Written and Photos by: Project Manager Yang Shaokui

On the morning of September 27, 2025, the launch meeting of the "Preschools of the Future" project in Jingdong County was held at the Jingdong County Education Science Research and Training Center. A total of 28 participants attended the meeting, including Section Chief Xing from the Education Section of Jingdong County Bureau of Education and Sports, Preschool Education Specialist Teacher Li, Police Officer Luo from the Foreign Affairs Management Office of Jingdong County Public Security Bureau, Han Xu, senior officer of the Humana Cooperation and Development Department, Yang Shaokui (Project Manager), 22 principals of central schools and kindergarten directors from project-covered towns, and all teachers from 11 preschool classes.

At the launch meeting, representatives from various parties delivered speeches in sequence. In his speech on "Work Deployment of the County Bureau of Education and Sports", Section Xing emphasized the strategic significance of the "Preschools of the Future" project for the development of preschool education in Jingdong. He urged all school sites to "take initiative, cherish opportunities, and dare to make breakthroughs", and stated that the county Bureau of Education and Sports would track project progress throughout the process, strengthen supervision and coordination, and ensure that project outcomes benefit rural children. Police Officer Luo from the Foreign Affairs Management Office put forward requirements on project compliance and child safety protection, stressing that the implementation of foreign-related projects must comply with laws and regulations, including proper personnel registration and activity reporting. He also reminded kindergartens to prioritize child safety, ensuring that campus environments and activity organization meet safety standards.

Yang Yingping, Principal of Taizhong Town Central Primary School (a project-covered school), shared insights on "Local Education Planning". He pointed out that the Humana "Preschools of the Future" project is highly aligned with Jingdong County’s "One Village, One Preschool" policy. Central schools in project areas will fulfill management responsibilities, coordinate with the project team to ensure effective resource utilization. The Director of Baodian Village Kindergarten in Manwan Town shared challenges and expectations from grassroots practice, analyzing practical difficulties faced by village-level preschool classes, expressing urgent expectations for project support, and committing to leading teachers in actively participating in capacity-building and teaching innovation.

Han Xu, senior officer of the Humana Cooperation and Development Department, introduced the organization’s project model and philosophy to all representatives: The "Preschools of the Future" model, with its practical experience and social responsibility in the field of rural early childhood education, helps rural children obtain fair and high-quality preschool education. Yang Shaokui, Project Manager, elaborated on the three-year implementation plan for Jingdong County’s Preschools of the Future project, including: Building a teacher growth support system with intensive vacation training, monthly follow-up training, and on-site supervision; Equipping 11 preschool classes with hardware such as teaching toys, books, and corner cabinets; Deepening home-school co-education through parent meetings and parent-child activities; Introducing management tools such as project lesson plans and evaluation forms to standardize teaching processes, aiming to create a "replicable and sustainable" model for rural preschool education.

The launch meeting reached several consensuses: all parties clarified project goals and division of responsibilities, and established an efficient collaboration mechanism. Immediately after the meeting, the project team initiated a 4-day pre-service training for teachers.

The implementation period of Humana "Preschools of the Future" project in Jingdong County is from August 1, 2025 to July 31, 2028. The project covers 11 preschool classes across 8 school sites in 5 towns of Jingdong County. With an estimated investment of 1.43 million yuan, funds will be mainly used to improve kindergarten conditions, purchase teaching toys, conduct teacher capacity building, and provide incentive subsidies to teachers. It is expected to benefit 275 children per school year.

The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily those of the donor.