Educators child-care: concepts and practices

Authors

  • Eulina da Rocha Lordelo

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5380/psi.v2i1.7650

Abstract

Because of the importance of cultural conceptions in the quality of care experience, especially among actors who are responsible for organizing and providing children's care, in the quality of the day care center experience. This study aims to investigate care conceptions and practices among the workers of a public day care center in Salvador. A total of 45 workers (90% of the staff) answered a questionnaire, with opened and closed questions, including an ordination scale about the importance of 10 items. These items were selected because of their relevance to the day care center quality; meanwhile four groups were observed in daily samples of 10 to 15 minutes, spanning the main routines, like entrance, free play, meals, bath and planned activities. Categories of adult activities, based on observed behaviors, were defined and their frequencies calculated by groups. Ordination scales about the assessed items were constructed for each group, through calculation on the means rating. The results suggest a model of day care center - in terms of conceptions - that we can entitle a hygienist model. In this conception, the day care center is understood as a place in charge of the custody and physical development of children. The deduced conceptions are, in general, according to current practices, with prevailing body care and activities related to supervision and control of the children's behavior. Pedagogic activities were observed only in 4 or 5 years old group and the interaction level related to children's play (ludic contact and recreation activities) were found in less than 10% of adults activities. These results show that children's day care center experience demonstrated to this model can be still very far from their needs for integral development. The reorientation of day care center policy is considered as indispensable, independently from the improvement about material condition now available, since many experiences pointed in literature are suggesting strong effects of changes in the organization of day care center quality. 

How to Cite

Lordelo, E. da R. (1998). Educators child-care: concepts and practices. Interação Em Psicologia, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.5380/psi.v2i1.7650

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Section

Articles