Reflection And Improvement On The Support Policy For Inclusive Private Kindergartens In My Countr

Preschool education is the beginning of lifelong education and a public welfare undertaking.Developing preschool education has gained consensus among countries worldwide.Since its founding,preschool education in our country has progressed despite challenges.Although the government has given it a certain amount of attention,due to a weak foundation and heavy debt,preschool education is still the weakest element in the entire education system.The supply and demand contradiction in the field of preschool education has once intensified,and "difficulty in getting into kindergarten and high cost of attending" has gradually evolved into a social ailment,leading to discontent among the public.Practice proves that the development of public welfare and charitable preschool education is in line with the fundamental interests of the nation and the people.Charitable private kindergarten should become one of the crucial supply sources of charitable preschool education.However,due to the incompleteness of support policies,charitable private kindergartens have not achieved their expected outcomes even after more than a decade of development.Studying the support policies for charitable private kindergartens has both academic value and practical significance for expanding the supply of charitable preschool education resources and promoting the construction of a charitable preschool public service system.Many scholars in China have paid attention to this issue,however,the previous studies are not systematic,in that the description of the whole picture of the policy is not clear enough.Therefore,through the analysis of policy literature,this study uses literature research method,text research method,systematic research method,and comparative research method to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the policy texts,uncover the deep reasons behind the policies,and on this basis,propose improvement strategies to optimize the support policies.The pattern of preschool education in China has undergone several changes,from the stagnation of the development of private kindergartens to the gradual recovery of private kindergartens,the development and growth of private kindergartens,and then the rise of private kindergartens.This reflects the pursuit of value for charitable private kindergartens,shifting from a society-oriented approach to a people-oriented approach,from prioritizing efficiency to balancing fairness,from expanding quantity to improving quality,and from pursuing profits to addressing public welfare needs.As a critical component of charitable preschool education,charitable private kindergartens have irreplaceable functions and roles,primarily demonstrated in their ability to serve as a crucial supplement to public kindergartens,to reduce the financial burden on government at all levels,and to enhance the vitality of preschool education.Providing policy support for charitable private kindergartens is a necessary choice for promoting their sustainable development.Policy support is given to charitable private kindergartens,involving education equity,public goods,new public management,and social support;the support policies consist of teacher policies,funding policies,quality policies,and institutional policies;the criteria for evaluating the rationality of support policies primarily include integrity,rationality,clarity,coordination,and innovation.The support policy for charitable private kindergartens is analyzed in three dimensions:policy form,policy content,and policy tools.The findings show that there are gaps in the forms and tools of the policy literature,including a fragmented issue time,a lack of diversity in policy formats,multiple authors,and overlapping focuses.Moreover,there are problems in the policy content,including distorted transmission of upper-lower policy signals,unclear expression of financial policy,missing content in teacher policy,insufficient rationality of quality policy,and weak coordination of system policy;and problems with the policy tools,including low coupling of tool utilization,overuse of command-style tools,insufficient use of capability-style tools,imbalanced use of incentive-style tools,rigid utilization of system change-style tools,and limited use of guidance-style tools.Drawing on the useful results of theories of preschool development in the US,UK and Japan provides inspiration for improving policy support for charitable private schools in China.The lessons learned from this experience include:a complete and sound regulatory system should be ensured;support should be diversified and flexible;educational reform should be consistent;professional training should be effective;and the competitive environment should be fair and orderly.China has completed the initial construction for the support policy system for charitable private kindergartens in the new era.Considering the intrinsic requirements for high-quality development of preschool education in the new era and the people’s higher expectations of the general public for preschool education,optimizing and improving its support policies are crucial and necessary.First,we need to enhance toplevel design and strengthen the systemic nature of support policies,including enhancing the coordination of various policies,forming a mechanism for interlocking and collaboration,highlighting the authoritative role of national policies,and strengthening local policy implementation and flexible use of policies.Second,we need to improve policy measures and enhance the precision of support policies,refine financial policies,ensure that rewards and subsidies are effectively utilized,improve teacher policies,persist in combining cultivation and stability,strengthen quality policies,raise the level of attention given to them by all levels of government,and innovate institutional policies and build an effective mechanism for both internal and external supervision.