How to choose a nursery in Lugano: official lists, when to apply and 12 questions to ask

Choosing a nursery in Lugano means finding your way through public and private settings, official lists and waiting lists, often while planning your return to work and sometimes while settling into a new country or a new language region. This guide explains how nurseries and daycare work in Ticino, where to find the up-to-date official lists, when to start looking and which questions to ask on your visit to tell whether a nursery is right for your child.

What kinds of nursery are there in Lugano?

Lugano has public nurseries, run on behalf of the City by the autonomous body LIS – Lugano Istituti Sociali, and many private nurseries. Whoever runs them, the most useful distinction for families is the cantonal one between an authorised (autorizzato) and a recognised (riconosciuto) nursery.

In Ticino, a nursery (nido dell'infanzia), meaning a setting that cares for more than 5 children for more than 15 hours a week, needs cantonal authorisation. The authorisation sets how many children the nursery may take in each age group, and a summary sheet must be displayed where parents can see it. The cantonal office that supports family and youth services (Ufficio del sostegno a enti e attività per le famiglie e i giovani, UFaG) carries out inspections at least every two years, with both announced and unannounced visits.

A recognised nursery is an authorised nursery that meets additional quality and operating criteria and receives cantonal subsidies; the organisation that runs it, public or private, must be non-profit. There are also micro-nurseries (micro-nidi), which take no more than 10 children and are usually found in outlying areas or within companies.

These categories and aids are Ticino's own. If you are moving from German- or French-speaking Switzerland, the terms and rules may differ from the ones you know.

Where to find the official list of nurseries in Ticino

The most complete list is the Canton's. On the website of the cantonal Division of Social Action and Families (Divisione dell'azione sociale e delle famiglie, DASF), you can search for nurseries and micro-nurseries by region: in early October 2026 the list included 80 settings across Ticino, 35 of them in the Lugano region. Each entry shows the address, contact details and status, authorised or recognised.

• Cantonal list of nurseries and micro-nurseries, Lugano region (in Italian)
• City of Lugano: public nurseries and private nurseries (automatic English translation)

The City's pages give a first overview of the municipality itself. The cantonal list lets you check the status of each nursery and widen your search to neighbouring municipalities, which are often convenient if you work in town.

At what age do children start nursery?

In Ticino, nurseries usually take children from 3 months, when maternity leave ends, until age 4, when the scuola dell'infanzia, the public kindergarten, becomes compulsory. The City of Lugano states that the nurseries in its area take children up to age 3.

The next step follows the school calendar. Children may start the scuola dell'infanzia on an optional basis if they turn 3 by 31 July; attendance becomes compulsory for children who turn 4 by 31 July. Not every nursery has a group for older children, so ask how long your child will be able to stay. If you are already weighing up what comes after nursery, we compare the options in International school or bilingual preschool in Lugano?

When to start looking and when to apply

As early as you can, especially if your child will start nursery in their first year. The Canton points out that places for babies are more limited than those for older children, and advises contacting one or more nurseries well in advance, so that you can choose without rushing and, if needed, reserve a place for the period you want. To apply, you contact the nursery's management directly; they will explain the steps and timings.

• During pregnancy or in the first months: draw up a first shortlist from the cantonal list, taking into account the journey between home and work.
• A few months ahead: visit two or three nurseries and ask how the waiting list works and when you can expect an answer.
• Before you go back to work: allow at least two weeks for the settling-in period (inserimento), the minimum the Canton suggests planning for, which may be extended.

Also check the annual closure weeks, which according to the Canton range from 0 to 4 depending on the nursery, and whether they fit with your own holidays.

If you are relocating, the same timeline applies: it helps to start contacting nurseries as soon as you know your moving dates. Our guide to moving to Lugano with children covers what else to arrange when you arrive.

What to look for on your visit

A visit tells you more than any brochure. Before you look at the rooms, watch the relationships: how the adults speak to the children, whether they get down to their level, whether their tone stays calm even in the liveliest moments, whether the children turn to the educators with confidence.

Then look at the spaces. Among other things, the cantonal regulation requires a separate room that can be darkened for babies under one to sleep in, a dedicated room for hygiene, a multi-purpose space of at least 3 m² per child, and an outdoor space: a garden, or a large terrace with a playground in the immediate vicinity. Look for the authorisation sheet on display and ask to read the educational plan (progetto pedagogico), which the nursery submits to the Canton to obtain its authorisation.

12 questions to ask during the visit

1. How long have the educators worked here, what training do they have, and who will be my child's key person? For a young child, a few stable adults matter more than any activity. The regulation requires at least one in three members of the team to be trained; according to the Canton, in practice around 85% of staff are.
2. How many adults are there per group, and at what times of day? The cantonal minimum is one adult for every 4 children under one, every 5 aged 13 to 24 months, every 8 aged 2 to 3 and every 12 from age 3. The UFaG also recommends groups of no more than 8 babies, 10 children up to 24 months and 16 older children. Ask how opening, closing and the lunch break are covered.
3. How does settling in work? How long it lasts, how long the parent stays, how the decision to extend it is made, and what the nursery wants to know about sleep, feeding and your routines at home.
4. What does a typical day look like? A good answer describes a predictable rhythm that alternates care (meals, hygiene, sleep) with play, respecting each child's pace, especially when it comes to the youngest children's sleep.
5. Who prepares the meals, and how do you handle allergies, special diets and weaning? Ask whether there is an in-house kitchen or the meals come from an outside caterer, and who plans the menus.
6. How much time do the children spend outdoors, and in what weather? The regulation requires an outdoor space, but what matters is how much it is actually used, in every season.
7. How do you communicate with parents? A daily diary, regular one-to-one meetings, group meetings: ask how often, and who your point of contact will be. If your Italian is still limited, ask too in which languages the team can talk with you.
8. Which language do you speak to the children? In a bilingual nursery, ask who speaks which language, whether the educators are native speakers and whether each of them always uses the same language.
9. Are there specialists? For example a speech and language therapist or a psychomotor therapist: ask whether they observe the children, how often, and how their observations are shared with the family.
10. How much does it cost, and what is included? Ask whether the fee is fixed or income-related, and whether meals, nappies and the registration fee are included. Ask too whether the nursery is recognised: only then, if your child attends so that you can combine family with work or training, are you entitled to the cantonal universal aid. In 2026 it amounts to CHF 100 a month for 16–30 hours a week and CHF 200 a month above 30 hours, deducted directly from the fee. For the full picture, see our guide to childcare costs in Ticino.
11. What are the opening hours and closures? Opening and closing times, flexibility at drop-off and pick-up, closure weeks and public holidays.
12. When does a sick child have to stay at home? Fever, medicines, coming back after an illness: ask for the written policy, because it makes a big difference to how working parents organise their week.

What a bilingual nursery adds

A bilingual nursery offers a second language the way young children really learn one: through everyday relationships, not lessons. Research suggests that what children need most to acquire a language is exposure and a need to use it, in varied situations and with different people. Quantity matters too: researchers Krista Byers-Heinlein and Casey Lew-Williams note that one afternoon a week amounts to about 6% of a young child's waking hours, too little on its own for a child to acquire a language.

To recognise a serious bilingual model, look for these signs:

• One person, one language: each adult always speaks the same language with the children, who come to link each language with familiar relationships.
• Native-speaker educators: they offer a rich, natural model, including the words of care and affection.
• Languages lived in daily routines: nappy changes, meals, naps and play are the moments when a child hears and uses the language every day.
• Continuity of staff: a language is built with people, so staff stability counts twice over.
• Realistic goals and dialogue with parents: be wary of promises of perfectly bilingual children within a few months; a good nursery explains what to expect and how to support the languages at home.

The most common worries, from confusion to speech delay, and what to do when a third language is spoken at home, are covered in our article Raising bilingual children: myths, evidence and what works at home.

An example of a bilingual 0–6 model

Honeycomb School in Muzzano, near Lugano, is a bilingual Italian-English early years centre for children aged 0 to 6: a nursery with three groups, Little Bees (0–12 months), Happy Bees (12–24 months) and Busy Bees (24–36 months), followed by the Bumble Bees in the scuola dell'infanzia for children aged 3 to 6. Each educator speaks only their own native language, Italian or English, and the two languages run through the routines of care, meals, naps and play without turning into lessons. Settling in is gradual, with a structured conversation with parents about sleep, feeding and separation, and the school is open Monday to Friday from 07:30 to 18:30. To see the spaces and ask your own questions, you are welcome to book a visit.

Whichever nursery you choose, listen to your own impressions too: a place where you feel welcome as a parent is often a place where your child will come to feel at home.