Nenhuma a menos: a oferta da política de educação infantil em São Gonçalo dos Campos, Bahia (2017-2022)

Abstract

This study is the result of a master's research and addresses the implementation of early childhood education policy in the municipality of São Gonçalo dos Campos, Bahia. The research question was: how did the municipality provide early childhood education policy in the period from 2017 to 2022? It has a descriptive nature, and its main objective was to analyze the implementation of this policy within the aforementioned timeframe. The specific objectives were: to verify the existence or absence of demands related to the right to early childhood education policy forwarded to the Public Prosecutor's Office, Judicial District of São Gonçalo dos Campos, in the period from 2017 to 2022; to identify the educational policies formulated at the municipal level for this stage of basic education; and to characterize the conception of early childhood education underlying the local provision. The research is exploratorydescriptive and relies on bibliographic studies and documentary analysis. It employs Content Analysis, engaging the local Municipal Department of Education and the Public Prosecutor's Office as key interlocutors. The investigation was structured around key areas that included the theoretical foundation of the State and educational policies, a characterization of the municipality and its local provisions, an analysis of the regulatory framework in effect during the period, and a survey of empirical evidence regarding the provision of early childhood education from 2017 to 2022. The theoretical framework is supported by various authors in the field of early childhood education policy, including Araújo and Gomes (2023), Kramer (2006), Monção and Godoy (2020), Nunes (2016), Rehem (2014), Rehem and Faleiros (2014), Rosemberg (1998, 2002, 2003, 2015), and Santos (2017, 2022). Their contributions critically examine the development of policies related to childhood. In the dimension of the State, social rights, public policies, and neoliberal rationality, the analysis mobilized references such as Bobbio (1999, 2004), Brown (2019), Coutinho (2006), Dardot and Laval (2016), Fontes (2006), Gomes (2017), Höfling (2001), and Porto (2009), with a focus on the State's intervention capacity and contemporary transformations of policies. The results were organized into two analytical categories. The first one was the conditions of early childhood education provision in São Gonçalo dos Campos, broken down into the subcategories "access, coverage, and demand," "infrastructure and resources," "personnel training and management," "pedagogical organization and management," and "impacts of the pandemic". The second one was related to the action of the Public Prosecutor's Office regarding early childhood education, with an emphasis on the absence of registered demands. The findings indicate that there are no records of demands regarding early childhood education at the Public Prosecutor's Office from 2017 to 2022. This reveals significant gaps in the visibility of these issues and in the institution's ability to mediate potential violations of rights. At the municipal level, despite efforts to expand services, challenges related to access, infrastructure, training, and management continue to persist, aggravated by the impacts of the pandemic. The conception of early childhood education reflects the influence of non-formal education trends, which coexist with neoconservative elements. This is evident in the emphasis on the BNCC (Base Nacional Comum Curricular) and religious references, indicating that neoliberal rationality plays a significant role in shaping educational policy.