China to put affordable nursery care system in place by 2030

China aims to add 660,000 affordable nursery care slots and raise the number of nursery care slots for toddlers aged 3 and under to 4.5 per 1,000 people by the end of this year, according to a guideline released by the National Health Commission and six other government departments on Tuesday.

By 2030, the nation's affordable nursery care system will be basically established, with supporting policies in place. The number of public nursery care slots should increase significantly and the capacity and quality of such services should also improve markedly.

"Nursery care costs shouldered by families will be effectively lowered and the public's demand for affordable child care services will be largely met," it added.

According to the guideline, the nation's nursery care system will comprise comprehensive service centers and a variety of child care service providers, such as regular nursery care units, home-based or community-based facilities, kindergartens offering child care services as well as facilities funded and managed by employers.

Comprehensive nursery care service centers not only offer care slots, they also provide training for care personnel, child rearing guidance for families with babies and roll out supervision, the commission said in a statement explaining the guideline.

Central finance has been invested in establishing 347 such centers across the nation, it said.