This Day, That Year

40 years on

Editor’s Note: This year marks the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening-up policy.

Preschool education in China has made dramatic progress in the past four decades.

Between 2011 and 2016, the number of kindergartens increased from 150,000 to 223,700, according to the Ministry of Education. About 75 percent of toddlers, 43 million in 2016, attend a formal preschool across the country.

Following the implementation of the universal second-child policy in 2016, education authorities vowed to build more kindergartens to meet the surging demand for preschools. Experts estimated that close to 100,000 more are needed by 2021.

By 2020, the total number of babies born under the policy will reach 17 million, putting more strain on preschool resources.

Authorities in big cities including Beijing and Shanghai have taken measures to tackle the potential shortage.

An additional 30,000 preschool places will be added in the capital this year, while supervision of kindergarten management will be improved to provide a safer environment for pupils, according to the local Government Work Report released in January.

The Shanghai Federation of Trade Unions launched a pilot project in the city last year to establish nursery centers at workplaces to encourage working parents to have second child.

Besides the measures, there have also been calls for compulsory education to be extended to preschools.