[Original] Dai Xin: Improving the "Childcare for the Young" Service System and Promoting the Construction of a Birth-Friendly Society
A birth-friendly society refers to a society that provides comprehensive support for families of childbearing age by continuously improving its policy and public service systems. This includes economic incentives, high-quality public services, and the shaping of a supportive cultural atmosphere to alleviate family pressures, thereby solving the problems of being "unable to give birth, afraid to give birth, and unwilling to give birth." The Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee made clear strategic arrangements regarding "improving the support and service system for population development," proposing to "perfect the population development strategy with a focus on responding to aging and the declining birthrate, improve the population service system covering the entire population and the full life cycle, and promote high-quality population development. We must improve the birth support policy system and incentive mechanisms to promote the construction of a birth-friendly society." [1]
I. The "Childcare for the Little Ones" Service System Provides Foundational Support for the Construction of a Birth-Friendly Society
The "childcare for the little ones" [1] (yòu yǒu suǒ yù) service system is a comprehensive public service provided by the government and society to protect the health, education, and basic living needs of pregnant women and infants and children aged 0–6, from the prenatal stage to preschool. It primarily concerns three major themes: childbirth, rearing, and education. It aims to reduce the pressure of child-rearing on families, increase the population fertility level, and provide a high-quality growth environment for infants and children through a sound service system. It is one of the important foundations for promoting a birth-friendly society.
Improving the "childcare for the little ones" service system helps address the current double challenges of population aging and the declining birthrate. The improvement of this system directly affects the fertility intentions of families and is a key link in promoting population development. By providing high-quality childbirth, rearing, and education services, it can effectively reduce family pressure during the parenting process, increase the willingness of young people to have children, and further promote the optimization and balance of the population structure.
Improving the "childcare for the little ones" service system can enhance families' sense of fulfillment, happiness, and security. Parenting is an important family responsibility, and the effective supply of childcare services can reduce the burden of child-rearing. Especially for dual-income families, professional childcare services can help parents find a balance between their careers and parenting, thereby improving their overall quality of life. This increase in happiness is not only reflected in internal family harmony but also plays a positive role in the sustainable development of the national population.
Improving the "childcare for the little ones" service system is an important measure for implementing the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee. The construction of this system helps promote the upgrading of China's modern public service system, facilitates the equalization of basic public services between urban and rural areas, narrows regional development gaps, and provides support for the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity. In this process, governments at all levels, through policy support, resource investment, and service standardization, are gradually increasing the coverage and quality of services, thus laying a solid foundation for the construction of a birth-friendly society.
II. Challenges Faced by the "Childcare for the Little Ones" Service System in Promoting the Construction of a Birth-Friendly Society
Local governments must pay high attention to the "construction of a birth-friendly society" and understand the real needs of the masses. According to published reports on fertility intentions, the current "childcare for the little ones" service system faces the following challenges.
Insufficient supply of childcare service resources. Currently, there is a clear imbalance in the "childcare for the little ones" service system between urban and rural areas and across different regions. In rural and remote areas, the supply of childcare services is seriously insufficient, failing to meet the actual needs of local families. Furthermore, although the government has invested in childcare services in recent years, resources such as funding, venues, and teaching staff remain insufficient overall. This directly leads to limited coverage and uneven service quality. According to a survey by the Mianyang Municipal Bureau of Statistics in Sichuan Province, over 80% of respondents believe that high costs of childbirth and rearing and heavy economic burdens are the primary reasons affecting fertility intentions. The insufficient supply of childcare resources not only limits the fertility intentions of families of childbearing age but also affects the balanced development across regions to a certain extent.
Problems with service standardization and conceptual limitations. At present, the standardization and professionalization of the childcare service system are not high, and there is a lack of unified service quality standards and supervision systems. This leads to uneven quality among childcare institutions; some even present safety hazards, affecting parents' trust in these services. Additionally, some families and social groups have cognitive misconceptions about childcare services, believing that entrusting young children to external institutions will negatively impact their growth. These conceptual limitations hinder the promotion and popularization of childcare services. A 2024 survey on the marriage and childbearing concepts of the childbearing-age population in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, showed that while approximately 63% of respondents held an open attitude toward childbearing, the vast majority felt "lost" regarding how to rear and educate children, with only 8% saying they had a detailed parenting plan.
Dual pressures from family and society. During the parenting process, families—especially dual-income families—face the dual pressure of child-rearing and work. Many families must face the dilemma of being unable to balance career and parenting after childbirth, which greatly reduces their fertility intentions. According to the Mianyang Bureau of Statistics report, 40.4% of respondents believe that inadequate maternity allowances, leave, and employment security are also important reasons affecting fertility intentions. In response, the government and society need to provide more flexible support policies, such as increasing parental leave and improving flexible working systems, to help families alleviate parenting pressure.
Low coverage of diversified services. Existing childcare service models are singular, mainly concentrated in centralized childcare institutions in cities, and cannot meet the diverse needs of different families, especially when considering differences in economic status and cultural backgrounds. A survey report from Zhushan County, Shiyan City, Hubei Province, shows that the current supply of childcare services for children aged 0 to 3 in Zhushan County is approximately 2.28 slots per thousand people, which is still a significant gap from the provincial government’s "14th Five-Year Plan" objective of 4.5 slots per thousand people by 2025. Therefore, it is necessary to encourage the development of multiple childcare models, including community-embedded childcare and home-based childcare points, to provide more flexible and diverse options.
III. Solving the Parenting Dilemma: Implementing the Strategic Arrangements of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee
Addressing the numerous challenges currently faced by the "childcare for the little ones" service system, the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee proposed a series of pragmatic solutions. These measures aim to break through the parenting dilemma and promote the construction of a birth-friendly society through multi-level and multi-field initiatives.
First, strengthen financial support and reduce parenting costs to stimulate the fertility intentions of families of childbearing age. Local governments should further increase financial subsidies, especially in rural and remote areas where funds are scarce, and increase investment in childcare service facilities to ensure equitable development between urban and rural areas. Through measures such as tax and fee reductions, improving the maternity leave system, establishing a birth subsidy system, and increasing tax deductions for parenting costs, the economic burden on families—especially dual-income families—can be alleviated. These policies will effectively stimulate fertility intentions.
Second, improve service supply and quality through public-private partnerships. Promote the development of public-private partnership models to expand the supply of childcare services in a diversified manner. This reflects the strategic arrangement of the Third Plenary Session to "support various models such as employer-run childcare, community-embedded childcare, and home-based childcare points." On this basis, the standardization and regulation of childcare services should be enhanced, and a sound supervision system for service quality should be established to ensure safety and professionalism. At the same time, professional training and benefits for childcare practitioners should be provided to improve the professional quality and stability of the teaching staff.
Third, improve birth support policies and promote equitable urban-rural development. Improve the birth support policy system and promote the movement of related public services alongside population migration. This ensures the rational concentration and orderly flow of the population between urban and rural areas and across regions, guaranteeing that all families of childbearing age can enjoy equitable service support. This measure helps families obtain continuous support during migration, avoiding service interruptions caused by changes in residence.
Fourth, strengthen publicity and education to create a birth-friendly social environment. Through media publicity and community education, the public's and families' understanding and acceptance of childcare services should be enhanced. Publicity and education should be integrated into the implementation of all policies to enhance their effectiveness and social support, jointly promoting the construction of a birth-friendly society.
The Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee has pointed the way toward solving the parenting dilemma and improving the "childcare for the little ones" service system. The government, society, and families should work together to implement various policy measures, continuously improving the equity, accessibility, and quality of the system, thereby laying a solid foundation for a birth-friendly society full of hope and vitality.
Conclusion
Improving the "childcare for the little ones" service system is the foundation for promoting a birth-friendly society. The soundness of this system is not only a guarantee for family happiness but also a source of vitality for the country's long-term development. By improving service supply, enhancing quality, solving urban-rural and regional imbalances, and optimizing parenting support policies, we can effectively reduce the pressure of child-rearing and stimulate fertility intentions. This will not only help respond to the challenges of the declining birthrate and population aging but also provide a solid foundation and powerful impetus for social harmony and sustainable national development.