To make parenting easier — the number of childcare slots per thousand people in China to reach 4.5
The National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China (NHCPRC) recently issued a notice to launch a nationwide campaign for promoting childcare services, starting from May 15 to June 15. As of the end of 2022, the number of childcare slots per thousand people in China is approximately 2.5. "We encourage active participation of social forces to ensure that the number of childcare slots per thousand people reaches 4.5 nationwide by 2025," said Yang Wenzhuang, Director of the Population Monitoring and Family Development Department of NHCPRC.
According to the survey, the current number of infants and toddlers under the age of three in China is over 32 million, with an annual increase of approximately 10 million. Promoting childcare services is a response to the aspirations of our people for a better life and in line with the overall requirements of high-quality population development.
"Ensuring early childhood education and care" is a crucial indicator for measuring the happiness index of a city. Chengdu is the first national demonstration city for infant and toddler care services. To enhance the level of infant and toddler care, Chengdu has explored a new model of "integrating medical and educational services". It has established a system of health administrators in childcare institutions, selecting medical personnel from grassroots healthcare institutions to serve as health administrators. Additionally, Chengdu has established the Infant and Toddler Care Service Guidance Center (CWCCH), providing industry talent training and technical guidance.
On April 5, 2023, the CWCCH organized experts to initiate the quality control and guidance work for infant and toddler care services in all 23 districts and counties of the city. They conducted random checks on registered childcare institutions and evaluated their performance based on the Chengdu Childcare Institution Quality Evaluation Standards. By conducting quality control and supervision, the goal is to standardize the healthcare work in childcare institutions, as well as to enhance their service capabilities and overall quality.