In Depth: Why China’s Middle Class Is Cutting Back on Private Daycare Centers

It has been more than a year since China reopened from the Covid pandemic. But as evidenced by the latest wave of closures, the country’s childcare sector is still struggling to regain its footing.

In late December, Li Qing received a text message from her child’s daycare center, Learnroom Children’s House in Beijing’s Changping district, saying that it had suspended classes. The action was taken by the staff themselves after the institution failed to pay social security dues, along with part of their wages.