China is preparing to implement a national childcare subsidy program, which will commence in late August 2025, as announced by the State Council Information Office during a press conference.
Under this initiative, families with children born from January 1, 2025, onward will receive an annual financial assistance of 3,600 yuan (around $500) per child until they turn three years old. The program will also retroactively include children born before this date, provided they are still under three; in such cases, the subsidy will be adjusted based on the child’s age.
Applications for the subsidy can be made by either parent or a legal guardian, and they can choose between online submission through the national childcare subsidy information system or designated offline methods.
This policy is projected to support over 20 million families. Given that China has seen a decline in its birth rate and the number of newborns over the past seven years, with only a slight increase noted in 2024, this initiative forms part of a larger strategy aimed at alleviating the financial pressures on working parents and promoting a rise in birth rates.
Source: news.cgtn.com
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