Abstract:

To cure poverty first, to cure foolishness is a long-term strategy in the battle against poverty. In order to promote the development of children in poverty-stricken areas and explore effective ways to block the intergenerational transmission of poverty, China Development Research Foundation (CDRF), with the support of local governments and Administration Bureau, carried out an early childhood development project for children in poverty-stricken areas in Ledu County in 2009, including two projects of one village one preschool and nutrition package. With the continuous expansion of scale, improvement of quality and vigorous promotion by the local government, the one village one preschool project was scaling-up in 2016. Over the past 10 years since the implementation of the “One Village One Preschool project” program, a village-level preschool education service system has been put in place, significantly increasing the three-year gross enrollment rate of preschool education in poor areas. By the end of 2019, the three-year gross enrollment rate of preschool schools in Ledu District had exceeded 98 percent. Over the past 10 years, 8705 children in Ledu have graduated from mountain kindergartens and entered the compulsory education stage, benefiting more than 5400 families. The mountain village kindergartens have guaranteed nearly 30% of the poor rural students in the county, and the total per capita cost is only 1/6—1/8 of that of county-level public kindergartens. By the end of 2019, the “One Village One Preschool” program had been widely implemented in 33 counties in 11 central and western provinces, with more than 80000 children enrolled and more than 210000 people benefiting from it. The quality and effect of the "One Village One Preschool" program are ideal and practical. The development level, psychological characteristics, intelligence and learning ability of the children who benefit from the program are generally better than those who do not go to kindergartens and children in towns and villages, and some aspects are close to those in county-level public kindergartens. In terms of benefits, cost effectiveness, educational effect and social impact, the “One Village One Preschool” plan is an excellent project of targeted poverty alleviation through education, which embodies the basic public service value orientation of social justice.

Key words: Targeted poverty alleviation through education, One Village One Preschool, Child development, education quality