China's Jiangsu steps up efforts on affordable, reliable childcare

NANJING -- East China's Jiangsu province boasted more than 3,300 nurseries at the end of September, signifying its continuous efforts to enhance the childcare service system and reduce the burden on child-rearing families, according to the Jiangsu Commission of Health.

The province had also provided 324,000 available childcare slots, with 3.8 slots per 1,000 people by the end of 2023. Various service models are now available, such as community-based childcare, employer-run nurseries, family day-care and comprehensive childcare centers.

Spanning over 2,000 square meters, the comprehensive childcare center in the Jianye district of Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province, offers 80 childcare slots.

"We are very satisfied with the center's clean environment, reasonable fees and trustworthy childcare staff," said Zhang Feng, a resident who enrolled her two-year-old daughter there.

Jiang Xuexia, deputy director of the childcare center, noted that Jianye district has the youngest population demographic in Nanjing, with many young parents striving to balance work and family life.

To help ease the burden on parents, the center has implemented an integrated medical and childcare service system to improve the quality of infant and childcare services in the district. Since its opening in September last year, all of its slots have been fully booked.

More and more cities in Jiangsu have stepped up efforts to provide more families with universal day-care services for children under three in recent years.

Suzhou is pushing hard to build a 15-minute childcare service circle, and plans to add 100 community-based childcare centers, offering full-day, half-day, temporary and time-based childcare services at the end of this year. Wuxi and Taizhou have set up childcare facilities within enterprises and industrial parks to provide free or favourable childcare services for employees.

Data from the National Health Commission shows that there are currently over ten million children aged under three in need of childcare services.

Looking ahead, Jiangsu aims to scientifically allocate childcare resources and improve support policies, foster talents at a faster pace, and promote the high-quality development of accessible, affordable and reliable childcare services.