According to data released by the Ministry of Education, the number of kindergartens nationwide in 2025 decreased by 21,400 compared to 2024, and the number of children in kindergartens decreased by 3.5847 million;At the other end, by the end of 2025, the population aged 60 and above has exceeded 320 million.Between this ‘one decrease and one increase,’ a spatial relay from ‘children’s paradise’ to ‘elderly care nest’ is quietly unfolding across the country. Let’s visit Tianqiao District in Jinan, Shandong, to explore this transformation in practice.
At the Sanjiaoxian Comprehensive Elderly Care Service Center on Baohua Street, Tianqiao District, Jinan City, Shandong Province, elderly people are doing exercises and singing along to music. This single-story courtyard was originally a private kindergarten with a history of more than 30 years. As the population structure of the old urban area evolved and surrounding public kindergartens were gradually built and put into operation, enrollment at this private kindergarten continued to shrink. By the end of 2024, it faced closure, and the site was about to become idle. Meanwhile, elderly people aged 60 and above account for as much as 38% of the Sanjiaoxian community population, making the demand for nearby elderly care services extremely urgent.
At the Sanjiaoxian Comprehensive Elderly Care Service Center on Baohua Street, Tianqiao District, Jinan City, Shandong Province, elderly people are doing exercises and singing along to music. This single-story courtyard was originally a private kindergarten with a history of more than 30 years. As the population structure of the old urban area evolved and surrounding public kindergartens were gradually built and put into operation, enrollment at this private kindergarten continued to shrink. By the end of 2024, it faced closure, and the site was about to become idle. Meanwhile, elderly people aged 60 and above account for as much as 38% of the Sanjiaoxian community population, making the demand for nearby elderly care services extremely urgent.
Based on thorough research, the sub-district office, leveraging the building’s own advantages, launched the transformation exploration of ‘converting kindergartens into elderly care facilities.’ Gong Chengkun has been providing doorstep elderly care services for more than ten years and operates over 20 community elderly care projects in Jinan. This project caught his eye.
Gong Chengkun, operator of the Sanjiaoxian Comprehensive Elderly Care Service Center on Baohua Street, Tianqiao District, Jinan City:The single-story courtyard is down-to-earth and comfortable, which is the kind of elderly care facility we dream of. The sub-district office gave us great support, with nearly 400,000 yuan in construction subsidies. If we can be rated as a three-star facility, we can also receive 100,000 yuan in subsidies every year. We also get residential rates for water and electricity, plus tax subsidies, which greatly reduces a large portion of our costs.
Reporters observed that after the renovation, the elderly care service center is equipped with accessible handrails everywhere, and a dedicated accessible shower room has been set up. The fire protection system has also been upgraded to a higher standard for elderly care institutions. For elderly people with cognitive impairment, a cognitive training activity room has been specially designated. The former children’s kitchen has been transformed into a senior canteen after facility upgrades, providing on-site dining for residents and meal delivery services for the community.
Now, the elderly care service center has more than 40 long-term care beds, and within six months of opening, the occupancy rate has reached 80%. For long-term care, fees range from 4,000 to 5,000 yuan depending on the elderly person’s physical condition. It also offers diversified services such as day care, short-term rehabilitation, a senior canteen, in-home bathing assistance, and meal delivery with medical accompaniment. The affordable embedded elderly care at the doorstep has led many seniors to choose to spend their later years here.
Beyond the iteration of spatial functions, the transformation of people is equally touching. Some early childhood educators who once cared for children chose to stay and found new professional value.
Zhang Aidong, Director of the Triangle Line Comprehensive Elderly Care Service Center, Baohua Street, Tianqiao District, Jinan:I was originally the director of this kindergarten, and now I am the head of the nursing home. I am very happy in my work. I feel that my mindset is basically the same as before, and the residents are all very pleased, saying, ‘You helped raise my children, and now you are taking care of my elderly parents.’ I have also promised them that they can rest assured about the care of the elderly, and the seniors from the surrounding area feel very secure coming here.
Zhang Yan, Assistant Director of the Triangle Line Comprehensive Elderly Care Service Center, Baohua Street, Tianqiao District, Jinan:I have learned a lot about changing diapers for the elderly, cleaning, nursing skills, and basic medical care. Everyone works together as one, and we gradually improve. The pay is much higher than before, and I am quite satisfied.
One Garden, One PolicyExploring Multiple Paths for Idle Kindergarten Facilities
The ‘kindergarten-to-elderly-care’ transformation is finding new uses for idle kindergarten facilities. However, not all kindergartens have the objective conditions to be converted into elderly care institutions, and some regions are exploring more diversified revitalization paths.
At the Sunflower Parent-Child Cottage in Tianqiao District, Jinan, Shandong, the latest parenting public welfare class is being held for nearby residents. Here, the same venue serves both low-age infant and toddler care and community parent-child science activities for residents—an attempt by Tianqiao District to revitalize idle preschool education resources.
Affected by the continued decline in birth rates, over the past three years, more than 40 private kindergartens in Tianqiao District have seen shrinking enrollment. Facing the current situation of idle preschool spaces, local authorities are tailoring solutions for different kindergartens based on their building conditions and surrounding population structure.
Zhang Tingting, Party Group Member and Chief Inspector of the Tianqiao District Education and Sports Bureau, Jinan:We adopt a ‘one kindergarten, one policy’ approach to find solutions for each. Kindergartens with insufficient enrollment are encouraged to actively expand downward into nursery classes; the second option is conversion into elderly care institutions. Our region also has senior universities, and we can utilize venue resources, advancing steadily based on local needs and demands.
During interviews, reporters learned that expanding nursery classes, converting into nursing homes, serving senior universities, running night schools, and improving residents’ activity spaces are currently the main transformation directions for idle kindergartens. And ‘co-care for the elderly and young’ is emerging as a new model.
At Yuan’an Ke’ai Kindergarten in Hangu Town, Chongqing High-tech Zone, although the new semester has not officially started, resident Aunt Xiang brought her granddaughter early in the morning—but not to drop the child off at kindergarten, but to engage in activities at the activity room of the elderly care service station.
The elderly care service station mentioned by Aunt Xiang is located on the third floor of the kindergarten, which had long been unused. Under the guidance of local public service departments, the kindergarten adopted a ‘private operation with public support’ model to carry out age-friendly renovations on the floor. Functional areas for health care, wellness, reading, and leisure were all established one by one, and the service station quickly became a great place for nearby elderly residents to relax and socialize.
Chongqing High-tech ZoneYuAnkeAiLi Jie, head of the kindergarten:After elderly people drop off their children at the kindergarten, they can come upstairs to participate in activities. On holidays, we organize intergenerational activities where the old and young enjoy time together, allowing both generations to bond and have fun as a family.
The ‘Opinions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on Deepening the Reform and Development of Elderly Care Services,’ issued at the end of 2024, clearly proposed building integrated service complexes for both the elderly and children, encouraging the revitalization of idle public spaces and the coordinated layout of elderly care and childcare service facilities. This provides clear policy guidance for practices across the country. Now, from pilot exploration to top-level design, ‘co-care for the elderly and children’ is moving from individual pioneering efforts to nationwide implementation.
Adapting to DemandPreschool Teacher Colleges Add Elderly Care-Related Majors
Spaces are transitioning from single-function use to diversified, composite utilization. At the same time, the talent supply also needs to be adjusted accordingly. Some preschool teacher colleges are actively establishing elderly care-related majors to provide composite talents for the health and wellness industry.
Suzhou Early Childhood Education College, a long-established preschool teacher college with a 50-year history, has for the first time this year launched a new major in Smart Health Elderly Care Services and Management. To strengthen the professional teaching faculty, the college has hired practical training instructors from its partner elderly care service institutions to enrich frontline teaching, while also specifically recruiting high-level health and wellness professionals from society. The curriculum covers multiple areas, including daily care for the elderly, psychological care, prevention of common diseases, and health and wellness tourism management. The shift from cultivating early childhood education talents to nurturing professionals serving the elderly is a significant leap, but in the college’s view, the humanistic literacy cultivated through preschool education is precisely the unique advantage for this transformation.
Head of the Smart Health Elderly Care Services and Management Major at Suzhou Early Childhood Education CollegeCai Ying:This kind of care for people requires long-term cultivation and even a certain atmosphere. Our practical training system runs through almost the entire three years. While meeting spiritual needs, we also do not neglect life rehabilitation training and ability assessment, integrating medical care, elderly care, and education in a multi-faceted manner.
Facing the continuously growing demand for elderly care service talent, Yancheng Kindergarten Teachers College has planned ahead, and its Smart Health Elderly Care Service and Management major has been running for four years.
In the over 7,000-square-meter skills training center, rehabilitation equipment, simulated wards, and other hardware facilities are all available. A relevant person in charge told reporters that teaching content from early childhood education, such as music therapy, dance, calligraphy, and sand painting, has been adapted and transformed into teaching modules for the elderly, including art therapy, psychological counseling, and recreational activities, becoming a distinctive competitive advantage in elderly care talent cultivation.
The strong market demand has also driven a continued rise in applications for the major. By the fall semester of 2026, the enrollment scale for this major has expanded to four classes, doubling in size. The overall employment rate for the first cohort of 103 graduates reached 98%, with a job-matching rate of over 50%.
Head of the Smart Health Elderly Care Service and Management major at Yancheng Kindergarten Teachers CollegeJiZesheng:Our enrollment has been quite popular since the first cohort in 2023. When I first arrived at this school, many students from other majors transferred to preschool education. In the past year or two, the trend has shifted, with many students from various majors wanting to transfer to the smart health elderly care and management program, which also reflects a change in perception towards elderly care.
At the Sanjiaoxian Comprehensive Elderly Care Service Center on Baohua Street, Tianqiao District, Jinan City, Shandong Province, elderly residents are doing exercises and singing along to music. This single-story courtyard facility was originally a private kindergarten with a history of over 30 years. As the population structure of the old urban area shifted and surrounding public kindergartens were gradually built and put into operation, enrollment at this private kindergarten continued to shrink. By the end of 2024, it was facing closure, and the premises were about to become idle. Meanwhile, residents aged 60 and above account for as much as 38% of the population in the Sanjiaoxian community, making the demand for nearby elderly care services extremely urgent.
Zhang Meng, Party Working Committee Secretary of Baohua Street, Tianqiao District, Jinan City, Shandong Province:How could we make use of this idle resource in the area? Through visits to understand the needs of surrounding residents, the elderly told us there was no nearby elderly care service institution. Since it was a single-story structure, and elderly people may have difficulty with mobility, we felt it was very appropriate to convert it into a comprehensive elderly care service center.
Based on thorough research, the street office leveraged the building’s own advantages and launched the exploration of transforming a ‘kindergarten into elderly care.’ Gong Chengkun has been providing home-based elderly care services for over a decade and operates more than 20 community elderly care projects in Jinan. This project caught his eye.
Gong Chengkun, Operator of the Sanjiaoxian Comprehensive Elderly Care Service Center on Baohua Street, Tianqiao District, Jinan City:A single-story courtyard is down-to-earth and comfortable—this is the kind of elderly care facility we dream of. The street office gave us tremendous support, including nearly 400,000 yuan in construction subsidies. If we can be rated as a three-star facility, we can also receive 100,000 yuan in subsidies each year. We also get residential rates for water and electricity, plus tax subsidies, which significantly reduces our costs.
The reporter observed that after the renovation, the elderly care service center is equipped with accessible handrails throughout, and a dedicated accessible bathroom has been installed. The fire protection system has also been upgraded to a higher standard in line with elderly care institutions. For elderly residents with cognitive impairments, a dedicated cognitive training activity room has been set up. The former kindergarten kitchen has been upgraded and transformed into a senior canteen, which not only provides on-site meals for residents of the facility but also offers meal delivery services to the community.
Today, the elderly care service center has set up more than 40 long-term care beds, and within six months of opening, the occupancy rate has reached 80%. Long-term care fees range from 4,000 to 5,000 yuan depending on the elderly’s physical condition. It also provides diversified services such as day care, short-term rehabilitation, elderly canteens, in-home bathing assistance, meal delivery, and medical accompaniment. This affordable embedded elderly care at the doorstep has led many seniors to choose to spend their later years here.
Beyond the iteration of spatial functions, the transformation of people is equally touching. Some early childhood educators who once cared for children have chosen to stay and found new professional value.
Zhang Aidong, Director of the Triangle Line Comprehensive Elderly Care Service Center, Baohua Street, Tianqiao District, Jinan:I was originally the principal of this kindergarten, and now I am the head of the nursing home. I am very happy in my work. I feel that my mindset is basically the same as before, and the residents are all very pleased, saying, ‘You helped raise our children, and now you are taking care of our elderly.’ I have also promised them that they can rest assured about the care of the elderly, and the seniors from the surrounding area feel very secure coming here.
Zhang Yan, Assistant Director of the Triangle Line Comprehensive Elderly Care Service Center, Baohua Street, Tianqiao District, Jinan:I have learned a lot about changing diapers for the elderly, cleaning, nursing skills, and basic medical care. Everyone works together as one, and we gradually improve. The pay is much higher than before, and I am quite satisfied.
One Garden, One Policy
Exploring Diverse Paths for Idle Kindergarten Facilities
The ‘converting kindergartens into elderly care facilities’ approach is finding new ways to utilize idle campus buildings. However, not all kindergartens have the objective conditions to be converted into elderly care institutions, and some places are exploring more diversified paths to revitalize these resources.
In Tianqiao District, Jinan, Shandong, the Sunflower Parent-Child Cottage is holding the latest public parenting class for nearby residents. Here, the same venue serves both infant and toddler childcare and community parent-child science activities, an attempt by Tianqiao District to revitalize idle preschool education resources.
Affected by the continued decline in birth rates, over the past three years, more than 40 private kindergartens in Tianqiao District have seen shrinking enrollment. Facing idle preschool spaces, local authorities have tailored solutions for different kindergartens based on building conditions and surrounding population structure.
Zhang Tingting, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Chief Inspector of the Tianqiao District Education and Sports Bureau:One kindergarten, one strategy, to find a way out for each. Kindergartens with insufficient enrollment are encouraged to actively expand into nursery classes, and the second option is elderly care institutions. Our region also has senior universities, and we can utilize venue resources, combined with local needs and demands, to proceed steadily.
During interviews, reporters learned that expanding nursery classes, transforming into nursing homes, serving senior universities, running night schools, and improving residents’ activity spaces are currently the main transformation directions for idle kindergartens. And ‘co-care for the elderly and young’ is becoming a new model.
At Yu’an Keai Kindergarten in Hangu Town, Chongqing High-tech Zone, before the new semester has officially begun, resident Aunt Xiang brought her granddaughter early in the morning, but not to enroll the child—rather to use the activity room at the elderly care service station.
The elderly care service station Aunt Xiang mentioned is located on the third floor of this kindergarten, which had been idle for a long time. Under the guidance of local public service departments, the kindergarten adopted a ‘private operation with public support’ model to carry out age-friendly renovations on the floor. Health care, reading, and leisure functional areas were all established, and the service station quickly became a popular leisure and social spot for elderly residents in the surrounding area.
Chongqing High-tech ZoneYuAnkeAiKindergarten Principal Li Jie:After seniors send their children to the kindergarten, they can come upstairs to participate in activities. On holidays, we organize activities where the elderly and children enjoy themselves together. Through interaction between the elderly and children, families can share joy across generations.
The ‘Opinions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on Deepening the Reform and Development of Elderly Care Services,’ issued at the end of 2024, clearly proposed building ‘one elderly, one child’ service complexes, encouraging the revitalization of idle public spaces, and coordinating the layout of elderly care and childcare service facilities. This provides clear policy guidance for local practices. Now, from pilot exploration to top-level design, ‘co-care for the elderly and children’ is moving from individual pioneering efforts to nationwide implementation.
The space is transforming from single-function to diversified, multi-purpose use. At the same time, the talent supply also needs to be adjusted accordingly. Some preschool teacher colleges are actively developing elderly care-related majors to provide interdisciplinary talent for the health and wellness industry.
Suzhou Early Childhood Education College, a veteran preschool teacher training institution with a 50-year history, has launched its first new major in Smart Health and Elderly Care Services and Management this year. To strengthen the professional faculty, the school has hired practical training instructors from its cooperative elderly care service institutions to enrich frontline teaching, while also specifically recruiting high-level elderly care professionals from society. The curriculum covers multiple areas including daily care for the elderly, psychological nursing, prevention of common diseases, and elderly care tourism management. The transition from training preschool educators to cultivating professionals for elderly care services is significant, but the school believes that the humanistic literacy accumulated through preschool education is a unique advantage for this transformation.
Program Director of Smart Health and Elderly Care Services and Management, Suzhou Early Childhood Education CollegeCai Ying:Caring for people requires long-term cultivation and even a certain atmosphere. Our practical training system runs through almost the entire three years. While meeting spiritual needs, we also do not neglect life rehabilitation training and ability assessment, integrating medical care, elderly care, and education in multiple ways.
In response to the continuously growing demand for elderly care service professionals, Yancheng Early Childhood Education College has planned earlier, and its Smart Health and Elderly Care Services and Management major has been running for four years.
Inside the skills training center covering over 7,000 square meters, hardware facilities such as rehabilitation equipment and simulated wards are all available. The relevant person in charge told reporters that the original teaching content in early childhood education, such as music therapy, dance, calligraphy, and sand painting, has been adapted and transformed into teaching modules for the elderly, including art therapy, psychological counseling, and recreational activities, which have become a distinctive competitive advantage in cultivating elderly care talent.
The strong market demand has also driven the popularity of the major to keep rising. By the fall semester of 2026, the enrollment scale of this major has expanded to four classes, doubling in size. The overall employment rate of the first batch of 103 graduates reached 98%, with the professional matching employment rate exceeding 50%.
Head of the Smart Health Elderly Care Service and Management major at Yancheng Kindergarten Teachers CollegeJiZeSheng:Our enrollment has been quite popular since the first cohort in 2023. When I first came to this school, many students from other majors transferred to preschool education. In the past year or two, the trend has been that many students from various majors want to transfer to the Smart Health Elderly Care Service and Management major, which also reflects a shift in the perception of elderly care.
Source: CCTV News
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The 9th China Senior Care Industry Lujiazui Summit
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At the Sanjiaoxian Comprehensive Elderly Care Service Center on Baohua Street, Tianqiao District, Jinan City, Shandong Province, elderly people are doing exercises and singing along to music. This single-story courtyard was originally a private kindergarten with a history of more than 30 years. As the population structure of the old urban area evolved and surrounding public kindergartens were gradually built and put into operation, enrollment at this private kindergarten continued to shrink. By the end of 2024, it faced closure, and the site was about to become idle. Meanwhile, elderly people aged 60 and above account for as much as 38% of the Sanjiaoxian community population, making the demand for nearby elderly care services extremely urgent.
Gong Chengkun, operator of the Sanjiaoxian Comprehensive Elderly Care Service Center on Baohua Street, Tianqiao District, Jinan City:The single-story courtyard is down-to-earth and comfortable, which is the kind of elderly care facility we dream of. The sub-district office gave us great support, with nearly 400,000 yuan in construction subsidies. If we can be rated as a three-star facility, we can also receive 100,000 yuan in subsidies every year. We also get residential rates for water and electricity, plus tax subsidies, which greatly reduces a large portion of our costs.
Beyond the iteration of spatial functions, the transformation of people is equally touching. Some early childhood educators who once cared for children chose to stay and found new professional value.
