BEIJING, May 16 -- Non-profit kindergartens in China, including public and non-profit private kindergartens, now serve 90.8 percent of the country's enrolled children, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said on Thursday.

By the end of 2023, the number of kindergartens nationwide had reached 274,000, with 86 percent, or 236,000 of these being affordable public and non-profit private kindergartens, MOE data showed.

Additionally, the MOE statistics highlighted positive developments in terms of kindergarten staffing, with the student-to-teacher ratio improving from 23.4 to 1 in 2013 to 13.3 to 1 in 2023.

The ministry has taken steps to improve public access to affordable preschool education with a focus on bolstering kindergarten development, primarily public and non-profit private ones, in both rural and urban areas, a senior MOE official said in a statement.

The official pledged further efforts targeting irregular operation and management of kindergartens across the country.

In 2018, Chinese authorities issued a milestone document on reforms regarding preschool education development, setting forth the goal of making preschool education accessible to all.