Obrigatoriedade da pré-escola: um olhar poético sobre infâncias, políticas e práticas no município de Itaguaí

Abstract

With the National Policy for Universalization of Pre-School - Law No. 12.796/13, the need emerged in the Brazilian academic scenario to investigate how municipalities are organizing themselves to serve children from four years of age in pre-school classes. In view of this legislation, we sought in this study to identify the conceptions and bets of the Department of Education for the pedagogical work with children aged four and five in the municipality of Itaguaí. What are the conceptions of childhood and Early Childhood Education that guide schools in the municipality of Itaguaí? How has the Itaguaí Department of Education been solving the obligation for children aged four and five years old? To get to know them, due to the social problems of the pandemic, we opted, methodologically, to apply a questionnaire (GIL, 1999) and conduct a remote interview (MINAYO, 2009) with two teachers who became central figures in the investigation, because in addition to having extensive knowledge of the network and experience in teaching, at the moment, both work in the implementation of policies and definition of practices with schools, as they work in the General Department of Education - the sector responsible for monitoring Early Childhood Education in the city. Organized into four chapters, the text starts from the need to think about childhood as a social, historical and political construction. For this, it presents childhood as a disputed territory, building a dialogue with the poetics of Manoel de Barros and Childhood Studies. It uses the contributions of Lopes' Geography (2005, 2006, 2008, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2021), the concept of social situation of development by Vigotski (2006, 2010), the reflections of Campos (2010, 2011); Kramer (1997, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2019, 2020); Nascimento (2004, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2019, 2021) and Bakhtin's philosophy of language (2000, 2003). As some results and conclusions, we have that the term mandatory should not be confused only with universalization of vacancies, the right to education also involves quality demand and respect for the child's needs, with cozy, safe and challenging physical and pedagogical spaces that favor the children's autonomy, interactions and play. In addition to investments in reforming existing spaces, teacher training policies and better working conditions. As a solution for enrollments, an increase in the number of part-time preschool classes in Elementary School units was observed. One of the advances made by Itaguaí was a public examination and a career plan for education professionals. However, to improve teaching working conditions and ensure a proposal that respects the specificities of children, it needs to (re)think its policies and practices, expand the provision of full-time care in institutions dedicated to Early Childhood Education and propose a public examination specific for teachers of this modality.