Northern Switzerland Solothurn wants to introduce vouchers for childcare from 2026
In future, supplementary childcare in the canton of Solothurn is to be co-financed by the canton and all municipalities via childcare vouchers. On Tuesday, the cantonal government presented its draft amendment to the Social Welfare Act, which will be decided on by the cantonal council.
The support provided by the municipalities and canton is intended to relieve the burden on families, increase labor force participation, counteract the shortage of skilled workers and increase the attractiveness of the canton of Solothurn as a business location, writes the State Chancellery in a press release.
The new model with childcare vouchers is set to come into force from August 2026. How exactly the offer is structured will remain the responsibility of the municipalities in the future. They will be able to choose a suitable option within the cantonal framework.
Parents will now receive contributions for daycare centers, daycare structures and daycare families. The lower the income, the higher the state support will be. According to the draft law, families with an income of less than CHF 40,000 or CHF 50,000 will receive the highest contributions.
Depending on the variant chosen by the municipality, around 90 percent of families should benefit from support, it was reported. The upper limit can be set by the municipalities at between 120,000 and 160,000 francs.
Parents continue to pay most of the costs themselves
The annual costs for the canton are estimated at up to CHF 4.6 million. This includes the additional costs for the care of children with disabilities. In future, their parents will pay the same rates as the parents of non-disabled children. At up to 19.5 million francs, parents would continue to bear the lion's share of the costs themselves.
The cost to the municipalities would rise to between CHF 11.8 and 15.5 million. At the moment, support for supplementary childcare services is still voluntary for the municipalities.
SDA
