Early childhood education in economically disadvantaged rural areas of China

This chapter reviews the development of early childhood education (ECE) in economically disadvantaged rural areas in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) from four aspects: policy, finance and administration, provision and access, and program quality. The nation has attached great importance to ECE for poor and rural children. About 57 % of China’s population lives in rural areas, among whom tens of millions are estimated to be children below 6 years of age. Many of them suffer from poor living conditions and a lack of educational opportunities. Over the past three decades, the Chinese government has formulated many policies to facilitate the implementation of early education in rural areas. The diversity across rural regions has been recognized, and different models of ECE have been explored. This chapter makes recommendations for the further development of ECE in rural areas based on the material reviewed.