Policies:
Minimum Attendance:
    Children aged up to 4 years: 4 half days or 3 short days.

Notice Periods:
    We make every effort to help parents who need to increase or decrease
    attendance, but as a non-profit organisation we request parents observe the notice
    periods in the childcare contract and pay for booked sessions to the end of the
    respective notice period.

Punctuality:
    We maintain a well-organised environment thanks to the efforts made by all
    parents to arrive and pick-up punctually. With your co-operation, every child gets
    the quality of service they deserve.

Booked Sessions:
    All sessions booked are payable, regardless of holidays and illnesses. A large
    proportion of our costs are fixed so in order to maintain a high staff-child ratio the
    fee payments must be paid regularly, in advance.

Language Policy:
    Children whose main language is English at home will gain the full benefit of the
    early Years Curriculum. They prepare for entry to international and English-
    speaking schools in our care. Our weekly German sessions teach them some basic
    High German.

    Children who speak two or more languages at home must have English as a home
    language to qualify for entry to the pre-school at Englischviertelstrasse.

    Nursery age children must have lived in an English environment or had an English-
    speaking parent or carer to qualify for a place.

    We accept on average two children per year (one full-time equivalent place)
    without English as a home language. Parents are recommended to think about their
    future school language before applying for this place.

Siblings:
    Siblings have priority for entry once they reach 2 years 8 months of age and
    provided they already speak English (or have English as a home language).

    Younger siblings including those learning other languages have priority for a full-
    time place until they are 2. As babies are extremely receptive to languages, we aim
    to contribute to their learning of English if a place is available at Children First
    while they are very young.

    As research shows that children learn second and third languages by reference to
    their first language, we encourage parents to continue to develop their child's
    home language, supplemented rather than replaced by English.
© Children First Association

Children First Association
Freiestrasse 175, 8032 Zürich
044 252 9121