Conceptions of US and Brazilian early childhood care and education: A historical and comparative analysis

Abstract

Children's first years of life are fundamental for healthy development. Appropriate care and education in the early years are far more useful than dealing with later problems, and in both the United States and Brazil scholars and public-policy makers have argued that the goal should be an integrated system of care and education. Using a cultural—historical framework to understand early childhood policies in the United States and Brazil, we examine how notions of care and education have changed over time. We show that although the two societies have the same goal, the approaches to realizing that goal have been, for historical reasons, quite different. Moreover, despite a rapid growth in the numbers of children attending preschool institutions, integrated systems have not been accomplished. Our analysis also shows how the legacy of a dichotomous approach in both societies has impeded the integration of care and education into a single system.

The Ecology of Motor Development in Coastal School Children of Brazil Northeast

“…In this sense, considering that federal legislation does not necessarily ensure the rights provided to education in its broadest form 22 , it appears that a state law similar to that which occurs in the State of São Paulo 23 , is crucial for these purposes e . The lack of physical infrastructure and material resources reported in CSD 3.1 is responsible for the proximal processes appearing negative, given that the absence of objects to be exploited and manipulated inhibits the attention and imagination of the students, making it difficult, therefore, for reciprocal interaction to occur 5,6 .…”

“…In this sense, it must be noted that proximal processes will only become more positive according to the significance value which society places on this type of skill, since it clearly depends on their beliefs and objectives 22 . Thus, for example, parents and teachers will be more likely to equip the children with the kinds of skills that they deem to be more essential for them 16 .…”

Metas de socialização e estratégias de ação paternas e maternas

“…No presente estudo a idade das crianças variou de dois a 40 meses o que representa um período específico do desenvolvimento, no qual os conflitos do dia a dia giram em torno de atender as necessidades básicas do bebê. Assim, à medida que a criança cresce suas necessidades desenvolvimentais se modificam e tendem a modificar-se também as crenças dos pais a respeito de suas próprias estratégias e metas (para uma revisão ver Freitas, Shelton, & Tudge, 2008;Tudge e cols., 2006). Logo, as estratégias de ação centradas em si se tornam menos frequentes à medida que a criança amplia suas relações sociais e inicia a fase escolar (Ely & Gleason, 1997).…”

Um dia na vida de irmãos que cuidam de irmãos

“…Neste sentido, pesquisas recentes alertam para o fato de que existe uma discrepância entre o número de crianças com idade para frequentar creches e o número real de vagas disponíveis principalmente em relação às crianças de zero a três anos de idade (Freitas, Shelton & Sperb, 2009;Freitas, Shelton & Tudge, 2008). Além disso, sabe-se que muitas creches da rede pública priorizam crianças cujas mães trabalham fora de casa, excluindo do sistema de educação infantil as famílias em maior situação de vulnerabilidade social, ou seja, aquelas que sobrevivem apenas com os benefícios de programas sociais.…”