China waives preschool care and education fees for final-year kindergarten children

Preschool care and education fees for children enrolled in the final year of public kindergarten nationwide will be waived from the autumn semester of this year.

Children of a kindergarten in Guangming district pick vegetables during an activity. Photo from Dute News

Private kindergartens approved by the national education authorities are also required to reduce the fees for those children to match the exemption level applied to comparable local public kindergartens.

The measure is expected to benefit roughly 12 million children in the final year of kindergarten across the country, saving about 20 billion yuan (US$2.78 billion) in household spending nationwide, which will be covered by national public expenditure.

The central and local governments will jointly provide subsidies for kindergartens affected by the fee exemption policy. The Central Government’s contribution will vary by region: it will cover 80% of the needed subsidy in western regions, 60% in central regions and 50% in eastern regions, with the balance provided by local governments.

Provinces that have already implemented broader fee-waiver measures covering more than the final preschool year may continue those policies; however, any additional funding required for portions that exceed the national exemption will remain the responsibility of local finance.