This article discusses the history of the provision of children's care ("prizrenie") in Russia which provides evidence that the desire to help those close to one, especially orphans and the poor, was a traditional trait of the Russian national character. The system of children's welfare as it took shape over many centuries is unique in its own way. The work of upbringing is structured on the basis of the personality (individual), creative, value-based, activity-oriented, and differentiated approaches in upbringing. The basic principle is an interest in the youngster's personality and individuality. More and more often, teachers engaged in upbringing work are applying the methods of humanistic pedagogy: creative collective doings, situations of moral success, self-analysis, self-control, self-observation, pedagogical collaboration, and so on. A great deal of attention is being focused on the creation of a comfortable psychological environment for the development of the personalities of the students and on preparing them for independent family life. The teachers are doing everything that they can to make the content of the work, relationships and interaction, and the entire atmosphere of the institution similar to the conditions of life in a comfortable family. (Contains 1 note.) [This article was translated by Kim Braithwaite.]