A special fund of 1.56 billion yuan ($219 million) that has been allocated by the finance bureau of Baotou over the past few years, continues to facilitate the development of preschool education in Baotou, officials said.

Measures have been taken in four steps in the city in North China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region, according to the finance bureau of Baotou.

These take every aspect of preschool education into consideration including the funding system, resource planning, talent recruitment and public kindergarten subsidies.

Officials said that first, the establishment of a funding system has promoted balanced development of preschool education in Baotou city. Children from public welfare and inclusive kindergartens and private kindergarten are being subsidized by 1,800 yuan per student per academic year.

Free education is given to Mongolian-speaking children, and their living expenses are subsidized by 1,350 yuan per student per academic year.

The second step was to properly plan preschool education resources according to local conditions.

From 2011, through budgetary arrangements, the city obtained 1.4 billion yuan in funding from various sources, such as the government, bank loans and corporate financing.

The city gradually began renovating and expanding 187 kindergartens, with a new building area of 320,000 square meters and 29,000 more children enrolled.

The third step focused on teacher recruitment to enhance professional teaching standards. Since 2015, a special fund of 61.78 million yuan has been allocated through budgetary arrangements, and a monthly subsidy of 1,600 yuan per person per month has been given to professional teachers in public kindergartens in the city.

The fourth step, officials said, was to arrange public funds for kindergartens.

Since 2018, children from public kindergartens are being subsidized by 600 yuan per year and children from inclusive private kindergartens are subsidized by 120 yuan per year.

Officials said that children who receive special education are subsidized by 6,000 yuan per year.