Chongqing Expands Child Care Services as City Targets Easier Access for Families

Chongqing- Chongqing is expanding child care services for children under the age of 3, as the southwestern Chinese municipality moves to address the difficulties many families face in finding nearby and reliable care.

The city has set a 2026 public welfare target to improve infant and toddler care capacity, with inclusive child care service sites expected to cover 55% of urban communities.

One major approach is to integrate nursery care with kindergarten. At Yucai Kindergarten in Dadukou District, a child care class known as "Xiaomengya Home" was launched in September 2025.

The class enrolls children aged 2 to 3. It is located in a separate area from regular kindergarten classes. It has its own entrance and exit, allowing younger children to be managed separately from older children, according to kindergarten principal Jin Juan.

Teachers in the child care class were selected from experienced kindergarten staff and received specialized training before taking up full-time posts, Jin said.

The kindergarten now operates three child care classes with 66 enrolled children aged 2 to 3. Parents pay 600 yuan (about 88 U.S. dollars) per month for care and education, plus 380 yuan for meals.

"For families like ours, who are busy with work and whose parents have not retired, the child care class solves a major problem," parent Peng Rao said. "The public kindergarten also gives us confidence in the quality of teachers."

Chongqing is also promoting a model known locally as "medical-care integration," which links child care services with health care support. The newly opened Chongqing Liangjiang New Area Comprehensive Child Care Service Center was rebuilt on the site of the former Chongqing Liangjiang New Area People's Hospital and plans to offer 98 inclusive child care slots.

Cai Yixi, director of the hospital's child health department and head of the new center, said one doctor and one nurse will be assigned each day to provide care guidance. All care and education staff must receive training in the Heimlich maneuver, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, wound treatment, and complementary food preparation.

Chongqing has also issued policies to encourage medical institutions to support child care services. Each registered child care institution has a contracted medical institution, which provides 13 free services, including health checkups and guidance on scientific feeding.

Community-based child care is another part of the city's strategy. In Tianyuan Community of Chongqing Liangjiang New Area, a child care site inside the community service center offers full-day, half-day, temporary, and hourly care.

The center recently added evening care, extending service hours from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. to meet parents' needs, according to site director Huang Guihua.

For dual-income families, community-based care helps address drop-off and pickup. "The child care site is in the community, so it is very convenient," parent Lu said.

China is currently facing a declining birth rate and an aging population. In response, the Chinese government has been actively promoting measures to reduce the cost of raising children, including expanding access to affordable, high-quality child care services for children under 3. These efforts are part of a broader national strategy to encourage families to have more children and alleviate the pressures of parenting.

Data from the Chongqing Municipal Health Commission showed that over the past three years, the city has continued to expand child care supply. By the end of 2025, Chongqing had more than 2,700 child care institutions, with 4.55 child care slots for children under 3 per 1,000 permanent residents.