660,000 nursery slots set to open in China

China plans to add 660,000 affordable nursery care slots and hit the goal of raising the number of 4.5 slots per 1,000 population by the end of this year, an official at the National Health Commission said on Monday.

Wang Haidong, director of the commission's maternal and child health department, said during a news conference that central funds will be invested into building more nursery care service centers and public facilities to expand access to convenient, affordable and high quality services for families.

Various service models, such as community-based childcare, employer-run nurseries and family day care, will be developed. Kindergartens, as well as county-level or district-level general hospitals, traditional Chinese medicine hospitals and maternal and childcare institutions are also encouraged to provide such services.

Tax reductions and discounts in water, electricity, gas and heating fees for nursery care institutions should be implemented, and operation subsidies will be considered. Medical institutions will give guidance to nurseries and help train their staff, Wang added.

The lack of trustworthy and affordable nursery care services is deemed a major factor that has discouraged Chinese couples from having babies, prompting central and local governments to launch measures to add services and reduce costs.

So far, more than 1,300 district-level authorities have rolled out supportive measures to help cut the price of nursery care services, according to the commission.