China's State Council has announced a phased policy to waive tuition and care fees for children in their final year of public preschool starting from the autumn semester of 2025. This initiative aims to reduce household expenses related to early childhood education and support the country's efforts to address its demographic challenges. The policy will uniformly cover approximately 12 million children nationwide and is expected to cut household spending by about 20 billion yuan (approximately $2.8 billion) in the first semester alone, according to the Ministry of Finance. Private kindergartens may still charge fees if their tuition exceeds the waived amount. This move is part of broader pro-natal measures, including subsidies of 3,600 yuan ($500) annually for children under three years old, designed to encourage childbirth and alleviate the financial burden on families.