China allocates 45.8b yuan to support preschool education

Children in preschool/ File: Day Nursery

According to  China Daily, the funding will primarily help local governments implement and strengthen policies that eliminate preschool childcare and education fees, broaden access to inclusive educational resources, enhance the quality of early childhood education, and improve financial support for children from low-income and disadvantaged families.

According to the Ministry of Finance, China’s central government allocated 126.2 billion yuan to preschool education during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021–2025). Beginning in the autumn semester of 2025, childcare and education fees were removed for children in their final year at public kindergartens, while subsidies were also introduced for eligible children attending private preschools.

The ministry stated that the policy has already benefited more than 14 million children and reduced family education expenses by over 20 billion yuan. It also pledged to cooperate with the Ministry of Education to help local authorities improve coordination, ensure effective distribution of subsidy funds, and maintain the stable operation of kindergartens.

In addition, authorities plan to continue expanding access to high-quality preschool education, address existing gaps in the system, and gradually raise the overall standard of early childhood education services across the country.