Putin vows to extend kindergarten hours to aid families

The working hours of kindergartens and nursery groups will be extended until 8 p.m. This is necessary so that mothers can return to work as soon as possible and not lose their qualifications. This was stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting with the government.

«It is very important for a woman after giving birth to return to work as quickly as possible, not to lose her qualifications. And what can help with this? That»s exactly what nursery groups are for, exactly the extension of a child«s stay in nursery groups and kindergartens,» said the president.

Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko added that the government will work out this issue with regional governors.

In addition, Putin pointed out the need to improve the system of support for families with children.

«Let me remind you, if a family has low incomes, it can receive assistance from the moment of a woman»s pregnancy up to the child«s 17th birthday. At the same time, citizens point out certain aspects that require amendments and clarifications, including receiving payments if family incomes slightly exceed threshold values,» noted the president.

Also at the meeting, proposals were discussed that would allow large families to receive a unified allowance with a slight excess of the established income level.

«What is proposed: to make changes to the rules for assigning the unified allowance. If upon re-assignment of the unified allowance, a large family»s per capita income exceeds the amount of one subsistence minimum, but by no more than 10%, then assign the unified allowance to the large family once more for 12 months,« said Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova.

She clarified that the average amount of allowable income excess for large families will be 1,894 rubles (about $19 at current rates).

Recall that to qualify for the payment, every able-bodied family member must confirm an income not lower than 8 minimum wages (MROT) for the previous year. In 2026, 8 MROT is 216,744 rubles (about $2,170 at current rates). For more details on the new rules for receiving the unified allowance, see in this article.