Kindergarten can cost a Chinese family of three as much as 30% of their household income. © Kyodo
KENTARO SHIOZAKI
BEIJING -- The Chinese government is planning a step-by-step approach to making early childhood education free, aiming to reduce the burden of high child-rearing costs on households, spark consumer spending and boost the declining birthrate.
The government will establish a new subsidy system and work with local authorities to cover education costs for the three years before elementary school. The National Development and Reform Commission, which sets economic policy, announced the plans at the National People's Congress earlier this month.