On the morning of March 5th, the "Government Work Report" mentioned expanding the supply of high school education places and gradually implementing free preschool education. As soon as the news came out, it quickly attracted public attention. The so-called preschool education refers to the stage before compulsory education, including kindergarten, daycare, and so on. Within the existing education system framework, this part is not included in the compulsory education system, and in terms of protection, it has not yet reached the level of compulsory education. The most obvious manifestation is that kindergartens in most places still charge fees. From the published kindergarten fee standards in various regions, most public kindergartens limit their fees to less than 1000 yuan per month. It is easy to calculate that the annual fee is over 10000 yuan, which is a significant expense for many families. Moreover, from the comments on the internet, it can be seen that some disguised fees are not uncommon. Previously, there was also a phenomenon of kindergartens forcing high priced graduation certificates and photos, which further increased family expenses. Therefore, in recent years, the call for free preschool education has gradually increased. Not long ago, the "Notice of the Ministry of Education on Publishing the List of Counties (Cities, Districts) with Universal Preschool Education in 2024" was released, which sparked heated discussions and many people interpreted it as "free preschool education". Subsequently, experts explained that this was a misreading. But there is no doubt that further strengthening the guarantee of preschool education has formed a consensus among the public. In this government work report, the gradual implementation of free preschool education can be seen as a step forward in the policy and a response to the public's demands, turning the original "misreading" into the "prelude" of the policy. This news has attracted a lot of attention because the effect is very direct - reducing the burden on families in a visible way. It is not surprising that this tangible measure of benefiting the people has received tremendous attention. Of course, how to improve and ensure the quality of free preschool education should also be put on the agenda. A careful understanding reveals that people's perception of the "burden" of preschool education actually comes to a considerable extent from private kindergartens. There are many reasons why people choose private kindergartens, but one reason that cannot be ignored is that in the eyes of some parents, private kindergartens have more advantages in both hardware facilities and teaching level. In contrast, the prices of private kindergartens are naturally higher. From the current level of social development, people are no longer satisfied with having "parks to support" and "schools to attend", but have increasingly high demands for the quality of education and living standards. This also means that the cost of preschool education is only one aspect, and its quality needs to be scrutinized more. It can be imagined that if many parents still choose to send their children to private childcare institutions, they may not necessarily feel the benefits of the free policy. So enhancing the overall competitiveness of public institutions is also an essential part of policy effectiveness. Ensuring the overall quality of education may better achieve the original intention of the "free" policy. On a larger scale, free preschool education can also be observed within the framework of "supporting childbirth". For example, in the government work report, there is another statement that has also attracted considerable attention: formulating policies to promote childbirth, providing childcare subsidies, vigorously developing integrated childcare services, and increasing the supply of inclusive childcare services. The distribution of childcare subsidies, free preschool education, and other related content to some extent share the same goal, which is to reduce the overall parenting expenses of families and create a fertility friendly social atmosphere. Nowadays, encouraging childbirth has gradually become a social call, so real financial support is essential. In addition, society needs to allocate more resources to meet the needs of these people and provide greater incentives to increase their willingness to have children. The proposal of relevant statements in the government work report has an inspiring effect. Society also expects these policy directions to be implemented as soon as possible and become a support for people's daily lives. (New Society)