Young children play at the day care center of Jiangning Road Subdistrict in Jing'an district, Shanghai. [Photo by Gu Yingjie/chinadaily.com.cn]

BEIJING -- China has continued to enhance its childcare service system, providing 4.77 million childcare slots nationwide by the end of 2023, according to a report presented at a session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on Tuesday.

The report revealed that the number of childcare slots per 1,000 people had reached 3.38 by the end of last year, with various service models available, such as community-based childcare, employer-run nurseries, family daycare and comprehensive childcare centers.

At the conclusion of 2023, there were approximately 1.12 million full-time employees in China's childcare sector -- half of whom were childcare staff.

Looking ahead, China aims to increase the number of childcare slots per 1,000 people to 4.5 by the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), according to the report.