On the morning of November 21, 2025, Director of Li Foundation, Candy Goh, took part in the launch of the China Early Childhood Development (ECD) Collaborative in Beijing, an ambitious initiative dedicated to ensuring that every child in China, particularly those in rural areas, has an equitable start in life.
She was joined by representatives from seven other foundations: the globally renowned Gates Foundation, the Institute of Philanthropy, Yeh Family Philanthropy, Tanoto Foundation, Xinhe Foundation, China Foundation for Rural Development (CFRD), and China Development Research Foundation (CDRF). Despite their diverse backgrounds, these foundations share a singular goal: supporting the healthy development of children from birth to three years old, during the critical first 1,000 days of life.
Scientific evidence underscores the importance of this developmental stage. Qiao Zhengyang, Deputy Secretary-General of the CDRF, shared: “From birth to age three, the brain undergoes its most rapid development. This stage not only affects children’s early growth but shapes their future learning, character, and capacity to thrive.” ECD, he explained, is foundational to high-quality population development—a cornerstone of China’s modernisation strategy.
Yet, notable gaps remain. Zhang Yue, a researcher on children and maternal health, noted that the challenge is not a lack of parental care but the direction of attention. “Many focus on basic needs—feeding, sleeping, hygiene—but responsive caregiving and early learning opportunities are often overlooked,” she said. “Self-regulation skills, for example, begin at birth.”
This challenge is further exacerbated by rural-urban inequalities. For urban families, the challenge is how to nurture, but for rural families, it is often whether there is anyone available to nurture. Moreover, rural areas face critical resource gaps, not only in terms of infrastructure and household finance, but also talent shortages in the ECD sector.
Tackling challenges as complex as early childhood development demands more than individual effort—it requires collective ambition. As Hao Ruixi from the Gates Foundation put it, effective collaboration means pooling ideas and wisdom, coordinating strengths, and co-creating solutions that deliver greater value than any organisation could produce alone.
This spirit was evident in how the eight foundations worked together. The CFRD, serving as the secretariat, anchors the network by coordinating resources across regions. The CDRF contributes rigorous, evidence-based studies to guide policy and practice. Meanwhile, all partners are experimenting with digital and innovative tools to bring parenting knowledge to even the most remote rural households.
For the Yeh Family Philanthropy, collaboration is about recognising what each party does best and uplifting one another in the process. “We are celebrating each other’s excellence and creating greater value together,” said Jia Ming Zhong, noting the foundation’s role in bridging local communities with international perspectives.
Xinhe Foundation’s Chairman, Wu Song, added a dose of entrepreneurial mindset: true progress, he said, comes from learning openly, sharing honestly, and growing collectively.
And perhaps most compellingly, Qin Wei, Deputy Secretary-General of the Secretariat, captured the heart of the collaborative’s mission: “Our aspiration is to be the spark that lights every child’s future in China—and to share this model with the world.”
At the launch, Professor Wang Zhenyao from Beijing Normal University stressed the historic nature of the moment: “Today, we are witnessing a creation in history. With eight foundations and six advisors working together over the next three years, we aim to achieve global breakthroughs in early childhood development in China.”
Already, the collaborative’s prior work in policy research has helped pave the way for significant national progress. The Chinese government has unveiled two landmark measures: an annual parenting subsidy of RMB 3,600 for every child under three, and the gradual introduction of free early childhood education in public kindergartens. Together, these measures mark an important milestone toward more inclusive child welfare in China. The task ahead is ensuring they translate into real change on the ground—especially by bringing scientific parenting knowledge to households across China’s vast rural regions.
In this era of profound demographic transformation, a new story is being written: one in which every child, whether urban or rural, has the opportunity to thrive, guided by care, parenting science, and collaboration. Li Foundation is proud to be a partner in this journey and will continue contributing to the collaborative as it seeks to achieve impact at scale.
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