The article addresses early child education and the policies set forth for the professional formation in this field. It sought to rescue stories about the education of professionals in charge of the management of early child education at the Municipal Secretariats of Education of the State of Rio de Janeiro. The text consists of three sections. The first contextualizes the research, addressing issues of methodological nature related to the questionnaire employed in the municipalities and summarizes the data thus obtained. The second section deals with the interviews conducted with these professionals, discussing the theoretic-methodological framework employed, practical aspects related to the conduction of the interviews, and the main categories that emerged from the reports. The third part focuses on the themes of management, identity and education. The interviewed speak about the context within which they work, about hierarchy and power, disclosing situations in which the precariousness, the lack of material and human resources, the lack of preparation, and decisions made on the spur of the moment coexist with dedication, idealism and professional commitment.
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION; MANAGEMENT; TEACHER EDUCATION; EDUCATIONAL POLICIES
