Running preschool education well is related to the healthy growth of millions of children and the vital interests of millions of households. Recently, the General Office of the State Council issued the "Opinions on Gradually Promoting Free Preschool Education". How to waive the cost of preschool education? Where does the subsidy fund come from? How to ensure the quality of kindergarten operation? On August 7th, at the regular briefing on State Council policies held by the State Council Information Office, relevant officials from the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance provided interpretations on issues of public concern. How to waive the cost of preschool education? According to the Opinion, starting from the autumn semester of this year, public kindergartens will be exempt from paying fees for the care and education of children in the kindergarten for the first year. Vice Minister of Finance Guo Tingting stated that the national policy of exempting childcare and education fees covers all children in kindergarten classes, and is expected to benefit about 12 million people in this autumn semester. The proportion of childcare and education expenses in the total expenditure on preschool education in families is relatively high, and the exemption of fees will effectively reduce family education expenses. This autumn semester alone, the national finance will increase expenditure by about 20 billion yuan, and household expenditure will correspondingly decrease by about 20 billion yuan. The policy covers all eligible children in kindergarten classes, including public and private kindergartens, as well as urban and rural kindergartens. The free standard shall be implemented in accordance with the charging standards for public kindergarten conservation and education fees formulated by relevant local departments. How much was previously charged for childcare and education fees in public kindergartens, and how much is now fully waived. For eligible children studying in private kindergartens approved by the education department, the corresponding reduction and exemption of childcare and education fees shall be based on the exemption level of public kindergartens of the same type in the location of the private kindergarten. For example, the fee standard for childcare and education in a private kindergarten is 800 yuan per person per month, while the fee standard for public kindergartens of the same type in the same location is 500 yuan. After the policy is implemented, all large class children studying in public kindergartens will be exempted from the 500 yuan fee. Large class children studying in private kindergartens will be exempted according to the standard of 500 yuan, and only pay the difference of 300 yuan. For places where the policy of exempting childcare and education fees has been explored, if the scope of the implemented policy exceeds one year before school, it can continue to be implemented. The Opinion encourages all regions to consolidate and implement support policies for economically disadvantaged children and other groups based on their actual situation, ensuring that the beneficiary groups are not reduced, the policies benefiting the people are not discounted, and the guarantee level is not lowered. We will comprehensively consider factors such as changes in the school-age population and financial situation of preschool education, and work with the Ministry of Education to timely improve the free policy to benefit more children. ”Guo Tingting said. Where does the subsidy fund come from? It is crucial to gradually implement free preschool education and ensure financial investment. The Opinion clarifies that for the portion of kindergarten income reduced due to exemption from childcare and education fees, the government will provide subsidies to the kindergarten, and the required funds will be jointly borne by the central and local governments. Among them, the central government distributes 80%, 60%, and 50% of the funds to the western, central, and eastern regions respectively. Xu Liuqing, Director General of the Department of Science, Education and Culture of the Ministry of Finance, introduced that regarding the issue of financial subsidy standards, this year's comprehensive consideration will be given to factors such as the actual per capita charging level of public kindergarten childcare education fees in each province, and will be determined on a provincial by provincial basis. In future years, regular evaluations of policy implementation will be conducted, and based on the results, the per capita financial subsidy standards for free childcare and education fees in each province will be adjusted to ensure the normal operation of kindergartens. How to ensure the implementation of policies less than a month before the start of the autumn semester? Xu Liuqing stated that the Ministry of Finance has fully arranged for the central government to bear the subsidy funds for free childcare and education expenses, which will be issued in the near future; We also guide various regions to combine local conditions, classify and refine the financial subsidy standards for free childcare and education expenses within the province, formulate implementation plans as soon as possible, and urge local governments to implement subsidy funds. At the same time, strengthen the supervision and management of funds to ensure standardized, safe, and effective use of funds. Liu Yuguang, Director of the Finance Department of the Ministry of Education, stated that the Ministry of Education will strengthen the deployment and implementation, reverse the schedule to promote policy implementation, and guide various regions to carry out business training for kindergarten principals and funding staff. All regions will complete the preparation work before the end of August, so that children in large classes can enjoy the policy dividends at the beginning of this autumn semester. We will rely on the preschool education management information system to strengthen the management of school enrollment information for children in kindergartens, accurately review relevant data, strengthen data integration, sharing, and cross auditing with relevant departments, achieve authenticity, accuracy, accuracy, and accuracy, and provide solid data support for policy implementation and fund disbursement. ”Liu Yuguang said. Will the quality of park management be affected? Parents are concerned about whether the gradual implementation of free preschool education will affect the quality of kindergarten operation? On June 1st of this year, the Law on Preschool Education was officially promulgated and implemented, providing strong legal protection for eligible children to fairly enjoy their right to education. Liu Yuguang stated that the Ministry of Education, together with the Ministry of Finance and other relevant departments, will further promote the standardization of park management behavior and improve the quality of park management in various regions in accordance with the requirements of the Preschool Education Law and the "Outline of the Plan for Building an Education Strong Country (2024-2035)". Establish a sound coordination mechanism. Clarify departmental division of labor, improve work mechanisms based on local conditions, and form a joint force to support the sustainable and healthy development of local preschool education. Standardize the behavior of park management. The state has regulations on the qualifications and staffing of kindergarten teachers, funding investment, and fee collection behavior. Promote each kindergarten to refine institutional measures based on actual conditions, strictly enforce the qualifications of kindergarten teachers, and ensure the "entry gate" is well controlled; Strictly regulate daily park management behavior and maintain the "safety gate". Improve the quality of childcare and education. Respect the laws of children's physical and mental development, scientifically implement childcare and education activities, deepen the reform of kindergarten education research, implement a game based educational environment, stimulate children's intrinsic drive for inquiry and learning, and enable children to grow happily in games and life. Strengthen regulatory responsibilities. Strengthen the regulatory responsibilities of local governments and relevant departments, strictly supervise at the source, strictly grasp the conditions for setting up parks, and enhance the review of school qualifications; Strengthen process supervision, and firmly adhere to the bottom line of standardized park management and the red line of teacher and student safety through dynamic supervision, information filing, and public disclosure. Strengthen supervision and evaluation. Promote the national level supervision, evaluation, and certification of the popularization and inclusiveness of preschool education, optimize the supervision and evaluation procedures, increase supervision efforts, and promote the transition of preschool education from "providing education for young children" to "providing excellent education for young children". It is reported that from 2013 to 2024, the central government has arranged a total of 220.9 billion yuan in transfer payments for preschool education, driving all parties to continuously increase investment. At present, the resources for preschool education continue to increase, the level of popularization has significantly improved, and the problem of "difficulty in entering kindergarten" has been effectively alleviated. By 2024, the gross enrollment rate of preschool education in China will reach 92%, an increase of more than 20 percentage points compared to 2012. Next, the Ministry of Finance will work with the Ministry of Education to further improve policy measures, support and guide local governments to increase investment, optimize expenditure structures, and promote the popularization, inclusiveness, safety, and high-quality development of preschool education, "said Xu Liuqing. (New Society)