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German History in Documents and Images
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Nursery in Vetschau (1970)
The GDR built up a network of day nurseries and kindergartens so that both mothers and fathers would be able to work. In the day nurseries, which were overseen by the Ministry for Health, children between the ages of 1 and 3 received all-day care. In 1970, there were already enough spaces available in day nurseries to cover 29% of all children in that age group. Administered by the Ministry for National Education, kindergartens were intended for children ages 3 to 6. In 1970, 65% of children in this age group were enrolled in kindergarten. This photograph shows children from a day nursery located near the brown coal power plant in Vetschau, in the district of Cottbus. Built between 1960 and 1967, the Vetschau power plant became the largest emitter of sulfur dioxide in the GDR. Photo by Max Ittenbach.