China is one of the few governments that attach much importance to preschool education.
Since 1949 when the People's Republic of China was founded, a Preschool Section was established in China's educational department.
After implementation of the reform and opening up policies, the State Council proposed the principle of developing preschool education through the joint efforts of the State, collectives and individuals, and stipulated that sponsors of kindergartens in urban and rural areas might raise funds on their own to cover expenses and that they might collect reasonable fees form parents. With unremitting efforts, preschool education has gradually developed into a great cause contributed by the nation, collectives and individuals. Education fund has increased steadily over the years.
At present, the form of preschool education varies a lot. In cities and towns, kindergartens are run by educational departments, government organs, enterprises, sub-district offices and individuals, with a 3-year period of schooling. In rural areas, towns and villages sponsor kindergartens with a 1-year period of schooling. By 1997, there were 183,000 kindergartens in China with 25.19 million children, and attendance rate of children aged 3 to 5 was 41 percent.