In some big Chinese cities, parents are finding it very difficult to enroll their children in kindergarten.
In Beijing, for instance, growing numbers of children mean available kindergarten spots are short by about 170,000, forcing many parents to explore alternative means of preschool education.
The Beijing News published an editorial saying the government should support the development of new forms of preschool education.
The newspaper notes that the government only recognizes public and well-established private kindergartens.
As kindergarten seats are in short supply, the government often tries to expand the capacity of existing kindergartens or build new ones to meet demand. In Beijing, nearly 20,000 kindergarten seats will be added this year through these means.
But the article says these efforts aren’t enough to meet the growing need – another 150,000 kids still cannot get preschool education.
To solve this problem, some parents in Beijing have come up with new ways of educating their kids.
In one case, several families work together and set up a cooperative “children’s class,” similar to a mini kindergarten, for their kids. Also, some NGOs organize university volunteers to regularly teach and play with kindergarten-age children within communities.
But the newspaper says the government usually does not recognize and has even banned these forms of preschool education.
On the contrary, it calls on the government to facilitate these initiatives and guide them in the right direction to secure their healthy development.
In conclusion, the newspaper says the government should be aware that the goal of offering preschool education can be achieved through various paths
Chinese Gov’t Support to the need of Alternative Preschool Education
In some big Chinese cities, parents are finding it very difficult to enroll their children in kindergarten.
In Beijing, for instance, growing numbers of children mean available kindergarten spots are short by about 170,000, forcing many parents to explore alternative means of preschool education.
The Beijing News published an editorial saying the government should support the development of new forms of preschool education.
The newspaper notes that the government only recognizes public and well-established private kindergartens.
As kindergarten seats are in short supply, the government often tries to expand the capacity of existing kindergartens or build new ones to meet demand. In Beijing, nearly 20,000 kindergarten seats will be added this year through these means.
But the article says these efforts aren’t enough to meet the growing need – another 150,000 kids still cannot get preschool education.
To solve this problem, some parents in Beijing have come up with new ways of educating their kids.
In one case, several families work together and set up a cooperative “children’s class,” similar to a mini kindergarten, for their kids. Also, some NGOs organize university volunteers to regularly teach and play with kindergarten-age children within communities.
But the newspaper says the government usually does not recognize and has even banned these forms of preschool education.
On the contrary, it calls on the government to facilitate these initiatives and guide them in the right direction to secure their healthy development.
In conclusion, the newspaper says the government should be aware that the goal of offering preschool education can be achieved through various paths