Early childhood teacher education in China

This chapter critically reviews the unique teacher education system in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), analyzes recent developments in teacher education, and considers the challenges facing early childhood educators. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has undergone dramatic changes and fundamental reforms since the enactment of the “open door” policy in the 1980s. A remarkable increase has been observed in the quantity of early childhood settings and educators. Improvements have been made in quality of early childhood services, and the academic and professional qualifications of teachers have been enhanced. The Chinese government wants to universalize high-quality early childhood education (ECE) by 2020. To achieve this target, millions of teachers have to be recruited, trained, and receive professional development opportunities. Accordingly, new training modes, enhanced professional training opportunities, and better-defined teacher competences and skills are needed. National strategies to address these challenges are considered in this chapter.