Who is eligible for a childcare voucher?

You can apply for childcare vouchers if all of the following are true:

• Your legal domicile (under civil law) is in the City of Bern.
• You and your partner are employed (incl. self-employed), enrolled in an officially recognised training programme, registered at the regional employment centre or qualify on the basis of social circumstances or a health condition.
• Your family's relevant income is below 160'000 Swiss Francs.
• The «Day Care Centre» participates in the voucher system and has promised to make a place available for your child.

If you have not yet found a childcare place, please consult the family portal of the Canton of Berne (in German or French). It includes all of the «Kitas» that participate in the voucher system.

What to do

Once you have found a place at a «Kita», you can submit your application to the «Youth Welfare Office»; you can do online using kiBon if you wish. We will then review your application and calculate the amount of the voucher. The calculated amount will be transferred each month directly to the day care centre, which will deduct this amount from your day care bill.

Vouchers are valid for a maximum of one year, i.e. all vouchers expire on the 31st of July of each year. You will need to reapply for a childcare voucher every year.

Please note: We do not accept retroactive voucher applications, so please submit your application on time, before the kita-childcare starts.

What to expect

The voucher amount depends on a family's net income and assets, with five percent of the latter factored in. You can use the voucher calculator (in German language) to calculate approximately the amount of the City’s contribution.

Where to find out more

You will find additional information on the web pages of the Canton of Berne (in German or French) and in the answers to frequently asked questions (in German). You are also welcome to contact us via our contact form, by phone or through the post, or simply drop by our office. See the contact section.

Data Protection

Calculating a voucher amount requires the input of sensitive data, such as the complete tax declaration. Needless to say, data is treated as confidential. However, you have the right to redact information that is not relevant, as described in the fact sheet on data protection (in German) (PDF, 132.7 KB).

Legal Bases

You will find the legal bases for the «Childcare Vouchers» on our web-site for childcare vouchers (in German).

How to submit?

Please submit an online application for a «Childcare Voucher». Please see the kiBon site to find out more about the online application.