In June 2024, Guangdong Province took a pioneering step in supporting young families by launching the "Childcare Vouchers" program. This initiative, the first of its kind at the provincial level, saw collaboration among approximately 500 registered childcare institutions across 12 cities. The program is designed to ease the financial burden on families with children under three years of age, offering online vouchers with a maximum value of 2,000 yuan. The ambitious plan aims to distribute over 100,000 vouchers, each with a 60-day validity period.
The launch of the voucher program comes in response to Guangdong's growing population, which saw 1.03 million births in 2023, marking the province as China's topbirth rate region for the sixth year running. This surge has intensified the demand for childcare services for the 0-3 age group. Reflecting this need, the Guangdong Provincial Health Commission reported that, by the end of 2023, the province had over 9,000 childcare facilities, providing more than half a million childcare spots—making it the leader in the country for such provisions.