Recently, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Finance issued the "Notice on Improving Kindergarten Fee Policies" (hereinafter referred to as the "Notice"), aiming to better promote the popularization, inclusiveness, safety, and high-quality development of preschool education, effectively reduce the cost of childcare and education for the people, and promote the improvement of the birth support policy system. The Notice adheres to the positioning of preschool education as a public welfare attribute, and promotes the reasonable formation of charging standards by standardizing charging items, classifying and improving charging management methods, clarifying the principles of charging standard formulation, improving the evaluation and optimization mechanism of charging policies, establishing a directory list system, and strengthening the supervision of charging behavior. It better leverages the driving force of charging policies on high-quality and inclusive supply. The Notice specifies that kindergarten fees include childcare and education fees (hereinafter referred to as "childcare and education fees"), accommodation fees, service fees, and agency fees. Those who offer daycare classes may also charge childcare fees. Among them, childcare fees refer to the fees charged by kindergartens for providing preschool education to children in the kindergarten; Accommodation fees refer to the fees charged by boarding kindergartens for providing accommodation services to children living in the kindergarten; Childcare fees refer to the fees charged by kindergartens for providing childcare services for infants and young children aged 2-3 through the establishment of daycare classes; Service fees refer to the fees charged by kindergartens for providing services voluntarily chosen by parents to children in addition to completing normal childcare education; Proxy fees refer to the fees collected and paid by kindergartens on behalf of service providers for the convenience of children's learning and living in the kindergarten, with the voluntary consent of parents. Service items directly related to kindergarten childcare and education, as well as projects that are explicitly guaranteed by the government, shall not be included in service fees or agency fees. The Notice specifies that the tuition and accommodation fees charged by inclusive kindergartens (including public kindergartens and inclusive private kindergartens) and other non-profit private kindergartens shall be subject to government guidance prices. Among them, the education and accommodation fees collected by public kindergartens are managed as administrative fees. The fees charged by for-profit private kindergartens are subject to market adjustment, and the kindergarten shall reasonably determine the fee standards based on factors such as operating costs and market supply and demand, and report to the education administrative department at or above the county level. Education, development and reform, and finance departments in various regions should strengthen supervision, and if necessary, conduct cost investigations to guide reasonable fees and curb excessive fees. The Notice requires that all regions should formulate and adjust the fee standards for inclusive kindergartens and other non-profit private kindergartens, based on cost supervision or investigation, taking into account the cost after deducting government investment, social donations, etc., and comprehensively considering the local economic and social development level, public affordability, market supply and demand conditions, institutional nature, service types, and other situations to reasonably determine. (New Society)