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Current Reflections on the Principal of Caring in the Nursery and the Physical and Human Space Devoted to Early Childhood

Received: 31 October 2018     Accepted: 6 December 2018     Published: 4 January 2019
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Abstract

This article updates reflections since the first version published in a Brazilian scientific journal in 2017 relating to the study of one of the basic principles of Early Childhood Education in the nursery segment: the caring. Caring is a concept widely debated in the field of human formation devoted to young children/infants. The theme of Early Childhood today occupies in the international scene an ample and complete debate in view of the establishment of a new world culture which looks at infants as a part of nations’ patrimony (assets). Therefore they should be cared for and protected with more rights and receive a dignified life beginning with its uterine constitution and then strengthen upon the child’s arrival in the nursery. In this sense the thesis is defended that the care of young children and infants is an ethical and affectionate way to educate, thus surpassing the vision based on assistentialism. Caring in educational institutions devoted to early childhood is meant to guarantee watching over, shelter and safety; it is the locus of protection, welcoming, development and learning. It also expresses itself in the form that its physical environment is built and organized. Therefore the reflections presented here emphasize the organization of the physical environment as a significant element in caring. In this reflexive path the metaphor of the “uterine environment” was utilized. In this text it was done as a form of comparison of the nursery as the extension of the former, given that the later should provide continuity to the functions provided by the former. The conception of the research here is qualitatively based utilizing the focus group method which is composed of children’s professors in training linked to a component of the curriculum of the Faculty of Education of the Federal University of Bahia with the code EDC308. In addition the research is supported by the action of the group coordinated by the author with the name Criethus (Center of Investigation, Defense and Education of Infants). It is also linked to the research project with registration 4391 in SIDOC-UFBA and depends as well with the implications of the author’s experience as having been a school teacher and administrator devoted to Early Childhood and Infantile Education. In this role she dialogued with architects in order to guarantee meaningful and quality spaces in which to educate children. [….] are among the authors whose theories provide the foundation for this study.

Published in International Journal of Education, Culture and Society (Volume 3, Issue 6)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijecs.20180306.11
Page(s) 92-101
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2019. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Early Childhood, Caring, Physical Environment, Human Environment, Education

References
[1] NERI, Marcelo. Early Childhood Education.. FGV, 2005. (NERI, Marcelo. FGV, 2005.Educação da Primeira Infância).
[2] HECKMAN, James. Investing in the Development of Early Childhood Education: Reducing deficits and strengthening the economy. Acess September 20, 2018. (Investir no Desenvolvimento na Primeira Infância:Reduzir déficits, fortalecer a economia.2017. Acesso 20 de setembro de 2018. https://heckmanequation.org/assets/2017/01/D_Heckman_FMCSV_ReduceDeficit_012215.pdf).
[3] BRASÍLIA: Educational Roundtable Program for Early Childhood: conceptions, methodology and implantation manual - Brasília : Gerdau, Fundação Maurício Sirotsky Sobrinho, 2011 (Programa Mesa Educadora para a Primeira Infância: concepções, metodologia e manual de implantação / série editada por Suzi Mesquita Vargas).
[4] Brasil. National curricular directives for early childhood education/Secretariat of Basic Education (Ministério da Educação. Secretaria de Educação Básica. Diretrizes curriculares nacionais para a educação infantil / Secretaria de Educação Básica. – Brasília: MEC, SEB, 2010).
[5] SANTOS, Ana Katia Alves dos. The principle of caring in the nursery and the uterine environment metaphor: the physical and human environment as an educational shelter for young children.(O principio do cuidar na creche e a metáfora do ambiente uterino: ambiente físico e humano como guarida educativa para crianças pequenas. Revista Humanidades e Inovação. v.4, n.5,2017. Brasil. )
[6] KRAMER, Sonia. Professionals of Early Childhood Education: management and formation. (Profissionais de Educação Infantil: gestão e formação. São Paulo: Ática, 2005).
[7] GANDINI, Lella. Educational spaces and of Personal involvement. (Espaços educacionais e desenvolvimento Pessoal. Apud EDWARDS, Carolyn et al. As cem linguagens da criança. A abordagem de Reggio Emilia na educação da Primeira Infância. Porto Alegre: Artmed, 1999).
[8] BESTETTI, Maria Luisa Trindade. Physical Space and Behavior (Ambiência: Espaço Físico e Comportamento. Revista Brasileira de Geriatr. Gerontol, Rio de Janeiro: UERJ, 2014).
[9] LIMA , José Antonino. Etymological dictionary of medical terms (Dicionário etimológico termos médicos. Acesso 2016. http://joseantonino.no.comunidades.net/dicionario-etimologico).
[10] BOFF, Leonardo. Saber Cuidar. To Know How to Take Care. Ethics of the human – compassion for the earth. (Ética do humano - compaixão pela terra. Rio de Janeiro: Vozes, 1999. 199p.).
[11] GREENMAN,1988, p. 156 In The hundred languages of the child. The approach of Reggio Emilia in the education of Early Childhood (As cem linguagens da criança. A abordagem de reggio Emilia na educação da Primeira Infância. Porto Alegre: Artmed, 1999).
[12] Brasil. Ministério da Educação. Secretaria de educação Básica. Organization of physical space, toys and materials for infants and young children: a pedagogical guidance manual (Organização do espaço físico, dos brinquedos e materiais para bebês e crianças pequenas: manual de orientação pedagógica: módulo 4, Brasília, 2012)
[13] ABBAGNANO, Nicola. Dictionary of Philosophy (Dicionário de Filosofia. São Paulo: Martins Fontes, 2000).
[14] GOMES, Patrícia. Swedish school approach pedagogy and design (Escolas suecas aproximam pedagogia e design. http://porvir.org/porcriar/escola-sueca-aproxima-pedagogia-design/20120921. Acesso 15/10/2013).
[15] SPODEK, Bernard e SARACHO, Olivia. Teaching children from three to eight years old (Ensinando crianças de três a Oito Anos. Porto alegre: Artmed, 1998).
[16] ZABALZA, Miguel A. Quality in early childhood education. (Qualidade na educação Infantil. Porto Alegre: Artmed, 1998).
[17] .ZAMBERLAN, M. A. T., BASINI, I. S. & ARALDI, M. Origination of space and quality of life: Research about the spacial configuration in an institution for early childhood education. Educere et Educare. (Zamberlan, M. A. T., Basani, S. I. S., & Araldi, M. Organização do espaço e qualidade de vida: Pesquisa sobre configuração espacial em uma instituição de educação infantil. Educere et Educare) 2007, p. 245-260.
[18] ABRAMOWICZ, A.; WAVSKOP, G. Nurseries: activities for children from zero to six years old (Creches: atividades para crianças de zero a seis anos. São Paulo: Moderna, 1995).
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    Ana Katia Alves Dos Santos. (2019). Current Reflections on the Principal of Caring in the Nursery and the Physical and Human Space Devoted to Early Childhood. International Journal of Education, Culture and Society, 3(6), 92-101. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijecs.20180306.11

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    ACS Style

    Ana Katia Alves Dos Santos. Current Reflections on the Principal of Caring in the Nursery and the Physical and Human Space Devoted to Early Childhood. Int. J. Educ. Cult. Soc. 2019, 3(6), 92-101. doi: 10.11648/j.ijecs.20180306.11

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    AMA Style

    Ana Katia Alves Dos Santos. Current Reflections on the Principal of Caring in the Nursery and the Physical and Human Space Devoted to Early Childhood. Int J Educ Cult Soc. 2019;3(6):92-101. doi: 10.11648/j.ijecs.20180306.11

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ijecs.20180306.11,
      author = {Ana Katia Alves Dos Santos},
      title = {Current Reflections on the Principal of Caring in the Nursery and the Physical and Human Space Devoted to Early Childhood},
      journal = {International Journal of Education, Culture and Society},
      volume = {3},
      number = {6},
      pages = {92-101},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijecs.20180306.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijecs.20180306.11},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijecs.20180306.11},
      abstract = {This article updates reflections since the first version published in a Brazilian scientific journal in 2017 relating to the study of one of the basic principles of Early Childhood Education in the nursery segment: the caring. Caring is a concept widely debated in the field of human formation devoted to young children/infants. The theme of Early Childhood today occupies in the international scene an ample and complete debate in view of the establishment of a new world culture which looks at infants as a part of nations’ patrimony (assets). Therefore they should be cared for and protected with more rights and receive a dignified life beginning with its uterine constitution and then strengthen upon the child’s arrival in the nursery. In this sense the thesis is defended that the care of young children and infants is an ethical and affectionate way to educate, thus surpassing the vision based on assistentialism. Caring in educational institutions devoted to early childhood is meant to guarantee watching over, shelter and safety; it is the locus of protection, welcoming, development and learning. It also expresses itself in the form that its physical environment is built and organized. Therefore the reflections presented here emphasize the organization of the physical environment as a significant element in caring. In this reflexive path the metaphor of the “uterine environment” was utilized. In this text it was done as a form of comparison of the nursery as the extension of the former, given that the later should provide continuity to the functions provided by the former. The conception of the research here is qualitatively based utilizing the focus group method which is composed of children’s professors in training linked to a component of the curriculum of the Faculty of Education of the Federal University of Bahia with the code EDC308. In addition the research is supported by the action of the group coordinated by the author with the name Criethus (Center of Investigation, Defense and Education of Infants). It is also linked to the research project with registration 4391 in SIDOC-UFBA and depends as well with the implications of the author’s experience as having been a school teacher and administrator devoted to Early Childhood and Infantile Education. In this role she dialogued with architects in order to guarantee meaningful and quality spaces in which to educate children. [….] are among the authors whose theories provide the foundation for this study.},
     year = {2019}
    }
    

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Author Information
  • Department of Methodologies and Practices in Education, Faculty of Education, Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), Salvador, Brazil

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