children. One of the key items in the system of financial aid to families with children is the maintenance of children in preschool establishments, which are attended by over 15 million children. Families are granted the opportunity of selecting the type of establishment most convenient from their own point of view; day care, round- the-clock care or sanatoria. In rural areas, permanent children's institutions are augmented by seasonal ones. Over 580 roubles per annum is spent on maintaining a single child in a day nursery; for kindergartens the figure is approximately 500 roubles. The amount contributed by the parents forms not more than 20% of the sum required to maintain a child in a kindergarten. The remaining costs are covered by contributions from the state and it should be noted that the above amounts do not include building costs. Aid to families with school-age children is channelled through the system of general and vocational schools and educational institutions. During the 1981/82 academic year, 44.3 million students attended general instruction schools. The country systematically follows a policy of reducing the family's share of the cost of caring for a educating the children. Since 1981, the standard expenditure on food in children's homes, boarding schools and other boarding establishments.has been increased. Since 1983, free school textbooks have become available to students in all grades of secondary schools. Over 2 million students combine secondary with vocational education in vocational educational institutions. In cases where it is impossible to raise a child at home (e.g. where the family lives far away from a school), he or she may be placed in a boarding school, which provides food, clothing and text-books. Considerable aid to parents in raising their children is provided by extracurricular children's institutions which help children to develop their 
**Analysis**
The text primarily focuses on the financial aid and support provided by the state to families with children, including preschool establishments, general and vocational schools, and extracurricular children's institutions. This suggests that the category related to education is the most fitting.

**Category**
Education