China increases preschool education funding by 38% to expand free early learning access

China has significantly increased state funding for preschool education in 2026, allocating around US$6.7 billion to strengthen access to affordable early childhood learning and improve education standards nationwide, reports China Daily, a partner of TV BRICS.

According to the country’s finance authorities, the new allocation represents a 38 per cent increase compared with the previous year, underlining Beijing’s growing focus on social welfare, educational equality and long-term human capital development.

The funding will primarily support local governments in implementing policies that remove childcare and kindergarten tuition fees, expand inclusive preschool places and improve the quality of early education services across the country. Additional resources will also be directed towards financial assistance programmes for children from low-income and vulnerable families.

Officials said the policy to waive childcare and education fees for children in the final year of public kindergarten, introduced from the autumn term of 2025, has already benefited more than 14 million children. The initiative has also reduced household education spending.

Chinese authorities plan to continue expanding access to high-quality preschool education while addressing regional disparities and operational challenges faced by kindergartens. The government has also pledged to strengthen coordination between national and provincial authorities to ensure stable financing and the effective distribution of subsidy funds.