Abstract
Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) policies and practices are local, historically and socially context-specific constructions. In addition to local ideals and policies, discursive practices concerning ECEC are influenced by universal ideals that are described and assigned by the member states of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989). This article examines the complex, culture-specific domestication of the universal commitment to the ‘best interests of the child’ in policies and curriculum guidance concerning ECEC for children under 3 years of age in two countries, Brazil and Finland. The qualitative case analysis is based on the main national policies and curricular guidelines on ECEC in both countries. Brazil and Finland both emphasize in their ECEC policies and curriculum guidance the rights of the (young) child to participation and protection. Similarities are also found in their emphasis on the educational nature of ECEC Institutions. Brazil is, however, more diverse in the treatment of its heterogeneous population. In Finland, the ‘best for the child’ is considered to be similar for all, i.e. the concept is domesticated uniformly across the entire population regardless of ethnicity or social class. In Brazil, in contrast, ‘the best’ is differentiated further for different strata of the population. In Brazil, ECEC policies aim to increase attendance in out-of-home care, whereas in Finland, the best for the youngest (0–3 years.) children unfolds as home care supported financially by the state.
Résumé
Les politiques et les pratiques d’éducation et de garde de la petite enfance (EGPE) sont des constructions locales, historiquement et socialement liées à leur contexte spécifique. En plus des idéaux et des politiques locales, les pratiques discursives concernant l’EGPE sont influencées par les idéaux universels qui sont décrits et attribués par les États membres dans la Convention relative aux droits de l’enfant des Nations Unies (1989). Cet article examine la domestication complexe et spécifique à la culture de l’engagement universel envers “le meilleur intérêt de l’enfant” dans les politiques et les orientations des programmes d’éducation et de garde des enfants de moins de trois ans dans deux pays, le Brésil et la Finlande. L’analyse qualitative de cas est basée sur les principales politiques et lignes directrices nationales des programmes en EGPE dans les deux pays. Dans leurs politiques et lignes directrices de programme en EGPE, le Brésil et la Finlande mettent tous deux l’accent sur les droits des (jeunes) enfants à la participation et à la protection. On trouve aussi des similitudes dans l’accent qu’ils mettent sur la nature éducative des institutions d’EGPE. Le Brésil est toutefois plus diversifié dans le traitement de sa population hétérogène. En Finlande, le « mieux pour l’enfant » est considéré comme semblable pour tous, c’est à dire que le concept est domestiqué uniformément à travers la population entière, indépendamment de l’appartenance ethnique ou de la classe sociale. Au Brésil, au contraire, « le mieux » est différencié davantage selon les différentes strates de la population. Au Brésil, les politiques d’EGPE visent à augmenter la fréquentation de services en dehors de la famille, alors qu’en Finlande, le mieux pour les plus jeunes (0–3 ans) enfants se révèle être la garde familiale avec l’appui financier de l’État.
Resúmen
Las políticas y prácticas de educación y cuidado de la primera infancia (AEPI) son locales, representando construcciones específicas de contextos históricos y sociales. Sin embargo, además de los ideales y políticas locales, las prácticas discursivas relativas a la AEPI son influenciadas también por los ideales universales que son descritos y asignados por los estados miembros de las Naciones Unidas en la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño (1989). Este artículo examina el complejo proceso de la « domesticación » (conocimiento y dominio) que la cultura específica hace del compromiso universal incorporado en las políticas que buscan “los mejores intereses para el niño” y la orientación curricular en relación la educación infantil y la atención a los niños menores de tres años de edad en dos países, Brasil y Finlandia. El análisis cualitativo de casos se basa en las principales políticas nacionales y las directrices curriculares de la AEPI de los dos países. Tanto Brasil como Finlandia enfatizan en sus políticas y en la orientación curricular los derechos del (joven) niño a la participación y a la protección. Las similitudes también se encuentran en su énfasis en la naturaleza educacional de las instituciones de AEPI. Brasil es, sin embargo, más diverso en el tratamiento de su población heterogénea. En Finlandia, “lo mejor para el niño” es considerado como similar para todos, es decir, el concepto es adoptado de manera uniforme a toda la población, independientemente de su origen étnico o clase social. En Brasil, en contraste, ‘lo mejor’ es aún más diferenciado para los diferentes estratos de la población. En Brasil, las políticas de AEPI tienen como objetivo aumentar la asistencia en el cuidado, mientras que en Finlandia, lo mejor para los más pequeños (0–3 años) se considera como la búsqueda de posibilidades de desarrollar estrategias diferentes como la atención domiciliaria con el apoyo financiero del Estado.
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Notes
Our perspective on the two country cases is that of ‘insiders’ and ‘outsiders’: one finnish author spent more than 3 years in Brazil, while one Brazilian author visited Finland briefly and has lived outside of Brazil. Our analysis is done collaboratively linking both ‘insider’ and ‘outsider’ perspectives on the two countries. Originally, our comparative approach was motivated by various contrasting and divergent observations that illuminated the practices we observed, making the ‘familiar strange’ in a comparative context (Piattoeva 2010).
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the Academy of Finland (project 133345) and São Paulo Research Foundation (Project 2009/53488-5, Brasil). The analysis was done in collaboration with Claudia Yazlle and Carolina Costa. We are also grateful to the anonymous reviewers and to Maria Clotilde Rossetti-Ferreira and Ana Paula Soares da Silva for their helpful comments.
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Rutanen, N., de Souza Amorim, K., Colus, K.M. et al. What is Best for the Child? Early Childhood Education and Care for Children under 3 Years of Age in Brazil and in Finland. IJEC 46, 123–141 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-013-0095-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-013-0095-0