Starting a childcare centre in Switzerland: how to take the leap and build something that truly works

The desire to start your own business can live with you for years. It returns at different moments - as a thought, an idea, a feeling that you are capable of more. But between that desire and the actual step, there is always a difficult phase: doubts, unanswered questions, and the fear of doing something wrong.

This conversation is about what happens when a person finally decides to cross that line.

It is not only about opening a childcare centre in Switzerland. It is a story about a long period of preparation, about the decision to leave stability behind, about learning through practice - and about the responsibility that comes with building something of your own.

The founder of LiMa.kids, Tanja Koninks, came to this point gradually: from more than ten years of working with children in different formats to creating a space where families come not because of advertising, but because children genuinely feel good there.

In this interview, she speaks openly about what usually remains behind the scenes: fear, overload, the financial realities of Switzerland, working without guarantees, and that internal moment when you decide - to act or to wait another year.

Tanja, we can see that LiMa.kids is not a spontaneous decision, but the result of a long journey - more than ten years of working with children in different formats, from Spielgruppe to creative activities, and at the same time an idea you carried with you for years. At what point did this experience and this inner idea come together, and you realised that you wanted to create your own space rather than continue working within existing structures?

Honestly, working for someone else is always easier than working for yourself. You do your hours, you get your salary, you go home - and your head is free from everything else. When you create something of your own, you live with it 24/7.

But I wanted this. And not just a little - I really, deeply wanted it.

For the last ten years, I have worked with children of different ages - in a children’s centre, at school, in a kindergarten. This experience gave me knowledge, confidence, and a feeling that I was already standing firmly on my feet and could do this on my own. I didn’t know everything, especially when it came to documentation, but I understood that this was a matter of time. If you truly want something, you find a way.

The turning point happened around New Year. We have a family tradition: we write down our wishes and then read them again a year later. And once again, I saw the same wish - to open my own childcare centre. I had written it three years in a row.

I had tears in my eyes. I looked at my husband and said: I’m quitting.

On January 3rd, I came to work with my resignation letter already prepared. I worked through my notice period, and at the same time I started looking for a space, studying programmes, figuring out the documentation. At some point, I simply realised: I don’t want to work for someone else anymore. I am ready to take full responsibility and build my own project here.

The name LiMa.kids comes from your daughters, Lisa and Marina, and it feels very personal. What exactly did motherhood change in your approach to children and become the foundation of this project?

This is truly a very personal story.

I had to become a mother to Lisa and Marina for this project to appear later in my life. When I was choosing a name, I looked at other options and realised that typical names didn’t resonate with me at all. I didn’t feel connected to names like “Little Bunnies” or “Squirrels”. I wanted something more personal, more modern, something that would also reflect where we are.

We are located in the Limmattal, and somehow everything came together naturally: LiMa, Limmattal, Lisa and Marina. I immediately felt that this was it.

As for motherhood, everything I was learning, all the courses and training I was taking, I practised with my own children. They were like my real-life training ground. Because reading something or learning something online is one thing, but when you have a real child in front of you, it is completely different. You see their reactions, you feel their signals, you understand them on another level.

Motherhood changed my approach to working with children deeply. There is more heart in it, more intuition. Sometimes I simply feel what a child needs at a given moment. Even if the child doesn’t speak yet, they communicate through behaviour and emotions - and you learn to read that.

Sensory play and fine motor skills development at LiMa.kids

Source: provided by Tanja Koninks

In your approach, the idea of free play, boredom as a resource, and the absence of constant pressure to perform is very clear. Why is it important for you to stand by this approach, even though the modern world is often focused on results, development and control?

If we talk about our generation - people who are now around 30–40 - we grew up in a system focused on results and control. We were taught to be polite, to listen, to sit still, to study well, to achieve. But later in life, we realised that many of these things are not actually that relevant.

Today’s parents are different. They talk more with their children, they try to understand their emotions and their state, they explain more instead of simply demanding.

For me, play is the most important activity for children of preschool age. This is how they learn, how they grow. And boredom is also very important, because that is where new ideas appear. When there is no clear instruction, imagination starts working.

Even something as simple as a newspaper can become a tool for dozens of different games. A child can tear it, build something, throw it, turn it into snow, into confetti - things we as adults might not even think of. And that is a completely different type of development, one that cannot be structured step by step.

Parents often say one simple but very important thing: their children feel good in your space. What do you create on the level of atmosphere so that this sense of safety and trust appears almost immediately?

Honestly, this is a very simple answer. I don’t try to create something artificial - I just stay who I am.

We live in a world where there is a lot of performance and polished images. But I chose to be honest and open - both with parents and with children. I don’t promise something that doesn’t exist. I don’t present it as a perfect place. I say it as it is: children run, they can fall, they can argue. And this is exactly how they learn communication and social interaction.

And I think people feel that. Both parents and children.

Trust begins from the very first minutes. I always invite families for a first visit so they can see everything in a real environment, not just hear about it over the phone. And there is one small detail that is very important to me.

When I open the door, I greet the child first, not the parents. I go down to their level, I notice something - their hairstyle, their shoes, their outfit. It’s not even a compliment, it’s attention. The child immediately feels seen, heard, important.

Only after that do I greet the parents and invite them in. It may seem like a small thing, but this is where the feeling of safety and trust begins.

You work in a Swiss environment, but at the same time Ukrainian families also come to you. What does this look like in practice: what language do you use with children and how do you find balance between different linguistic and cultural contexts?

This is a very important question, and not only for me, but for anyone who manages or works in an educational space.

First of all, I want to say that I am genuinely very, very happy when Ukrainian families come to me. It’s something very personal for me - it feels warm, it feels close, and I truly appreciate that trust.

If we look at the bigger picture, about 50% of the families in my centre are Swiss, and the other 50% are mixed families - Spain, Portugal, Brazil, Croatia, Albania, Ukraine and many others. So the environment is naturally very international.

And then the question comes up: how do you communicate with a child who may not speak yet, or who doesn’t understand the language you are speaking?

In reality, it’s much simpler than it sounds. There is another language that works here - the language of gestures, sounds, emotions, facial expressions. Children understand far more than we sometimes think.

For example, something as simple as washing hands. You don’t just explain it with words. You show it. You take the child’s hand, you guide them, you turn on the water, you demonstrate the movement. You show that their hands are sticky, that they need to be cleaned. And they understand.

Or during breakfast. Children sit together, and even if they don’t share a common language, they still communicate. One child wants something from another - they reach out, they gesture, they look, they react. And we gently guide that process. We help them express it.

At the same time, we always accompany everything with German. Children hear the same words every day in context - water, drink, sit, come - and through repetition, very naturally, they begin to use them. After a week or two, you already hear those first words.

Group activities with children at LiMa.kids

Source: provided by Tanja Koninks

From the outside, LiMa.kids looks like a very warm, beautiful and well-thought-out space. What stayed behind the scenes - what was emotionally or simply humanly the most difficult part of building it?

The most difficult part was taking the first step. Finding the courage, believing in myself and in my ability to do this.

Because when you start something like this, you don’t know what will happen next. There is a huge responsibility, and you are just one person in a very big world, trying to carry something that feels quite heavy.

I had a lot of self-reflection, a lot of doubts. But at the same time, I wanted it so much that I simply said to myself: yes, I’m ready, and I’m doing this.

What stayed behind the scenes were countless evenings at home, sitting on the sofa with my laptop, writing programmes, researching how others do things, trying to understand how to make it not just another copy, but something meaningful. I had to figure out documentation, legal requirements, everything that needs to be done properly in Switzerland, because here everything is regulated. You cannot just improvise your way through it. And I had a real fear of making mistakes simply because I didn’t know everything yet. I didn’t want those mistakes to come back to me later in a serious way. So I spent a lot of time teaching myself, step by step, what I needed to know.

Another big challenge was the actual setup. I received the keys to the space on July 15, and the opening was already scheduled for August 16 - exactly one month. And in that month, I had to build everything from zero. Empty walls, no furniture, no structure - everything had to be created. I had a very clear vision of how I wanted it to look and feel, and if something didn’t match that vision, I would redo it. That process was intense. And honestly, it was probably hardest not for me, but for my family. I was constantly working, constantly solving things, constantly moving forward at full speed. And then the first few months after opening were also challenging. I was trying to understand whether I was doing things right, whether my approach worked, whether this path was actually mine.

You are building this project in Switzerland, where trust towards new spaces and new people does not form quickly. What helped you start building that trust when almost nobody knew you yet?

This question is very much about the Swiss mentality and about how people live here.

It’s true that many Swiss families value stability. They build their routines in a very structured way, especially when it comes to children. Often, the whole year is planned ahead - from August to August. Who goes where, on which day, at what time - everything is organised. And in that context, it’s not so easy to just suddenly try something new. Not because people don’t want to, but because they already have a system that works for them.

So when a new space appears, a new playgroup, it naturally takes time. Families already have their routines, their choices. And even if they see something interesting, it’s not always easy for them to change that structure. At that point, it becomes more about the people themselves - how open they are to change, how willing they are to try something new if they feel it might be better for their child.

I didn’t try to predict who would come to me. That’s impossible. But I believed in something else: that those who come will stay. And so far, there hasn’t been a single family who came, experienced the space, and didn’t stay. For me, that is the strongest indicator that I’m doing things right. Because I feel good there myself, and I bring that energy into the space. And people feel it.

LiMa.kids looks like a very personal project, but at the same time it is already a space that requires a team. Are you working alone now, or do you already have people around you? And how do you choose those who work with children together with you?

My principle is very simple: I look for people who are similar to me in their direction, not copies of me, but people who see things in a similar way and move in the same direction.

For me, energy matters a lot. I don’t always know how to explain it logically, but I feel it. There are people who, from the first minutes, don’t feel right, and there are people who immediately feel easy and natural to be around.

When it comes to working with children, I don’t focus on how many diplomas a person has. What matters to me is how they actually interact with children. That’s why I always observe them in practice.

Working with children is never the same day twice. It’s dynamic, unpredictable, full of emotions. And a person needs to be flexible, open, and able to adapt.

I started this project completely on my own. And at some point, I realised that I needed support in areas where I am not an expert. For example, accounting. I found a person I trust, who helps me navigate the legal and financial side properly.

Today, I already have a team. There are four of us working with the playgroups. In addition, there are separate specialists for drawing classes, art therapy, and early development.

The team is mixed - there are both Ukrainians and Swiss. For me, nationality is not the deciding factor. What matters are values, approach, and the ability to work with children. The only practical requirement is language - a good level of German, ideally Swiss German, because that is the language used in the group.

You’ve gone from an idea to a real space in Switzerland, where there are many rules, expectations and regulations. If we speak specifically about the Swiss context, what turned out to be the most unexpected - something people usually don’t realise at the beginning?

To be honest, the most unexpected thing is that you simply don’t know what to expect.

You don’t know what tomorrow will bring. You don’t know what kind of people you will meet, which families will come to you, what kind of children they will be, what challenges may appear. You cannot plan all of that. So in the end, all you can do is believe in the best and do your work properly, according to the rules.

But at the same time, these unexpected situations are actually important. They don’t appear without a reason. They give you experience, resilience, patience. They shape you.

Because if everything were smooth and predictable, it would probably be much less interesting. It’s those unexpected turns that make the journey real. If we speak about something specific, I didn’t expect the financial side at the very beginning to be like that. When I found the space, I had to provide a significant financial guarantee to the landlord - essentially paying several months of rent upfront. This was because my company was new, and there was no financial history yet. From their perspective, it was a way to protect themselves. For me, it was a big step, and I hadn’t planned for it in that way. But I wanted that space so much that I was ready to take that risk.

Another situation was something completely out of my control. After about six months, there was water damage in one of the rooms. The wall started cracking, and it wasn’t clear where the problem was coming from. And this happened just days before the start of a course that was supposed to take place in that room.

That was a difficult moment, because I couldn’t fix it myself, but I still had responsibility. Sometimes you are in situations where you simply have to wait and accept that not everything depends on you. And that’s not easy.

Learning through play and individual interaction with a child at LiMa.kids

Source: provided by Tanja Koninks

Today, many Ukrainian women in Switzerland are thinking about starting their own business, but often hesitate to take the first step. If someone came to you with an idea but without a clear understanding of where to begin, what would you advise them to do first?

I would say: start with yourself, not with the business.

Very often, the biggest obstacles are not external, but internal. It’s the thoughts in your head - what if I fail, what if I don’t manage, what if I meet the wrong people. These thoughts build up, they become heavier, and eventually they turn into fear. And then the fear becomes so strong that a person decides not to start at all.

But often that decision comes too early - before any real attempt has even been made. So the first step is to understand your inner state. To separate your real желания from your fears. Sometimes it can help to work with a psychologist or therapist, simply to understand yourself better.

And once you reach that clarity, things start to open up. Opportunities appear, people appear. And in that moment, it’s important to move forward.

You already have experience, education, and your own project. What would you advise Ukrainian women with a педагогical background who want to continue working with children in Switzerland? Where should they realistically start?

I always say: everyone has their own path.

Even if situations look similar, they will not unfold in the same way for different people. Switzerland is not a country where you build a career very quickly. Even for Swiss people, the path is long - education, training, experience. It takes years, effort, and persistence. Competition is high. If we talk about Ukrainian women starting from zero, the first step is language. If you want to work with Swiss families, German is essential.

The next step is local knowledge. This could mean recognising your diploma, continuing your education, or gaining additional qualifications within the Swiss system. Yes, there are cases where people find their way without all of that, but those are exceptions.

Another important step is understanding your environment - how things work here, what expectations parents have, what the mentality is like. And if we speak specifically about working with children, it’s important to understand which age group you want to work with. Very young children, kindergarten age, or school-age children - each group requires a different approach and a different level of responsibility. So I would say: language, understanding the system, and clarity about who you want to work with.

You speak a lot about children, but a journey like this also changes the adult. How have you changed as a person during this time?

It’s difficult for me to evaluate myself.

But what people tell me is that my eyes are shining, that I look happy. And maybe that is the most accurate way to describe it. Something inside me has opened, has come to life. As a person, I don’t think I’ve changed fundamentally. I’m still the same - with the same character, the same way of moving through life. But now I’m putting that energy into something that is mine.

There is a very warm moment where you mention that without support you might not have taken this step. What kind of support was that, and how did it influence your courage to move forward?

I approached this decision quite consciously. I saw that my children had grown up, they had become more independent, and I had more space for myself.

But the key support was my husband. For me, it wasn’t just about financial support or advice. What mattered most was that I could see in his eyes that he believed in me. I didn’t even need to ask - I could feel it. That gave me a sense of confidence.

There was one moment when he said to me: imagine that you have already done all of this, everything is working, and then something goes wrong. What is the worst that can happen? And I realised: nothing catastrophic. I tried, it didn’t work, I move on, I try again, or I do something else. The most important things remain - health, family, support. And everything else can change.

You are a mother of two, a wife, and at the same time the founder of your own space. What does your real balance look like today - without idealisation?

What is balance, really?

I’ve asked myself that question many times. And I came to the conclusion that it’s not about perfect balance. It’s about different areas of life - family, work, relationships, children, personal interests. And at different moments, one of these areas needs more attention. If something feels off somewhere, you focus more on that. When it stabilises, your attention shifts again. It’s a constant movement. I’m not perfect, and my life is not a perfect picture. There are moments when things are not smooth - with children, with my husband, with work. That’s normal. But I realised one important thing: I need to be in a good state myself. If I’m not, then nothing works.

So I try to take care of myself, to notice what I need, and not wait for someone else to give it to me.

Active play with children at LiMa.kids

Source: provided by Tanja Koninks

Today you already have different formats - playgroups, creative courses, events. Where do you feel LiMa.kids wants to grow next?

I gave myself about two years to really understand what my concept is, what works best, what brings stability and results. But already now, the picture is becoming clearer. The core will remain playgroups - Spielgruppe and Krabbelgruppe, the “mother and child” format. That is something stable, something that I and my team fully lead and control.

As an addition, there are creative courses and workshops in the afternoons. And here, a lot depends on the people I meet. What ideas they bring, what we can create together. I’m very open to this, because I find it interesting myself.

As for growth - I haven’t asked myself that question in a very concrete way. It’s hard for me to imagine this project without my personal presence. Because children don’t come for the toys - they come for the feeling, for the way they are treated. Could it grow into something bigger? Maybe. I don’t know. I don’t like to say “never”. Life can bring unexpected turns. But what I do know is that the foundation we have now is strong. And that gives me confidence.

Your story is an example of how an idea that lived for years can become reality in a new country. What would you say to your past self, and what would you say to those who are only just considering starting?

I would say to myself: you don’t know yet how this will look in 10 or 15 years, and that’s okay.

I can’t tell you what exactly will happen, but I know that this path will be very interesting. So trust yourself. Stay true to who you are. Don’t betray yourself. And to those who are just thinking about starting, I would say: don’t be afraid. Fear can block so much in our lives. But it’s something you can work through - by understanding yourself, by taking time, by creating the conditions where you can hear what you really want. Start small. You don’t need to have everything figured out.

I started my journey in Switzerland earning 15 francs per hour. I didn’t know German, I didn’t have a diploma, I didn’t have a clear plan. It was just a new country and a blank page. And I just kept going.

Even today, in 2026, I sometimes still find it hard to fully realise that I am running my own childcare centre. It sounds big, but behind it there is a lot of inner work, emotions, learning, and growth. So don’t wait for the perfect moment. It doesn’t exist. Just start.

Editorial note

This conversation is about a path where there are no guarantees, but there is a decision to keep moving forward.

We are grateful to Tanja for her openness and honesty - for showing not only the result, but everything that stands behind it.

And for those who are still thinking about their own next step, this story may not give a clear answer. But it might give something just as important - permission to try.