What question did this study set out to answer?

The research aims to address the divisions in China's early childhood education system and propose strategies for integration.

April 14, 2026Open Access

From structural division to integration: reforming curriculum and teacher development for China’s early childhood education and care system

Key Points

The research aims to address the divisions in China's early childhood education system and propose strategies for integration.
Analyzed the age-phase division of 0-3 and 3-6 years in ECEC policies.
Reviewed relevant domestic and international scholarship on curriculum and teacher development.
Explored strategies for curriculum coherence across the 0-6 age range.
Identified the structural divide limits the effectiveness of ECEC policies.
Proposed culturally grounded strategies for curriculum integration.
Outlined pathways for improving teacher development to support integrated care and education.

Abstract

Abstract Efforts to advance an integrated early childhood education and care (ECEC) system in China are constrained by a persistent age-phase division: childcare for children aged 0–3 and preschool education for ages 3–6. This structural divide limits curriculum continuity and constrains the implementation of integrated ECEC policies. Drawing on domestic and selected international scholarship, this study examines how the 0–3/3–6 division is reproduced in curriculum implementation and teacher development. It further proposes culturally grounded strategies to promote curriculum coherence across the 0–6 continuum and to reconfigure teacher development pathways supporting integrated care-education practice.

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