Babies in the curricular frameworks of initial teacher education for daycare centers
Babies; Initial Teacher education; Daycare; Teaching.
This paper presents a research proposal that aims to analyze how babies are addressed in the curricular frameworks of initial teacher education for working in daycare centers, focusing on Pedagogy programs at public universities in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. The research stems from the perception that babies are often rendered invisible in teacher education curricula, which undermines the preparation of educators to work with this age group. It is in response to this need to reflect on how babies are considered in teacher education processes that this study proposes to analyze how their presence is incorporated into initial teacher education for daycare settings.To support the discussion, the study draws on authors from the fields of Childhood Social Studies and Baby Studies, such as Tebet (2018; 2019), Barbosa and Gobatto (2017; 2019), Silva and Neves (2020), as well as research on daycare centers, teacher identity, and teacher education by Locatelli and Vieira (2022), Flores (2010), and Campos (1994; 2008; 2013). The approach is qualitative, following Minayo (1998), and the methodology involves documentary analysis of the Pedagogical Course Projects (PPCs) from public universities in Pernambuco, along with the conduction of focus groups with program graduates. Content analysis will be conducted based on Bardin (2011) and Franco (2011). With this proposal, the study aims to contribute to the debates on initial teacher education with a focus on babies and professional practice in daycare centers.