ABSTRACT:
The article shares the results of a research concluded in 2018 that aimed to understand the situation of early childhood education (0-8 years) in Latin America and the Caribbean. It explores to which extent the principles and purposes of education embodied in the Convention of the Rights of the Child (CDN) are present in legislations and public educational policies of 10 countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. In addition to the documentary and legislative analysis, interviews with experts were carried out. Despite legislative progress, policies analysis expressed a great heterogeneity and fragmentation. The research shows important challenges regarding the effective implementation of intersectoral approaches for this educational stage, including the definition of its financing and the application of possible mechanisms of political and legal enforceability of rights.
Keywords:
Early Childhood Care and Education; Educational Policies; Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)