In Soviet times, the state took over the raising of children almost from diapers: From as early as two months of age, children could be placed in special day care nurseries, called ‘ясли’ (‘yasli’).
There were two main reasons behind it:
1) Factories and production lines needed the young moms back at work.
2) According to Soviet officials, only already trained people could provide proper care for the growing generation.
Often, ‘yasli’ nurseries were directly attached to factories where young mothers worked. Every three hours, they would get a break to nurse their baby.
Gradually, the “nursery” age increased and, by the 1960s, it had reached 12 months.
By 1977, there were more than 3 million children in nurseries. They were properly cared for in the various age groups, given all the necessary immunizations and were always monitored by a health worker.
A child could stay in the ‘yasli’ nursery up until the age of three, after which they would be placed in a state kindergarten.
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