China’s Preschool Education Toward 2035: Views of Key Policy Experts - Expert Interview Findings

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by hdkawk

Purpose: 2020 marks the end of China’s preschool education popularization policy and the start of Education Modernization 2035. Expert interview evidence examines the top-level design and development prospects for preschool education through 2035. Design/Approach/Methods: Eleven experts, including policymakers, administrators, scholars, and practitioners, were interviewed. Findings: Progress requires integrating macro, meso, and micro elements, emphasizing public welfare, reforming education systems and mechanisms, prioritizing quality improvement, and building a new China-characteristics preschool development model.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages23

Reading Time58 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Purpose

Design/Approach/Methods

Findings

Context

Global policy trends and technology impacts

Achievements of preschool education in China since 2010

Government leadership and policy instruments

Growth indicators (2010 vs 2018)

China’s Preschool Education Toward 2035: Views of Key Policy Experts Yong Jiang (姜勇) East China Normal University Beibei Zhang (张蓓蓓) East China Normal University Ying Zhao (赵颖) East China Normal University Chuchu Zheng (郑楚楚) East China Normal University ECNU Review of Education 2022, Vol. 5(2) 345–367 ª The Author(s) 2021 Article reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[ ](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[DOI: 10.1177/20965311211012705](DOI: 10.1177/20965311211012705)[ ](DOI: 10.1177/20965311211012705)[journals.sagepub.com/home/roe](journals.sagepub.com/home/roe) Abstract Purpose: 2020 is the concluding year of the basic preschool education popularization policy in China and marks the beginning of China’s Education Modernization 2035 . This study focuses on the top-level design and the prospect of the development plan of China’s preschool education toward 2035 . Design/Approach/Methods: The research method adopted is expert interview. We interviewed 11 experts, including policymakers, educational administrators, scholars, and practitioners in the education. Findings: To develop China’s preschool education, we need to integrate macro-level, mesolevel, and micro-level contents: focusing on public welfare as the development concept, furthering the reform of the educational system and mechanism, making quality improvement the plan’s key goal, and forming a new preschool education development mode with Chinese characteristics. Corresponding author: Beibei Zhang, East China Normal University, 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai, China. Email: [zhangbb103@163.com](zhangbb103@163.com) Creative Commons Non Commercial CC BY-NC: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License ([https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages ([https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage](https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage)). Originality/Value: This study hopes to clarify the focus to have an impact on China’s preschool education toward 2035. It also aims to provide suggestions about preschool education development for other countries. Keywords China’s education modernization 2035 , developmental plans, expert interview, preschool education Date received: 10 March 2020; revised: 23 June 2020, 17 August 2020, 21 August 2020, 26 March 2021; accepted: 6 April 2021 Context Since preschool education has a great impact on the development of individuals, families, and countries (Edwards, 2001; Yu & Miao, 2015), the quality improvement of preschool education has become a global trend. Countries and relevant organizations worldwide have designed plans for the development of preschool education. Through the integrated analysis of the Incheon Declaration for Education 2030 (UNESCO, 2015), Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (U.K., 2017), Every Student Succeeds Act (U.S., 2015), Investing in the Early Years–A National Early Childhood Development Strategy (Australia, 2009), Pathways to the Future: Nga Huarahi Arataki (New Zealand, 2002), Hakutulokset hakusanalla: Education and research development plan 2011–2016 (Finland, 2011), and Major Policies and Plans for 2016 (Korea, 2016), it is found that they all emphasize high-quality preschool education, paying attention to preschool education equity and disadvantaged children, improving the quality of teachers, and so on. In addition, the application and gradual popularization of the Internet, Internet of Things, Big Data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, sensor technology, robotics, virtual reality, and other new technologies in the field of education (Yang, 2019) has also injected

FAQs

What is the study’s main purpose for preschool education toward 2035?

The study examines top-level design and development prospects for China’s preschool education toward 2035, using 2020 as a policy transition point.

What research method is used in the study?

The study uses an expert interview method and interviews 11 experts, including policymakers, educational administrators, scholars, and practitioners.

What key elements does the study recommend to develop preschool education in China?

It recommends integrating macro-, meso-, and micro-level contents, focusing on public welfare, reforming educational systems and mechanisms, making quality improvement the key goal, and forming a new preschool development mode with Chinese characteristics.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by hdkawk