortable and we can determine that it is ready to be fully integrated for an entire day, then the familiarization phase ends.

The acclimatization will be charged with a lump sum of CHF 300.00. If the acclimatization takes longer or if the legal guardians want a slower acclimatization, the additional appointments will be charged at CHF 15.00 per hour.

For subsidized families, the first day of acclimatization is the day of entry and the subsidized parental contribution will be charged from this day.

Deposit

We request a deposit of CHF 500.00 upon the signing of the contract, to be paid with the first monthly installment. This deposit will be refunded upon a timely contract termination.

Withdrawal, Cancellation, Modifications

Both parties can - respecting the 3 months cancellation period - cancel the contract starting from the first day of the child’s entry into the day-care center. The cancellation must be communicated to a day-care management member, ideally in writing. An increase or reduction of care days must be communicated in writing one month in advance. In the unlikely event that a child will not be able to join the day-care center (after contract signing) a notice period of one month will apply. The custody account is charged as a turnover fee.

Drop-off and collection times

Drop-off times: 07:00 – 09:00
Collection times: 16:00 – 18:15

Your child(ren) can only be collected by persons known to us. If the child is collected by another person, this must to be communicated to our management or our trained staff member. We strongly advise that this person is able to identify themselves officially. In case of non-compliance of the collection times, we will charge CHF 20.00 per 15 mins waiting time. Please inform our team if your child needs to be collected earlier or later due to a special occasion. This will require specific planning and should be communicated well in advance.

When bringing or collecting your child, we kindly ask all parents to keep their heart-felt hello’s and goodbye’s “short and sweet” as the emotional ‘comings and goings’ can sometimes be disrupting or even upsetting for the ‘little ones’. (5 – 10 mins would be ideal).

Sickness or Accident

In the event of illness or accident, the child must please be kept at home. Our day-care team must be informed by 09:00 latest (or preferably the evening before), for planning purposes. If your child develops a temperature of 38.5°C, you will be contacted immediately and requested to collect your child. We strongly recommend all parents to keep their child at home an extra ‘fever-free’ day before bringing it to the day-care center again.

Missed days due to sickness, holidays or other absence cannot be reimbursed or accredited.

If an accident or sickness occurs during a daycare stay our regulations of the security concept apply.

Nutrition

Children will receive well-balanced and nutritious meals according to their age. We pay attention to seasonal and biological offers. We also adapt our meals regularly and agree or discuss this with the parents.
Food and beverages are included in the monthly fee.

Clothing and Personal Belongings

Children should wear comfortable clothing. We request you to provide nappies, slippers a toothbrush, spare clothes, drinking bottles and if necessary, dummies. Depending on the current weather conditions, they will also require rubber boots, a rain or winter jackets, etc.

Babies/toddlers – please ensure you provide is with the preferred milk powder and baby bottles. General ‘care products’ such as soap, powders and creams are available in the daycare. The personal belongings of each child must be clearly/permanently marked with the child’s name and can be left in the day-care center if needed.

Insurance

Personal accident, sickness and liability insurance is a matter of the parent(s). The “KiTa Märliwält” facilities are insured by the AXA Winterthur insurance.

Communication

We like to use the mornings and evenings to share important information and news about your child’s day, experiences and other general happenings.

Should you wish to talk to us at another time, please contact us (Kita Wiedikon: +41 44 512 59 66 / Kita Oerlikon: +41 44 599 99 71) or send us an e-mail to info@kita-maerliwelt.ch / angela@kita-maerliwelt.ch

Zürich, June 2023

Terms & Conditions​