Getting into kindergarten is becoming more and more difficult in China. Limited access, high tuition, and regional pre-schooling disparities are generating great concern. While authorities are working to give children a fair start, debates are raging over what is really practical.

For Chinese children the educational race starts early. They start kindergarten at 3 years old -- if they're lucky. By 2007, half the public kindergartens in China were gone, and most of those remaining became commercial ventures.

Parent in Beijing said, "Most private kindergartens are expensive, and in the cheap ones, conditions are bad. The teachers are not good, either."

"I had to register really early. They were full in 20 minutes." Parent said.

In a recent survey of parents, more than 90 percent said pre-schooling should be included as free compulsory education. But an education expert who's done the math says this isn't practical.

Professor Song Yingquan, Peking University, said, "We have about 800-thousand kindergarten classes nationwide, and we need at least two teachers for each class. That means the country will spend five billion yuan a month on teachers' salary. Further costs will also be huge."

Pre-schools receive little public funding. In Beijing, it accounts for less than two percent of the city's educational budget. That means kindergartens have to charge higher fees to keep afloat and guarantee quality. The seller's market puts pre-schooling out of the reach of many. Professor Song says government resources should go to the most needy.

"I think the government should invest more to give disadvantaged groups a better chance. Society will get a better return on its investment." Said Professor Song.

With a rural population of 900 million, that return could be tremendous. A fair starting point could help save them from being left behind in the educational race.

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