QualiKita: What the Quality Label Says About a Daycare Centre

During a visit, parents gain an important first impression of a daycare centre. However, many aspects that are crucial to quality are difficult to recognise during a short visit. QualiKita therefore takes a closer look at how a daycare centre actually fulfils its responsibilities in everyday practice. This includes, for example, the pedagogical work with the children, collaboration with parents, the qualifications and professional support of staff, as well as the management and organisation of the centre. The assessment also examines whether the daycare centre regularly reflects on its quality and works systematically to improve it. What makes QualiKita distinctive is its comprehensive view of the entire organisation. This creates an overall picture that goes far beyond a first impression and shows how the daycare centre provides children with high-quality care and support over the long term. The QualiKita label shows that a daycare centre meets a quality standard used throughout Switzerland and that this has been verified by an independent certification body. For parents, it provides additional guidance and reassurance that quality is not merely promised but systematically assessed. The label also supports daycare centres in regularly reflecting on their work and continuously improving it. At the same time, successfully passing an assessment does not mean that a daycare centre is perfect or that mistakes will never occur in everyday work. Even when people work very conscientiously, mistakes can happen. What matters is how the team and the organisation deal with them. A good daycare centre fosters an open culture around mistakes: problems are addressed, lessons are learned and improvements are implemented so that the same mistakes are less likely to happen again. This commitment to continuous development is an important part of QualiKita. Quality is therefore not a final state, but an ongoing process in which the wellbeing of the children always remains the central focus. QualiKita understands quality as a continuous development process. Certification is therefore not simply a snapshot. Even before the audit, daycare centres carry out a comprehensive self-evaluation in which they examine their strengths and areas for development. After certification, the requirements must continue to be met. This includes interim audits, recertification and ongoing work with the quality development plan. One of the key benefits of QualiKita is that quality becomes a shared topic across the entire organisation. Staff regularly engage with questions of quality, exchange observations, reflect on their work and develop it further together. This strengthens both communication about quality and collaboration within the team. The aim is not simply to assess quality, but to foster a culture of learning, dialogue and continuous improvement. In this way, quality is not only documented but actively practised and developed in everyday life. Group size, staff-to-child ratios and the qualifications of childcare staff are important structural conditions in a daycare centre. The binding minimum requirements are regulated at cantonal or municipal level and monitored as part of licensing and supervision. The specific requirements therefore vary between cantons and municipalities. From a professional perspective, continuity of caregivers is also important: reliable relationships give children a sense of security, support their wellbeing and contribute to their development. At the same time, good quality cannot be reduced to individual figures. What matters is the interaction between good structural conditions, strong pedagogical practice and a culture of quality that is actively lived throughout the organisation. The assessment is carried out by the independent certification company ProCert. ProCert is an accredited Swiss certification body that also assesses quality and management systems in other sectors. This ensures that the assessment is conducted independently of both the industry association kibesuisse and the daycare centres themselves. ProCert’s auditors are specially trained for the QualiKita certification process and assess daycare centres according to consistent and transparent criteria. The certification process begins with a comprehensive self-evaluation by the daycare centre. This is followed by an on-site audit. Documents are reviewed, discussions are held with management and staff, and everyday pedagogical practice is observed. This creates a comprehensive picture of how the quality requirements are implemented in day-to-day practice. The quality of a daycare centre cannot be assessed on the basis of a single criterion. QualiKita therefore combines different assessment methods. ProCert’s auditors first analyse key documents and concepts used by the daycare centre. During the on-site audit, they speak with management and staff and observe pedagogical practice within the groups. They also examine how the daycare centre systematically develops and safeguards its quality. Importantly, the audit is not a conventional exam with a simple “pass” or “fail”. Instead, it is a professional dialogue about quality. The auditors assess whether the requirements of the QualiKita standard are being met, highlight strengths and identify areas for further development. The label is awarded only when the required quality standards have demonstrably been met. Because quality and the best possible development opportunities for children matter to them. Certification requires time, openness and a willingness to critically reflect on one’s own work. By becoming QualiKita-certified, daycare centres demonstrate that they do not simply state high quality standards, but are also willing to undergo independent assessment and commit to continuous development. These daycare centres do not see the certification process as a form of control, but as an opportunity. It strengthens the organisation’s shared engagement with quality, promotes professional exchange within the team and makes visible what is already working well. At the same time, it provides new ideas and impulses for further development. The wellbeing of the children is always at the heart of this process. Daycare centres make an important contribution to children’s development by providing a place where they can feel safe, build relationships, learn, play and grow. This makes it all the more important that the quality of childcare is consciously shaped, regularly reflected upon and continuously developed. Daycare centres that choose QualiKita take responsibility for this commitment and demonstrate professionalism, transparency and a willingness to continuously improve their work.