Escola, lugar de proteção? políticas públicas educacionais para as infâncias em acolhimento institucional no município de Belo Horizonte-MG

Abstract

The research was to identify and analyze public educational policies aimed at children aged 0- 3 years in institutional care, enrolled in schools and/or day-care centers within the Belo Horizonte Municipal Education Department's own or partner network. To this end, a survey of the legal panorama of children's educational rights was carried out, the Institutional Reception Units (UAIs) that serve this age group in the municipality were identified, and the schools/nurseries where they are located were mapped. In this sense, the research also sought to verify whether these children enjoyed guaranteed quality access and permanence in the early childhood centers where this research was carried out. The theme led us to the following axes of analysis: Public Education Policies for Children; Protection Networks; Early Childhood Education as a Human Right and Intersectoral Coordination Policies. It is also worth highlighting as an axis of analysis the role of the school for children in institutional care from the perspective of public educational policies. About the theoretical framework, the following were discussed: Childhood and Early Childhood Education (Rizzini; Rizzini, 2004; Abreu, 2010; Santana, 2006; Macedo, 2019; Dominico, 2021). For the legal overview, we used the Statute of Children and Adolescents (Brasil, 1990a), the Law of Guidelines and Bases of National Education (Brasil, 1996), the Curricular Propositions for Early Childhood Education (Belo Horizonte, 2014), the SMED Ordinance nº 204/2020 (Belo Horizonte, 2020) and technical guidelines, namely the Reception Services for Children and Adolescents (Brasil, 2009), the CMDCA/BH Resolution nº 120/2015 (Belo Horizonte, 2015a), among other documents. This is qualitative research, in which a questionnaire was used for the exploratory part to identify the school to be studied. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with managers to obtain more information about the children in their daily school life, how the family-school relationship works in the care of these children, and how the school participates in intersectoral coordination for the full protection of children. In addition, documents such as enrollment forms, Anamnesis forms, and Descriptive reports were also analyzed. The involvement of the School in the development of the Individual Learning Plan and the coordination between the School and the UAIs were also analyzed. As far as educational resources are concerned, a booklet was produced containing the mapping of public educational policies focused on institutionalized children and the main results of this research. Among the main results, the following stand out: the mapping and analysis of the main public policies aimed at children in institutions, from a historical context to the present day; and the recognition that the school is the protection network. It was also noted the need for UAIs to enroll children in the age group 0 to 3 years, although compulsory enrollment is a right, and it was specifically noted that for the age group 0 to 11 months, no child in the city of Belo Horizonte was enrolled in early childhood education. This study provides support for the understanding of policies and, at the same time, a warning and an invitation to strengthen the articulation of intersectoral policies and the fulfillment of the rights historically constructed for children in institutional care. Keywords: Public education policies; Childhood and early childhood education; Institutional reception.