Objective To study the current status of nursery service capability in Meishan, Sichuan Province, so as to provide evidence for policy making and improvement.

Methods Cross-sectional survey was used to recruit 29 nursery institution in Meishan, Sichuan Province from May to June 2023. Information about infant care capability were collected. Different types of childcare institutions were compared in terms of facility conditions, human resources, healthcare practices, fees and utilization of planned enrollment children.

Results Around 93% institutions’ outdoor activity area was at least 3 m²/child, while comparison of different types of institutions showed significant differences (P < 0.05). Only 33% institutions met the standard of at least 12 m² per planned enrollment child, while comparison of different types of institutions showed no differences (P > 0.05). Significant differences were also observed in class set-up for children aged 1 − 2 years, < 1 year, and mixed-age among different types of institutions (P < 0.05), but not for 2 − 3 years old children (P > 0.05). There were significant differences in equipment provision among different types of institutions (P < 0.05), but no significant differences were found in educational or logistical equipment (P > 0.05). The predominant staffing model was two teachers and one caregiver per class (62%), and full-time health care personnel accounted for 55%. The annual average salary of employees in childcare institutions was lower than that of all urban employees’ average in Meishan in 2022 (P < 0.05). All institutions had established comprehensive health care regulations, yet only 14% of them offered integrated medical and educational services. Significant differences in childcare service fees were observed among different types of institutions (P < 0.05), while the utilization rate of planned enrollment children showed no differences (P > 0.05).

Conclusion The childcare services for infants and toddler in Meishan face problems of uneven childcare conditions, unbalanced personnel allocation, imbalance between supply and demand for integrated medical and educational services, and the contradiction between charge and the utilization rate of planned enrollment children. It is recommended to continuously increase support for various types of childcare services, strengthen construction of childcare service talent teams, expand effective supply of integrated medical and educational services, focus on improvement of operational management, and comprehensively promote high-quality development of nursery service capabilities.