Formação de educadores de infância em Portugal e professores de educação infantil no Brasil: aproximações e distanciamentos

Abstract

The text aims to identify differences and similarities regarding the teacher training for teachers of young children in kindergartens and pre-schools, considering the specificity and complexity of this educational task, and the context of the training of these professionals in both countries. The study was based on literature review and document analysis on the formation of early childhood educators in Portugal and Brazil. The findings indicate that the discontinuities of public policy for higher education in Portugal in recent decades represented departures from the previous training, which was a specifically vocational training. As a consequence, we observe setbacks and reduced quality training (conceptual change ‘nursery school’ to ‘pre-school’). The situation of children education in Brazil is similar to the Portuguese situation in terms of the prospects for teacher training for teachers of young children in institutional settings (generic and not enough specialized) and different in terms of the full accomplishment of the right to education of children 0–3 years in nurseries, situation that is reflected in the programs of initial training of educators of infancy in Portugal. Keywords: teacher training in early childhood education (Brazil), teacher training in early childhood education (Portugal), Pedagogy courses.