Enhancing Recruitment Strategies for Early Childhood Education Programs: A Case Study of Vocational Colleges in Huaibei

With the decrease in the number of school-age children, the current early childhood education major is facing a critical transformation period. How to optimize the enrollment strategy to improve the quality of talent cultivation has become a key demand for relevant higher vocational colleges. This study aims to explore the influencing factors for students in higher vocational colleges in Huaibei city to choose the early childhood education major and optimize the enrollment strategy accordingly. Using a quantitative research method, through a questionnaire survey of 367 respondents, combined with descriptive analysis and principal component analysis, it was found that family factors (weight 33.50%), social needs (weight 26.80%), education policies (weight 20.20%) and personal factors (weight 19.50%) are the main influencing factors. Among them, parental support, industry development trends and enrollment policies are the key driving factors. The findings not only offer practical guidance for optimizing enrollment strategies in higher vocational colleges but also provide broader implications for improving talent cultivation and policy alignment in early childhood education programs facing demographic decline.