A private kindergarten in central China is facing significant challenges as it plans to convert two-thirds of its premises into a senior care facility. The proposal has encountered a stalemate due to necessary changes in usage, interdepartmental procedures, and the high costs of renovation, with estimates indicating that just the fire safety modifications and related application fees could amount to 500,000 yuan.
According to reports, Liu Ming (a pseudonym), who has been involved with the renovation project of a privately run kindergarten in a provincial capital, revealed that the institution aimed to retain one-third of its space for educational purposes while converting the remainder for senior care. However, this transition has not progressed as anticipated, primarily due to the difficulty in securing cross-departmental approvals.
At its peak, the kindergarten catered to over 200 children; however, by 2025, when the transformation plan was being drafted, the enrollment had dwindled to only 20 or 30 children. The facility had already invested over 10 million yuan in renovations, and with seven or eight years left on the lease, shutting down operations would also entail compensation payments to the kindergarten teachers.
Liu explained that the kindergarten was operating on a rented site with business functions restricted solely to preschool education. Transitioning to include elder care services involves additional steps, such as registering with civil affairs and undergoing fire safety inspections. The challenge lies in the fact that the land rights and usage characteristics cannot be easily disentangled, rendering partial conversions—some areas for education and others for elder care—problematic.
He estimated that the fire safety upgrades and related application costs alone would reach 500,000 yuan. He also noted that to meet acceptance criteria, substantial renovations are often required, leading to total costs that do not significantly differ from those of constructing a new facility.
Statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics of China published in the 2026 China Statistical Yearbook indicate that by 2025, the population aged 65 and over in the mainland will surpass 224 million, exceeding the approximately 213 million children aged 0 to 14. In the same year, the number of kindergartens nationwide decreased by over 20,000, with the total number of enrolled children dropping by more than 3.5 million.
The declining birth rates have compelled some kindergartens to seek alternative paths, but whether or not these facilities can be repurposed for elder care is further constrained by land usage and approval processes.
In July of this year, the Yantai Civil Affairs Bureau responded to inquiries regarding the Wan Hua Kindergarten, which explored transforming into a senior facility in 2024. However, the project was put on hold due to the inability to change the land’s nature. The complexity of the transition, which involves multiple departments, is exacerbated by a lack of unified guidance and streamlined approval processes, not to mention the substantial renovations needed for building and fire safety compliance.
Zhang Sheng, an associate professor at Tianjin University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, mentioned that land usage rights, property ownership, fire safety inspections, and structural reinforcements are critical factors in determining whether such projects can advance. In some areas, existing buildings are being evaluated against new construction standards, significantly raising costs.
According to AgeClub, a platform analyzing the silver economy, transforming kindergartens into elder care facilities requires reconfiguration of fire safety measures to accommodate the evacuation needs of elderly individuals, especially those with disabilities. This may also entail adjusting large classrooms and access pathways.
There are also management conflicts associated with shared facilities for both children and elders. In May of this year, it was reported that a kindergarten in Jining, Shandong province, attempted to convert an unused building into an activity area for the elderly, providing a space for leisure and dining. However, this effort lasted only six months due to operational demands.
The operator, Yu Bo, explained that kindergartens require closed environments with independent management to control access, while elder care services necessitate easy entry and exit, leading to conflicting management requirements.
Liu Jianyu, an industry insider, commented that private institutions undertaking government-funded elder care projects often face short operational contracts, with contract renewals dependent on performance evaluations.
He further observed that in many community elder care facilities, occupancy rates of beds frequently fall below 60%, while some community meal services have reached saturation, making the strategy of attracting clientele through meal services to boost additional revenue streams increasingly impractical.
Liu Jianyu emphasized that the primary demand within community elder care services continues to be for assistance with disabled individuals. AgeClub also noted that while previous kindergarten teachers can facilitate activities, companionship, and communications with families, specialized nursing staff are still needed for disability care and emergency response, meaning that transitioning facilities may incur additional costs for training or hiring qualified personnel.
Zhang Sheng opined that in rural areas, dispersed populations and limited financial resources among the elderly may mean that mutual assistance and home care services could be more suited to actual needs than the conversion of kindergartens into elder care facilities. He remarked, “Demand assessments should occur before the schematic design, not after the acceptance process.”