FEEDING INFANTS AND TODDLERS IN CRÈCHES: MEDIATORS. INTERACTIONS AND PROGRAMS IN EARLY CHILD EDUCATION

Abstract

This paper discusses various issues concerning the work developed by early child care institutions in order to foster and deal with the children’s acquisition of feeding habits, both
when the infant starts day-care, and during his/her later development in it. The cooperation between the crèche staffand the family is emphasized as the main axis on which the success
ofthis work relies. Feeding is proposed as a social and symbolic construction. This, each family has its own peculiar choice of foods and of ways of preparing and giving them to their children. On the other hand, there are some guidelines concerning what is a well-balanced diet for children at various ages which are able to promote their healthy development. Furthermore, in the collective context of a crèche, the educares10 must coordinate a personal attention to individual needs with the group requirements and routines. This presentation is based on the 10 years’ accumulated experience ofthe educares and technicians of “Creche Carochinha”, a crèche which attends children whose parents work or study at University of São Paulo - Campus of Ribeirão Preto, and on a research developed by CINDEDI (Brazilian Research Center on Early Child Care and Education) on ‘The adaptation processes of babies. families and educares during their first months at the crèche”. Some principles which guide our work in this arca are presented, emphasizing the hnportance of considering the child as an active subject whose autonomy should be respected and enhanced during the learr~ing process. Some guidelines concerning the organization of the menu are discussed together with some details about special procedures and milestones to be considered when new foods and habits are introduced, specially when those changes coincide with the child’s and the family’s integration in the crèche. Some individual cases and specific procedures are presented. The educares’ previous and continuous training is discussed and higl^1lighted as one of the most relevant issues when quality of care is to be achieved.