A FINALIDADE DA INSTITUIÇÃO DE EDUCAÇÃO INFANTIL

Abstract

AbstractThis final course work was presented as a partial requirement for the completion of the Pedagogy Course at PUC Goiás, in June 2025. The text addresses the purpose of early childhood education institutions, focusing on children aged 0 to 5, and emphasizes the importance of comprehensive child development — physical, cognitive, social, emotional, and cultural. The motivation for the study arose from my experience as an intern in basic education, where I observed that pedagogical practices were often not aligned with the theoretical proposals for comprehensive child development. The lack of a clear consensus on the purpose of early childhood education generates fragmented practices in institutions, making it difficult to achieve coherence between theory and practice. Many educators, unaware of the real objectives of this educational stage, end up restricting themselves to merely reproductive activities, without considering the uniqueness of children. This initial contact with educational practice, combined with the theoretical deepening during my undergraduate degree in Pedagogy, especially in the subject “Early Childhood Education: Socio-Historical-Pedagogical Studies”, contributed to broadening my interest as the author in the subject. Theorists such as Piaget, Wallon, Montessori and Freinet offered foundations for understanding the different forms of learning in childhood. The methodology of the research carried out is qualitative in nature, of the bibliographic and documentary type. Initially, a survey was carried out in the Brazilian Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (BDTD), with the descriptor “purpose of the early childhood education institution”, resulting in 58 works, of which only 8 were selected as pertinent. The research also involved an analysis of legislation such as the LDB (Law 9394/96), BNCC (2017) and other laws related to early childhood education in Brazil. The research proposed the following problem: “What is the purpose of early childhood education institutions, as evidenced in educational policies and in the theoretical and methodological propositions of researchers in the field of Education?” The defined objectives included: analyzing the history of early childhood education in Brazil, understanding its public policies, and identifying the main theoretical proposals related to its purpose. The results were organized into three chapters. The first presents a historical overview of early childhood education in Brazil, showing its transition from a welfare function to a right guaranteed by law since the 1988 Constitution. Despite the advances, challenges persist, such as inequality of access and quality. The second chapter analyzes educational policies aimed at childhood, discussing the relationship between the public and private sectors, and highlighting the importance of children’s participation in the construction of policies. It highlights the need to overcome traditional practices that prioritize routine and obedience to the detriment of integral development. The third chapter deals with the theoretical and methodological bases of early childhood education, with emphasis on Henri Wallon and the Historical-Cultural Theory. Wallon proposes an integrated view between affectivity and cognition, while the Historical-Cultural Theory, especially by Vygotsky, values play as a central activity in the development of children. The text criticizes the tendency towards curricular homogenization imposed by the BNCC and defends practices that respect children's uniqueness, the school routine and experience as the center of learning. In summary, the work highlights the importance of an early childhood education committed to the integral development of the child, based on solid theories and practices.