China Preschool Expo 2026

How it compares

Inside China the main alternative is the China Educational Equipment Exhibition, the national education equipment fair that is held twice a year in different cities and covers every school level up to university. Buyers equipping whole districts or public school systems get more from it. CPE stays on the early years and is built around the dealers and operators who supply private and public kindergartens and childcare centers.

For international buyers, didacta in Germany, with 729 exhibitors, is where European education publishers and classroom equipment makers meet the German-speaking school market. A buyer after European brands should go there. A buyer sourcing wooden teaching aids, playground structures or kindergarten furniture directly from Chinese factories will find those makers in Shanghai.

The sister fairs are part of the same trip. China Toy Expo covers toys of every kind at far larger scale, and China Kids Fair covers baby and nursery products, which matters to childcare centers furnishing rooms for the youngest children. A buyer whose range is mainly retail toys should base the visit at CTE; one who supplies kindergartens should start in hall E4.

The trip for dealers, kindergarten groups and childcare operators who want to source furniture, play equipment, teaching aids and curricula from Chinese makers in a single hall.

Who exhibits

Most stands belong to Chinese manufacturers, from wooden furniture and teaching-aid makers such as Bestide and Jiangsu Aibeier to outdoor play builders Yonglang, Jiangsu Yuhe and Ningbo Blue Rabbit. Foreign brands often come through their Chinese distributors: Beijing Qisehua represents HABA, Weplay and Gonge, while Guidecraft exhibits in its own name. A sizable group of exhibitors sells services to kindergarten operators, including curricula, franchise programs, AI assessment systems and classroom design.

This year's list is on its way. A HallBrief brief picks the exhibitors worth meeting for your goals and the people to talk to at each. Get a brief

China Preschool Expo 2026

This year the fair runs alongside two days of childcare conferences organized by the association's preschool committee: the first day on the quality of childcare services, the second on combining nursery and kindergarten provision, followed by a morning of visits to Shanghai childcare centers on the last day.

On the floor, exhibitors are showing outdoor nature-education kits, AI teaching robots and fitness testing devices for three to six year olds. Shanghai Kaisitaile, a kindergarten furniture supplier, and the outdoor play maker Qitele are presenting their first jointly developed products after forming a partnership.

• Dealers with an agency agreement and kindergarten or childcare operators can apply for the VIP buyer program by phone before the show, which gives a separate entrance lane, a buyer lounge and an exhibitor list with a suggested route.
• The joint brand showcase at stands E4E71 groups five suppliers of outdoor nature kits, AI fitness testing, AI teaching systems and math curricula, and they hold a joint product launch in the business matching area at E3G51 on the second morning.
• The Shanghai childcare center visits on the final morning run on five routes and are booked through the childcare conference, so register for them before arriving.
• Look for the STEAM toy certification display, which shows only products that passed the association's STEAM toy certification, a quick way to shortlist educational toys for kindergarten programs.

Exhibiting

Stands are booked directly with the association. Space-only stands must use a builder from the organizer's registered list, pass a drawing review and stay single-storey within a 5 meter height limit, and catalog entries close in mid-September. The fair pays off best for manufacturers who sell to kindergartens through dealers, because the association's buyer outreach is aimed at dealers and principals.