The place of child development in young children's care awarded by women from the lower classes

Abstract

The main objective of this article is to explore the category of “child development”, based on the accounts of working-class women, seeking, through theoretical bases, to emphasize its aspect as a result of a historical-social construction. The research was based on informal conversations, a conversation circle and semi-structured interviews with women who are mothers of children who were, between March 2020 and October 2021 (period of interruption of face-to-face activities in public daycare centers) from zero to six years old. It was possible to infer from the research the great weight that these women give to the development of children, this being the theme that first appeared as a concern of women during the pandemic. In addition, we were able to perceive the role that daycare centers play in families, of combining functions of care and education of children.

Keywords:
Child Development; Pandemic; Lower classes