The access to formal early childhood care and education service for children under age 3 in mainland China

Date of Award

2-10-2025

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Doctor of Policy Studies (DPS)

First Advisor

Prof. YU Baohua Lucy

Abstract

As China's population ages and fertility rates decline, societal shifts such as increased social mobility, rising female labor participation, and shrinking family sizes have led to a growing mismatch between family care needs and available resources, a phenomenon often referred to as the "care deficit." In contemporary China, this issue is particularly acute in the areas of elderly care and childcare. The severity of the childcare deficit, commonly called the "childcare crisis," has not been adequately addressed and remains a secondary focus in policy discussions, lagging behind both contemporary demands and international standards (Yue & Fan, 2018). Since 2010, Chinese Central Government has introduced several policies and action plans to emphasize the social welfare aspect of care services, aiming to enhance early childhood care and education (ECCE) for children under three. Despite these efforts, the actual enrollment rate for this age group remains disappointingly low. The third-child policy in 2021 further highlights the urgent need to tackle the persistent childcare crisis and the inadequacies in early childcare and education policies in Mainland China.

This dissertation examines access to formal early childhood care and education services for children under three years old in Mainland China by analyzing the current childcare arrangements of young families1 and their attitudes towards China's childcare policies and practices for children aged 0-3. The research objectives include assessing young parents' prior experiences, usage, and willingness to adopt formal institutional childcare for children in this age group. Additionally, it studies relevant policies and evaluates the current accessibility and acceptability of the ECCE system for children aged 0-3 in Mainland China. Furthermore, the study provides recommendations to enhance the accessibility and acceptability of formal ECCE0-3 services. Based on social care theory and care diamond, this study constructs a conceptual model that encompasses both supply-side and demand-side factors. Through this framework, it explores the accessibility of formal ECCE services and young families' capacity to utilize these services in Mainland China.

A mixed-methods research approach was employed, combining data gathered from semi-structured interviews and an online survey. Volunteer sampling, convenience sampling, and maximum variation sampling techniques were used to select participants. Interviewees were recruited voluntarily from two primary sources: friend referrals and responses to the online survey. The findings indicate that the availability of grandparents' care and formal childcare services significantly influences families' childcare arrangements. As early childhood care and education policies expand, a growing awareness (nearly 90% of respondents) and acceptance (72.59%) of formal ECCE services for children under three have been noted. However, according to the National Health Commission (2024), only 7.86% of infants under three are enrolled in childcare services across Mainland China, suggesting a considerable gap between policy intentions and actual service utilization. The study concludes that improving both the objective accessibility of formal ECCE services and the subjective ability of young families to utilize these services is crucial.

Language

English

Recommended Citation

Qi, J. (2025). The access to formal early childhood care and education service for children under age 3 in mainland China (doctoral thesis, Lingnan University, Hong Kong). Retrieved from https://commons.ln.edu.hk/otd_tpg/41/

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