(Yicai) June 13 -- The number of kindergartens in China has tumbled for three years in a row, mainly due to the declining birth rate. As enrollment gets harder, many kindergartens are exploring new models of combining childcare and elderly care in the same facility.

There were 250,000 kindergartens in China at the end of 2024, a drop of 8 percent from a year earlier, according to a report released yesterday by the Ministry of Education. Some 87 percent of these are public or subsidized by the government.

Ninety-two percent of the 35.8 million children enrolled in preschool education across the country attend these more affordable kindergartens, the report said.

The pace of closures may start to slow down soon though. This is because although the number of births continued to fall from 2021 to 2023, the drop has been leveling off. In fact, there were 520,000 more births in 2024 than in 2023 and this could help stabilize kindergarten numbers.

On the other hand, the number of senior citizens is on the rise. People aged 60 and above accounted for 22 percent of the total population at 310.3 million people as of the end of last year. Of these, 220 million were aged 65 and above, accounting for 15.6 percent of the population.

As China’s population ages, there is increasing demand for elderly care services. Many regions are trying out new types of facilities that combine nursing homes and childcare services, to create multi-purpose spaces that serve both ends of the age spectrum.

During this year’s Two Sessions, which are the country’s annual policy setting meetings, National People’s Congress delegate Jia Liang suggested that the government explore the idea of repurposing large, underused community spaces, like kindergartens, to provide elderly care closer to home. This would give senior citizens access to a more diverse range of care options while also making use of idle kindergarten facilities.

In places like Lianyungang’s Haizhou district in eastern Jiangsu province, more kindergartens are applying to join pilot programs for these mixed-age care models, according to local media reports. Cities like Shenzhen, Taiyuan and Jinan have already started experimenting with “preschool-to-senior” conversions and integrated care programs.

Editor: Kim Taylor