China has unveiled a draft national law to expand nationwide childcare support, marking its first major legislative effort since 2019 to provide more affordable, accessible, and safer childcare services.

The draft Childcare Services Law was submitted Monday to the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress — China’s top legislative body — for its first reading and multiple rounds of review. 

Under the proposal, local governments would be required to incorporate childcare development into their socioeconomic planning, and increase public funding. Local governments would also be mandated to regularly assess childcare institutions and publicly disclose evaluation results.

It encourages local governments to provide subsidies, expand inclusive childcare services, and gradually incorporate them into the public service system.

The draft also introduces a national qualification system for childcare workers, setting minimum education and professional standards, as well as clear career evaluation criteria.

The draft builds on a 2019 national regulation that expanded parental leave and encouraged the development of care services for children under the age of 3. The new draft law is both more expansive and assigns responsibility for implementation to local governments. 

He Dan, director of the China Population and Development Research Center, told domestic media that the draft represents a “breakthrough,” providing a legal foundation for integrating inclusive childcare into the public services and ensuring more long-term, stable development.

According to the National Health Commission, more than a third of Chinese families with children under the age of 3 want childcare services, but the actual enrollment rate nationwide of children in that group is under 8%. 

Cost is a major barrier, with private institutions accounting for nearly 90% of all childcare providers nationwide in 2023. Average monthly fees for childcare nationwide — excluding meals — stood at nearly 2,000 yuan ($280) per child, rising above 5,500 yuan in first-tier cities. 

The lack of unified certification standards for childcare workers and institutions, combined with high-profile abuse cases, has fueled public anxiety. In 2024, two caregivers at a childcare facility were criminally detained after reports emerged that they had repeatedly kicked children and locked them in cabinets.

The draft seeks to address these concerns by requiring childcare institutions to implement both background checks on interviewees and annual checks on current staff. It further stipulates mandated reporting among childcare staff and institutions in cases of suspected child abuse.

By Wednesday, discussion of the proposal had drawn more than 2 million views on microblogging platform Weibo, with many users voicing support for measures aimed at reducing the cost of raising children.

Editor: Marianne Gunnarsson.

(Header image: Children play at a childcare center in Fuzhou, Fujian province, 2023. Zhang Bin/CNS/VCG)