A APLICAÇÃO DO ESTATUTO DA CRIANÇA E DO ADOLESCENTE (ECA) NA EDUCAÇÃO INFANTIL: DESAFIOS E PRÁTICAS DOCENTES NO CENTRO MUNICIPAL DE EDUCAÇÃO INFANTIL (CMEI)

Abstract

This study investigates the application of the Child and Adolescent Statute (ECA) in Early Childhood Education, focusing on Municipal Early Childhood Education Centers (CMEIs) in João Pessoa, Brazil. Although the ECA is a crucial instrument for guaranteeing children's rights, its effective implementation in pedagogical practices faces significant challenges. The research provides a historical context of the right to education, tracing its evolution from the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (1789) to the 1988 Brazilian Federal Constitution, the National Education Guidelines and Framework Law (LDB/1996), and, most importantly, the ECA (Law nº 8.069/1990), which ensures the fundamental rights of children and adolescents in Brazil. The methodological approach adopted is qualitative and exploratory in nature, based on the dialectical method, which allows for a more in-depth analysis of the problem and the identification of determining factors for the phenomenon studied. Techniques such as document analysis, bibliographic review and semi-structured interviews recorded with teachers and pedagogical coordinators of the Vicente Chaves Araújo CMEI were used. To this end, the following question was raised: how is the ECA being applied by teachers in the CMEIs, and how can pedagogical practices in early childhood education promote knowledge and guarantee children's rights? The results revealed several challenges and weaknesses present in the daily lives of schools, such as the lack of specific training for educators on the ECA, the difficulty in involving families and the need for greater institutional support. In view of these challenges, the study proposes strategies to strengthen the presence of the ECA in the Early Childhood Education curriculum, such as: ongoing training for teachers, aiming to deepen their knowledge about the ECA; development of specific teaching materials that facilitate the approach to children's rights in a fun and accessible way; greater integration between school and family, promoting the active participation of parents and guardians in the educational process. It is concluded that the effective implementation of the ECA in the pedagogical practices of CMEIs is essential to guarantee an education that respects and promotes children's rights from early childhood. Despite the importance of the ECA, many professionals in Early Childhood Education still do not have in-depth knowledge of the legislation, which makes it difficult to apply it in the day-to-day school routine. Therefore, it is essential to invest in the training of educators, in the development of appropriate pedagogical resources and in building a closer relationship between school and family, in order to strengthen the culture of human rights in early childhood education.