Local governments in China have tried mostly in vain to lift the country’s shrinking birthrate with perks, cash rewards and housing subsidies. Now, the central government is stepping in.

Beijing plans to pay a basic national subsidy of 3,600 yuan (about $500) per child each year until the age of 3, according to a central government decree released recently on local government websites. It is unclear when the subsidies would start.

However, it is uncertain whether that is enough to reverse a trend that poses enormous challenges for China’s economy and society. China’s fertility rate—the number of children a woman has over her lifetime—is around one now, one of the world’s lowest.