The Third Childcare Development Forum Successfully Held in Beijing

From October 21 to 22, 2023, the Third Childcare Development Forum was successfully held at Beijing Normal University. Titled "New Opportunities • New Development", the forum was jointly organized by the School of Social Development and Public Policy at Beijing Normal University, and was conducted online and offline synchronously. Focusing on the hot topics of widespread concern in the field of infant and young child care, the participating leaders, experts, scholars and industry representatives shared their cutting-edge perspectives, research results, and practical experience concerning the construction of a universal childcare service system, the integration of medical and educational services with infant and young child care, the cultivation of childcare talents, the integration of university-run childcare and education, family care guidance and infant care services, high-quality development of infant and young child care services, childcare needs, and the operation of childcare institutions, etc.

More than 200 people were present at the forum, including Ma Jun, President of Beijing Normal University, Yang Wenzhuang, Director of the Department of Population Monitoring and Family Development of National Health Commission, principals of relevant departments of the central and local governments, experts and scholars from relevant universities and healthcare departments, and representatives of the childcare service industry, etc. Nearly 2000 people from 34 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions participated in the online forum simultaneously. More than ten media outlets conducted synchronous live-streaming of the main forum, with nearly 70000 online viewers.

(Photo: Panorama of the venue)

In recent years, said Ma Jun, Beijing Normal University has actively carried out scientific research on early childhood development, especially in the field of infant care, in response to the needs of the country and society. Relying on its strength in disciplines such as education, psychology and sociology, Beijing Normal University supports the exploration of high-quality development of childcare services. This forum will establish a first-class platform for the dissemination of scientific concepts in childcare services through cutting-edge policy interpretation, discussions on the current development status of childcare services, and in-depth exchange of experts’ ideas. It will provide intellectual support for promoting the healthy growth of infants and young children, and form a strong synergy with multiple resources to jointly accelerate the vigorous development of childcare. In the future, Beijing Normal University is willing to work with various sectors to leverage its interdisciplinary advantages, innovate professional talent cultivation, strengthen interdisciplinary research on the physical and mental development of infants and young children, focus on the transformation and application of research achievements, and contribute to the high-quality development of infant and young child care services.

(Photo: Speech by Ma Jun, President of Beijing Normal University)

The Party Central Committee has attached, said Yang Wenzhuang, great importance to the care services for infants and young children under the age of three, and made a series of important arrangements. The National Health Commission plays a leading role and actively implements the relevant policies in conjunction with the relevant departments, gradually establishing and improving the policy and regulatory system, standard and normative system, and service supply system for child care.

In collaboration with the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the National Bureau for Disease Control and Prevention, we formulated and issued the "Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Development of Childcare Services Supported by Medical and Health Institutions" recently. With contents covering eight aspects, the "Guiding Opinions" is another powerful measure to boost the high-quality development of childcare services. Currently, based on local realities and the needs of childcare institutions, by making use of their rich resources and talents, many medical and health institutions have actively responded to the national call and established childcare institutions, driving and leading the development of local childcare services. We sincerely hope that in the future, relevant experts, scholars, industry representatives and people from all walks of life who are concerned about the development of China's childcare industry will rely on the Childcare Development Forum - a cross disciplinary and interdisciplinary comprehensive exchange platform to gather social consensus, mobilize social forces and jointly accelerate the implementation of the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and the State Council so as to create a good atmosphere for social support for the development of childcare services and make contributions and provide China's solutions to the high-quality development of childcare services in the new era.

(Photo: Speech by Yang Wenzhuang, Director of the Department of Population Monitoring and Family Development, National Health Commission)

Xu Yongjun, Secondary Inspector of the Department of Population Monitoring and Family Development of National Health Commission, Liu Fang, Deputy Director of the Migrant Population Service Center of National Health Commission, Wang Huishan, a researcher at the National Center for Women's and Children's Health of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and Deputy Director of the 0-3-year-old Child Care Professional Committee of the China Preschool Education Research Association, Li Minyi, a professor of the Education Department at Beijing Normal University, and Associate Professor Gao Jiamin from the School of Social Development and Public Policy at Beijing Normal University gave keynote speeches at the event, systematically sorting and analyzing the latest policies on childcare services, assessment and guidance on the environment for infant and young child care, professional development of childcare institution staff, and the employment effectiveness of childcare services, providing data support and practical experience for the development of a universal childcare service system and for achieving the professional, high-quality standardized development of childcare services.

(Photo: Keynote speech by Xu Yongjun, Secondary Inspector of the Department of Population Monitoring and Family Development, National Health Commission)

(Photo: Keynote speech by Liu Fang, Deputy Director of Migrant Population Service Center, National Health Commission)

(Photo: Keynote speech by Wang Huishan, researcher at the National Center for Women's and Children's Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention)

(Photo: Keynote speech by Li Minyi, Professor of the Education Department, Beijing Normal University)

(Photo: Keynote speech by Associate Professor Gao Jiamin from the School of Social Development and Public Policy,Beijing Normal University)