China's draft law on childcare services submitted for first reading

Chinese lawmakers are reviewing a draft law for the first time aimed at promoting and regulating childcare services, strengthening legal protections for children under three, and improving childbirth and parenting support policies.

The draft was submitted on Monday to the ongoing session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), the national legislature, for its first reading.

According to Luo Shugang, chairman of the NPC's Education, Science, Culture and Public Health Committee, the draft law was initiated in 2023. Extensive field visits were subsequently conducted in regions such as Beijing, Guangdong in the south, Heilongjiang in the northeast, and Inner Mongolia in the north to gain a deeper understanding of local childcare services and practices, with the aim of addressing key issues through legislation.

The draft law, comprising eight chapters and 76 articles, adopts a demand-driven, problem-focused approach to tackle key challenges in childcare services, including service quality, provider qualifications, and the regulation and oversight of institutions.

It aims to expand affordable childcare options, reduce the cost of raising children, and establish a diverse, safe, high-quality, reasonably priced, and accessible public childcare system.

Notably, the law strengthens oversight to ensure safety standards are met and children's well-being is protected. The draft law details a list of safety standards, aiming to create a "safety net" for children under childcare. For example, childcare institutions must first obtain approval from competent health authorities and be equipped with appropriate staffing, facilities, and other premises. The draft law also introduces a "blacklist" barring individuals with criminal records such as violent offenses, trafficking, sexual assaults from serving as childcare personnel.

The draft law arrives at a time when China's birthrate is at historical lows, with only 6.77 per 1,000 people and 9.54 million births in 2024. This number was already buoyed by the year of the dragon, believed to be an auspicious year. Ten years ago, China’s birth rate was at 12.07 per thousand, with 16.55 million live births. One of the key drivers for the declining birth rate is the soaring cost of childcare and living cost.  

China has already implemented a series of policies to lower the cost of childbirth and childcare. China announced a plan to make childbirth essentially free under the national medical insurance system by 2026 at a recent national healthcare security conference. China also subsidizes a standard of 3,600 yuan (about $ 511) per year for each child under the age of three.

(With input from Xinhua)