By She Yu, Research Department of Social Development, DRC; Gong Xin, Central China Normal University & Li Lingfang, Changjiang Education Research Institute

Research Report, No.223, 2020 (Total 5967) 2020-9-15

Abstract: Rural pre-school education is an important issue for China’s pre-school education reform and development. As related polices are introduced with greater intensity, pre-school education in rural areas has made certain progress. Different models are formed in supplying such education, including the establishment of kindergartens in tows and townships, kindergartens or children’s classes affiliated to rural primary schools, conglomerate kindergartens, continuous education from kindergartens to primary schools, community-run kindergartens and micro-and-small kindergartens operated by non-government social sectors. Different areas need to take into full account the unique local backgrounds and conditions in order to identify the tailored and effective supply model for pre-school education. For instance, kindergartens affiliated to primary schools, kindergartens backed by government funds and kindergartens run by charitable organizations are all compatible to impoverished rural areas, and these areas are suggested to apply the model of “rural kindergartens”. Non-impoverished areas could choose the model of running conglomerate kindergartens according to local governments’ fiscal capacity and parents’ needs, and adopt the model of integrated urban and rural development for overall regional progress in pre-school education. The models for rural pre-school education also need to be differentiated between densely-populated and sparsely-populated areas.

Keywords: pre-school education, effective supply, model, tailored solutions for different regions, rural areas