Childcare & Daycare Centers Switzerland: 3.5–6× EBITDA, 4,689 Firms (2026)

1.0Market Snapshot

4,689: Day-care providers for children (Kitas, crèches and after-school care) in 2024 (BFS STATENT, NOGA 88.91), down from a peak of 4,760 in 2022.
49,721: Employees in child day care in 2024 (BFS STATENT), 31,587 full-time equivalents; 82.0% more than in 2011. Women hold 90.4% of the jobs.
+14.0%: Growth in child day-care employment from 2020 to 2024 (BFS STATENT), while the number of providers fell slightly: providers are getting larger.

According to Val Index analysis of Swiss commercial-register and federal data (2026), Switzerland counts 4,689 childcare & daycare centers companies — Day-care providers for children (Kitas, crèches and after-school care) in 2024 (BFS STATENT, NOGA 88.91), down from a peak of 4,760 in 2022..

2.0Industry Overview

Market Scope

Child day care is one of Switzerland's fastest-growing service sectors by employment. BFS counted 4,689 providers of Kitas, crèches and after-school care with 49,721 employees in 2024 (STATENT, NOGA 88.91), 82.0% more employees than in 2011 and 14.0% more than in 2020. The number of providers has stopped growing (4,760 in 2022), so the growth now comes from larger centres: full-time staff per provider rose from 4.1 in 2011 to 6.7 in 2024. Western Switzerland stands out, with 39.4% of the sector's employees but only 17.2% of its providers, because many communes there run large municipal crèche and after-school networks.

3.0Industry Health Check (SWOT)

Internal factors

Strengths4

Strong, policy-backed demand from working parents

Weaknesses4

Labour-intensive, with thin margins→ §5.0

External factors

Opportunities4

New federal care allowance for parents→ §4.0

Threats4

Gap between the end of federal start-up aid and the new law→ §4.0

Sector Outlook

DefensiveBalancedGrowth

4.0Key Trends

New federal childcare law

CHF 100

Parliament adopted the UKibeG on 19 December 2025: a care allowance of at least CHF 100 a month per weekly day of care, paid through family allowances, plus CHF 100 million of programme agreements over four years (BSV).

Start-up aid ends

CHF 514 million

The federal financial aid for new places ends on 31 December 2026, after supporting 82,283 places with CHF 514 million since 2003 (BSV).

Larger providers

Full-time staff per provider rose from 4.1 in 2011 to 6.7 in 2024, while the number of providers fell from 4,760 in 2022 to 4,689 (BFS STATENT).

Networks take over Kitas

The St. Anna foundation in Lucerne handed its Kita to pop e poppa on 1 January 2026 after a public tender, choosing the largest Swiss childcare network (St. Anna Stiftung).

Employment keeps rising

82.0%

Child day care employed 49,721 people in 2024, 82.0% more than in 2011 (BFS STATENT).

5.0Cost Structure Benchmark

70%

12%

Personnel70%
Rent and premises12%
Food and materials6%
Overheads and other7%
EBITDA margin5%

Indicative split for a Swiss Kita, not a measured figure. Personnel dominates because cantons set minimum staff-to-child ratios and qualifications.

6.0Top Childcare & Daycare Centers Companies in Switzerland

Name	Location	Key Facts
pop e poppa (La Maison Bleue)CHE-410.665.278	Fribourg FR	pop e poppa daycare sàrl: holding company of the pop e poppa network, registered in Fribourg; it has absorbed Kitas in Bern, Ostermundigen, Münchenbuchsee, Zurich-Altstetten, Pfäffikon, Geneva-Champel and western Lausanne. Founded in Vaud in 2003 and part of La Maison Bleue, pop e poppa runs more than 80 centres in eight cantons with about 1,500 staff.
globegardenCHE-116.186.543	Zürich ZH	globegarden gmbh: non-profit operator of crèches, after-school care and day schools registered in Zurich; it has absorbed its Basel, Schaffhausen and Zug companies and Red EduCare and Wild.Kind. It reports more than 80 sites, 4,000 families and 1,000 staff.
profawoCHE-108.687.369	Bern BE	profawo: association registered in Bern, with branches in Zurich, Basel and Lausanne, that finds and arranges childcare places for employers and their staff.
Stiftung GFZ (Gemeinnützige Frauen Zürich)CHE-407.332.066	Zürich ZH	Stiftung GFZ (Gemeinnützige Frauen Zürich): Zurich non-profit foundation that creates and runs services for families, children and young people.

pop e poppa (La Maison Bleue)

CHE-410.665.278

Fribourg FR

pop e poppa daycare sàrl: holding company of the pop e poppa network, registered in Fribourg; it has absorbed Kitas in Bern, Ostermundigen, Münchenbuchsee, Zurich-Altstetten, Pfäffikon, Geneva-Champel and western Lausanne. Founded in Vaud in 2003 and part of La Maison Bleue, pop e poppa runs more than 80 centres in eight cantons with about 1,500 staff.

globegarden

CHE-116.186.543

Zürich ZH

globegarden gmbh: non-profit operator of crèches, after-school care and day schools registered in Zurich; it has absorbed its Basel, Schaffhausen and Zug companies and Red EduCare and Wild.Kind. It reports more than 80 sites, 4,000 families and 1,000 staff.

profawo

CHE-108.687.369

Bern BE

profawo: association registered in Bern, with branches in Zurich, Basel and Lausanne, that finds and arranges childcare places for employers and their staff.

Stiftung GFZ (Gemeinnützige Frauen Zürich)

CHE-407.332.066

Zürich ZH

Stiftung GFZ (Gemeinnützige Frauen Zürich): Zurich non-profit foundation that creates and runs services for families, children and young people.

Companies are listed when they are confirmed in the commercial register, have a significant Swiss presence in this niche and at least one sourced fact.

7.0Succession & M&A Context

Networks absorb single Kitas

49,721: employees in child day care in 2024 (BFS STATENT)
82,283: new places supported by federal aid since 2003 (BSV)
CHF 100: minimum monthly care allowance per weekly care day under the UKibeG (BSV)
3.5–6.0×: EBITDA deal multiples (ValIndex multiples table)

Most Swiss Kitas are single sites run by associations, foundations, communes or their founders. When a founder retires or a foundation steps back, networks such as pop e poppa and globegarden take over, as the register entries of their absorbed local companies show. Buyers pay for occupancy and waiting lists, subsidy agreements with the commune, qualified staff, the lease and the cantonal licence, and discount for staff shortages, dependence on a single commune and unclear subsidy rules after the federal start-up aid ends in 2026. ValIndex's multiples table puts childcare at 3.5–6.0× EBITDA in transactions and 2.5–4.0× on statutory valuations.

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Valuation Snapshot

Childcare & Daycare Centers business valuation in Switzerland

Statutory Multiple (EBITDA): 2.5 - 4.0×
Deal Multiple (EBITDA): 3.5 - 6.0×
Market Trend: Rising

Indicative ranges based on market research. Actual multiples vary by company size, growth, and market conditions.

8.0Regional Clusters

Western Switzerland

VDGEFRVSNEJU

807 providers with 19,579 employees in 2024 (BFS STATENT), 39.4% of the national workforce and 24 employees per provider; Vaud alone has 8,788 employees and Geneva 5,439.

Zurich

1,061 providers with 9,200 employees, the most providers of any canton; globegarden, GFZ and kihz are registered here.

Northwestern Switzerland

AGBLBS

884 providers with 6,528 employees; Aargau has 571 providers, Basel-Stadt fewer but larger ones (2,302 employees).

Bern and Solothurn

BESO

694 providers with 5,934 employees; profawo and several former pop e poppa companies are registered here.

Eastern Switzerland

SGTGGRSHARAIGL

670 providers with 3,867 employees, the smallest on average (5.8 per provider).

Central Switzerland

LUSZZGOWURNW

496 providers with 3,482 employees; pop e poppa took over a Kita in Lucerne in January 2026.

Ticino

77 providers with 1,131 employees (15 per provider).

Sources

BFS STATENT — institutional units, employees and FTE by NOGA type and canton, 2011–2024 (NOGA 88.91 day care for children)BSV — Bundesgesetz über die Unterstützung der institutionellen familienergänzenden Kinderbetreuung (UKibeG): final vote 19 December 2025, referendum period to 2 July 2026, care allowance and programme agreements Fedlex — UKibeG, text of the law as adopted (FGA 2026/718)BSV — Finanzhilfen für die Schaffung von Betreuungsplätzen (programme 1 February 2003 – 31 December 2026; subsidy caps per place)BSV — Aktuelle Informationen: Bilanz nach 23 Jahren (4,441 applications, 82,283 places, CHF 514 million)Swiss Parliament — Parliamentary initiative 21.403, Überführung der Anstossfinanzierung in eine zeitgemässe Lösung pop e poppa — Über uns (more than 80 centres in eight cantons, ~1,500 staff, part of La Maison Bleue)globegarden — Über uns (+80 sites, +4,000 families, +1,000 staff)St. Anna Stiftung Luzern — Trägerschaftswechsel bei der KiTa St. Anna: pop e poppa übernimmt per 2026 (2 July 2025)Zefix — Swiss Central Business Name Index (seats, former names and takeovers of pop e poppa daycare sàrl, globegarden gmbh, profawo and Stiftung GFZ)

Alain Walder, M.A. HSG · ValIndex|Data as of 2026-10|10 sources cited

9.0Frequently Asked Questions

▶How much is a childcare business worth in Switzerland?

ValIndex's multiples table puts Swiss childcare at 3.5–6.0× EBITDA in transactions and 2.5–4.0× EBITDA on statutory valuations. Multi-site networks with stable occupancy and subsidy agreements sit at the upper end; single Kitas run by their founder sit lower.

▶What drives the value of a Swiss Kita?

Buyers price: (1) occupancy and waiting lists; (2) subsidy agreements with the commune; (3) qualified staff and the ability to meet cantonal ratios; (4) the lease and premises; (5) the cantonal licence; (6) employer contracts for reserved places.

▶How big is the Swiss childcare sector?

BFS counted 4,689 child day-care providers with 49,721 employees (31,587 full-time equivalents) in 2024 (STATENT, NOGA 88.91). Employment has risen 82.0% since 2011.

▶Who are the main Swiss childcare operators?

The largest networks are pop e poppa (more than 80 centres in eight cantons, part of La Maison Bleue) and globegarden (more than 80 sites, mainly around Zurich). profawo arranges places for employers, and foundations such as Stiftung GFZ and kihz run non-profit provision in Zurich.

▶What are the key trends in Swiss childcare?

Five trends: (1) the new federal childcare law; (2) the end of federal start-up aid in 2026; (3) larger providers; (4) networks taking over single Kitas; (5) continued employment growth.

▶What are the main risks when buying a Swiss Kita?

The main risks are: (1) staff shortages; (2) dependence on municipal subsidies; (3) cantonal changes to staffing ratios and licensing; (4) the transition from federal start-up aid to the new law; (5) lease risk. Due diligence should check occupancy, subsidy contracts, staffing ratios, the licence and the lease.

▶What does the new federal childcare law change?

The UKibeG, adopted on 19 December 2025, gives working parents a care allowance of at least CHF 100 a month for each weekly day of institutional care (plus CHF 50 for each extra half day), paid through the family-allowance system, and funds CHF 100 million of programme agreements with the cantons over four years. Its entry-into-force date had not been set in September 2026 (BSV).

▶Where are Swiss childcare providers located?

Using BFS figures for 2024: Zurich has the most providers (1,061, with 9,200 employees), followed by Northwestern Switzerland (884; 6,528), Western Switzerland (807; 19,579, the most employees), Bern and Solothurn (694; 5,934), Eastern Switzerland (670; 3,867), Central Switzerland (496; 3,482) and Ticino (77; 1,131).

Childcare & Daycare Centers