Children play a traditional game of "stoning the five pests" during a celebration of the Dragon Boat Festival at a kindergarten in Jiyuan City, central China's Henan province, May 30, 2025. The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, is a traditional Chinese holiday to commemorate ancient Chinese poet Qu Yuan from the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.). Celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, the festival falls on May 31 this year. (Photo: Xinhua)

China will enhance its childcare service system to provide affordable and reliable care for infants and toddlers, according to a press conference held by the National Health Commission (NHC) on Tuesday. The plan aims to cover more than 80 percent of inclusive childcare in major cities in a decade, as part of broader efforts to improve public welfare.

The NHC said it will prioritize expanding inclusive services for both the elderly people and young children by increasing the supply of affordable facilities and supporting providers in delivering high-quality, cost-effective and sustainable care, people.cn reported.

The supply of public childcare spaces will be increased through various channels, with a strong emphasis on community-based and family childcare options. Conditional kindergartens will be encouraged to extend their services to include childcare, aiming to achieve over 80 percent coverage of inclusive childcare in eligible large cities in 10 years.

Inclusive childcare services will be integrated into the employee welfare systems of enterprises and institutions. Expenditures related to these services will be accounted for in employee welfare funds, with union funds available for supplementary support. 

Zhuang Ning, an NHC official, stated at the press conference that in recent years, the health authorities have made efforts to ensure that childcare services are affordable, trustworthy and of high quality, people.cn reported.

Firstly, the support policy system for childcare services has been improved. A special additional deduction for personal income tax for families with children under 3 has been implemented to reduce childcare costs. Local governments are encouraged to explore childcare service development, with over half of the provinces in the country treating it as a key livelihood project. A total of 1,315 counties (cities, districts) have introduced measures such as subsidies for the construction and operation of childcare institutions and the issuance of consumption vouchers to lower childcare service prices, enabling families to afford these services.

Secondly, the standard and regulatory system for childcare services has been further refined. Standards have been established for the management and operation of childcare institutions, care and protection, injury prevention, fire safety and nutritional feeding. Support has been provided for healthcare institutions to offer contracted services, delivering health management services for children, including healthcare, dietary nutrition and disease prevention, thereby standardizing the development of childcare services and ensuring families can trust these services.

Thirdly, the supply system for childcare services has been improved. By leveraging central funding, guidance and support have been provided for the construction of comprehensive childcare service centers and public childcare facilities, encouraging social forces to develop inclusive childcare services. Services include full-day, half-day, hourly and temporary care. Central government financial support has been allocated for demonstration projects to incentivize and guide exemplary cities to play a leading role in enhancing the overall level of childcare services, ensuring families can rely on quality care.

Through these efforts in recent years, a basic childcare service system has been established in China, to meeting the continuous needs of the public. 

Zhuang indicated that the NHC will continue to adhere to a "people-centered" development philosophy, focusing on three areas to increase the supply of inclusive childcare services through multiple channels. 

To accelerate the construction of the inclusive childcare service system, a childcare service framework will be established, centered around comprehensive service centers and incorporating childcare institutions, community-based services, kindergarten classes, employer-provided care and family childcare points.  

In promoting integrated services for early childhood education and care, local experiences will be summarized, resources for services for children aged 0-6 will be coordinated, and support measures will be improved. Conditional kindergartens will be encouraged to establish childcare classes, promoting the coordinated and sustainable development of preschool education and childcare services.

To effectively improve the quality of childcare services, support from medical institutions will be encouraged, and local governments will be guided to promote the standardization and professional development of childcare services through facility upgrades, quality assessments, staff training and safety inspections, ensuring safety and health standards are maintained, officials said.

Global Times