Abstract
Objective
To understand the maternal perception about the surveillance of the development of children under three years old who attend a daycare center.
Method
A qualitative study with nine mothers of children under the age of three, enrolled in a daycare center in João Pessoa-PB, linked to a Family Health Unit. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and subjected to thematic analysis.
Results
The monitoring of the development of children attending a daycare center is weakened, since most mothers do not take the child to childcare in order to monitor growth and development, and the inclusion of health professionals in the daycare center is still limited. However, the mothers recognize the daycare center as an ideal setting for the promotion of child development and the importance of health professionals in this setting.
Conclusion and implications for the practice
Joint actions of the daycare center with the Family Health Unit are necessary for comprehensive care and surveillance of child development.
Keywords:
Child Health; Growth and Development; Family Health Strategy; Child Daycare Centers; Mothers