CDRF Holds Seminar on Child Development Policies in the Context of Urbanization

On June 2, 2023, China Development Research Foundation (CDRF) held a seminar on child development policies in the context of urbanization and initiates research on the China Child Development Report 2024.

Fang Jin, Vice Chairman and Secretary General of CDRF, pointed out that CDRF released the first China Child Development Report in 2017, which explored theoretical and policy issues in the field of poverty reduction and early childhood development and generated good societal responses and policy effects. Recently, the Foundation completed the China Child Development Report 2023: Promoting High-Quality Development of Rural Children, which provides scientific recommendations for the high-quality development of rural children. Fang said that the Foundation will continue to work on the China Child Development Report series in the future. Child Development in the Context of Urbanization was proposed as the theme of the China Child Development Report 2024.

Experts and scholars at the conference discussed and exchanged views on the preliminary theme of the China Child Development Report 2024.

Li Shi, professor of Zhejiang University School of Public Administration, said that the country is now promoting common prosperity and sustainable development. In this context, the imbalances of children's development should be focused on.

Wang Sangui, professor of School of Agriculture and Rural Development, Renmin University, pointed out that theme is a new perspective. Under this perspective, the issue of migrant children should be considered as the core of research. Meanwhile, the issue of left-behind children should also be given high priority.

Liu Shouying, Secretary of the Party Committee and Dean of the School of Economics of Renmin University, suggested that the report could focus on the rights of third generation rural migrants in cities, including their scope, characteristics and conditions. At the same time, he believes that the differences between rural children, urban children and migrant children, as well as their mental health, are worth exploring in depth.

Professor Feng Shuaizhang from the School of Economics of Jinan University gave a detailed introduction to the non-cognitive abilities of children. He emphasized the importance of studying the development of children's non-cognitive abilities, and that urbanization may pose a great challenge to the development of children's non-cognitive abilities.

Cui Xin, Deputy Secretary General of China International Association for Urban and Rural Development, affirmed the theme of the report and also addressed the seriousness of the issue of third generation rural migrants and the protection of children's basic rights and mental health.

Han Jialing, a researcher at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, said that in the context of new urbanization, as the stage of urbanization changes, the definition and connotation of migrant children and children left behind will also change, so it is necessary to redefine these groups.

Yang Han, program officer of UNICEF's Social Policy Division, believes that there is an urgent need for basic research on child development in the context of urbanization. In addition, she suggested that the Foundation focus on different types of cities to make more forward-looking studies and that society should provide more support to parents and families.

Wei Jiayu, director general of New Citizen Project, advocates keeping families together as the ultimate solution. At the same time, he advocates improving the schooling environment for migrant children and community services for children on the urban fringe.

Song Yingquan, associate researcher at the China Institute of Education and Financial Sciences at Peking University, suggested that a better theoretical framework for child development should be established. He pointed out that the report should have a clear and comprehensive classification of the population and use data and cases to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions.

According to Zhou Hao, professor of sociology at Peking University, we need to assess whether past policies have met the developmental needs of children in essence, as well as to clarify the definition and classification of the study population.

Cai Jianhua, senior advisor at the Child Development Research Institute of the CDRF, pointed out that a refined analysis of the population would point the way to improved child development policies. He emphasized that at present we should focus on children's medical health and providing positive guidance for children's psychological development.

At the end of the conference, Du Zhixin, Deputy Director of the Child Development Research Institute of the CDRF said that the China Child Development Report 2024 will adhere to the principle of promoting high-quality child development, establish a comprehensive theoretical framework, draw on rich international experience, make a clear definition of the child groups, and conduct research and analysis on the whole life cycle of the concerned groups.