Samara University Has Opened the Mother and Child Room

On Saturday, January 25, at Samara University’s venue, the events dedicated to Russian Students’ Day took place.

The meeting of federal and regional authorities’ representatives with students and young student families was held. There, specific social support measures being implemented both at the federal and regional levels, as well as by the University itself, were discussed.

On the same day, at Samara University, the Mother and Child Room was opened as part of the All-Russian Project “Help Mom Learn” implemented by Russia’s Ministry of Education and Science. This space is intended for student families, as well as for young teachers and the staff with children aged 3 months to 7 years.

“It’s great that on Russian Students’ Day, Samara National Research University opens the space to provide even more opportunities for young families, students, graduate students, and teachers. The space where our “young researchers” can learn the basics of scientific knowledge, while their parents will study, take exams, work, deliver lectures, and conduct experiments. I would like to thank the rector and the entire university staff for creating such opportunities”, noted Olga Petrova, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, in her video address sent to the University.

The first to appreciate the parenting room were the young family of Gennady and Anastasia Algashev with their 3-year-old Vasilisa and representatives of the regional government: Gennady Kotelnikov, Chairman of the Samara Provincial Duma, Senator Marina Sidukhina, Regina Vorobieva, Acting Deputy Chairman of the Samara Region’s Government, and Sergey Radko, Head of Oktyabrsky District of Samara.

Gennady Algashev is a postgraduate student at the Institute of IT and Cybernetics, and his wife has completed the master’s degree at the Institute of Economics and Management. According to the young people, in the new space, in comfortable conditions, you can feed, change your child, leave with her mom or dad while your spouse takes a test or an exam. “Samara University implements many various support measures. And it is very good that there is now the comfortable parenting room”, said Gennady Algashev.

The Mother and Child Room is located on the first floor of the academic building No. 3 at: 34 Moskovskoe Shosse str., close to academic and research buildings, student hostels, as well as not far from the students’ council, the sports complex and the swimming pool. It is a specially equipped room divided into 5 zones: a feeding area, a play area, a hygiene procedures area, a toilet and a hallway.

All conditions for comfortable feeding the baby and carrying out all necessary actions, as well as the opportunity for entertaining the older child while mom or dad is busy with the younger child, have been created here.

For example, the room has the sanitary unit where you can take a shower; there is a cooler with drinking water, a changing board and the table, equipment for preparing baby food, a refrigerator, a microwave oven, furniture, including a baby’s feeding chair and a desk. In the room, there is also a supply of sanitary napkins, diapers, and nappies, as well. For children from 6 months old, there is a baby’s high chair and a playpen.

All these conditions are designed for the purpose of providing the continuous learning process for students, as well as teaching opportunities for young teachers.

In the Mother and Child Room, Individual consultations for example, on breastfeeding, maternity support, etc., can also be held at the time when the room is free.

As Marina Sidukhina noted, Samara University creates the most favorable conditions for students and teachers to be going to have children and combine family with study and work: “It is very important that requests for equipping the parenting room emanated from students, and I am very glad that they are taken into account and that such rooms appear in educational institutions of our region”.

Vladimir Bogatyrev, Rector of Samara University, stressed that the University consistently develops its infrastructure and does everything to make it convenient for its students, staff and teachers. “It is important that the students themselves have initiated creation of such a space. At the University, there are 96 student families. We conducted a survey, during which student families suggested creating a Mother and Child Room. That’s why we decided to participate in the Federal Competition “Help Mom Learn” and won it. To my mind, the parenting room will be especially in demand by families with children under three years old. We plan to open similar spaces in other buildings of the University. It is very important for us to be in touch with young families, to know what they need for studying and working comfortably at the University. If there are such rooms and spaces in demand, the University will increase their number”.

Regina Vorobiova noted that the entire infrastructure of the region as a whole should become family-focused, “It is important for any family in the Samara Region to comfortably go out into any public space, whether it is a young family or a multigenerational friendly one”.

“Family is the foundation of society. In Russia, in the Samara Region, much is being done to ensure that families with children feel protected. There are 39 support measures in our region. For example, at the end of 2024, on Governor Vyacheslav Andreevich Fedorishchev’s initiative, a new measure was introduced: the one-time payment of 100,000 rubles to women who gave birth to their first child at the age 18 to 25. And just recently, the State Duma approved in its first reading the draft law consolidating the legal status of a student family. The state protects interests of families with children. And I am sure that all these measures will contribute to changing the demographic situation”, concluded Gennady Kotelnikov.

For reference:

Samara University won the All-Russian Competition “Help Mom Learn” for educational institutions of higher education under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Higher Education and Science of Russia in 2024.

One of the most important tasks of the welfare state is creating conditions for improving standard of living of young families, including student ones. The project will help young mothers feel more comfortable: for example, they will be able to attend university together with their child to complete paperwork, resolve current issues, and, if necessary, feed and change their child without experiencing any inconvenience.