Early Childhood Education and Care in a Post-pandemic Economy: Lessons from China

Abstract

The mismatch between the demand side and the supply side in the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) sector has been a recurring pattern for a long period of time. Unlike the other levels and types of education, over 60% of provision in the ECEC sector comes from private organizations in China. Following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, challenges have emerged in the high-level customer contact services and the classic labour-intensive industries. From the "regular epidemic prevention and control" point of view, regulatory reform is necessary, such as translating the "price cap regulation" into the "rate of return regulation", enforcing the demand side incentive, combining regulatory innovation and technical innovation, and creating good conditions for the professional development of teachers in the ECEC sector.