Children First is the one place that has it all… They just love coming here.
Roman, father of Livia and Alison
Montessori-inspired bilingual preschool and
German British Primary education in Zürich.
Founded by leading child development specialist Monica Shah.
Our mission & values
Our mission & values
Can you see the wonderful adults they are becoming?
Children First nurtures children cognitively, emotionally and socially to prepare them to embrace life and thrive in the world..
Our vision of the potential of young children inspires our teaching and care at Children First in Zürich. We respect each student and work in partnership with parents. Our educators draw on British pedagogical expertise and are inspired by Montessori principles in our work with children and families in Zürich, Switzerland.
We make a lasting impact on a child’s life by fostering the development of their life skills:
- Self-expression
- Exploring and creating
- Learn-how-to-learn
- Building positive relationships and socialising
- Feeling safe, valued and fulfilled
- Growing!
Our values
Since 2006 our values at Children First in Zurich have remained constant:
- Passion: we love children and are all committed to laying strong bilingual foundations
- Excellence underpins our holistic bilingual framework with clear principles: autonomy, self-awareness and social responsibility
- Structured teaching of independence, friendship skills, language and creative play
- Partnership: we offer our insights to parents into each child’s potential
- Respect and inclusivity:: we offer our insights to parents into each child’s potential
Monica Shah, Head of Children First and early years specialist, recruits experienced and well-trained teachers to guarantee high standards in our bilingual daycare and kindergarten.
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Our Strong Concept
‘Monica has this very humanistic approach focusing on the whole child, helping them in their own way to develop and be a good addition to society.’ Anni’s Mother, CF Kindergarten
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Values
for life
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Healthy Community
Our concept is nurturing and holistic, a unique blend of global frameworks delivered by specialised Child Development workers in Seefeld and Oerlikon who understand how young children learn through play.
True languages. We take languages seriously. Our teachers and carers are native English or German speakers with a professional qualification. At Children First we offer Swiss and international families a multilingual education without borders.
Learning & development. The British Montessori hybrid curriculum, one of the best in the world, is our trusted framework for ages 2 to 8.
Activities. Maths, Forest, Art, Reading & Writing, Sports and Dance classes are weekly activities. We offer varied after-school programs; new options are added every year.
Food for the mind. Our cook prepares fresh food every day. Designed by a nutritionist, Children First menus are healthy, tasty, seasonal and allergy-adapted. Discovery-inducing meals and festive dishes on special occasions!
Multilingual capabilities are thanks to a very robust methodology – and the team truly delivers.
-A father, CF Kindergarten
I also love how they promote self-confidence: at CF, the kids get to do things by themselves.
The health & food concept is really strong too, including physical education.
-A mother, CF Kindergarten
An exceptionally rich community setting. We provide a support system for new parents with guidance from our experienced staff team. It takes a village to raise a child!
A child’s wellbeing and development are at the heart of every moment, every programme, and every decision we make.
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Our Strong Concept
Early childhood teachers lay the foundations for lifelong learning and well-being.
In the early years children are like sponges… who love to learn!
A good preschool: Our educators are trained to understand when children are ready to participate in social groups and to nurture their enthusiasm for learning.
We recognise and respect children sensitively provides a nurturing, supportive, and enriching environment that promotes holistic development. Such an experience is the groundwork for:
Emotional Wellbeing: The child feels safe, valued, and understood. Sensitive support is crucial.
Social Development: We encourage empathy and teach children how to understand and respect the feelings of others. This helps them develop strong communication skills and positive relationships with peers.
The kindergarten gives young children appropriate materials to engage in the learning of literacy and numeracy through play.
Cognitive Development: Recognising and acknowledging a child’s interests enhances their thinking skills. We provide stimulating and age-appropriate activities that cater to their individual abilities.
Communication: We relay information frequently to parents, providing valuable insights into your child’s progress.
Personalisation: Understanding and empathy allow educators to adapt teaching methods and approaches to meet the needs of each child, fostering a more inclusive and emotionally intelligent learning environment.
The earlier you start, the better!
‘Children First deeply respects the children and their rhythm and makes them profoundly happy. They even have a forest day!’ A father
‘Let’s put all our heart into the children becoming emotionally intelligent adults and proficient learners.’ Monica Shah Zeeman, Founder
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Values
for life
At the heart of the children’s friendships and daily lives are the core values of the Children First community.
Parents experience these values at our events for families which are fundamental highlights of our community year. New parents make friends with other international and Swiss parents. We get to know each other in the helpful ecosystem of the Children First extended family.
Our partnership with parents is a pillar of our community ethos.
We talk about a ‘partnership’ because we want true partners. We aim at joint and coordinated efforts to support your child’s learning and development.
- We create regular daily opportunities to speak and listen to you when bringing and picking up your child
- Children First teachers observe and feel: if something is bothering your child, we will see it and open a discussion with parents
- Every six months, we offer a Progress Meeting to share our observations about your child and listen to you. This is often a good time to share effective strategies– a time to align and make this partnership just as strong as it should be
- Our communication platform allows us to share school information including weekly menus and events, and also to communicate privately about your child’s most important news. You can also ping us!
- You are also welcome to organise social and networking events for parents in our beautiful community rooms.
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Healthy Community
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