PUBLIC POLICIES FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION IN THE CITY OF BETIM, MINAS GERAIS, BRAZIL

The article aims to discuss the policies for early childhood education of different governments ahead of the city hall of Betim, a city in the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte in Minas Gerais. The methodology starts from documentary sources available in unions, in the city's public library, in the city hall and in the city council. The Jardim the Infância Menino Jesus, founded in 1958, marks the beginning of the educational service of the small children in the city, being intensified after the creation of the Associação de Proteção à Maternidade, Infância e Velhice (Apromiv – Association of Protection of Motherhood, Childhood and Older Age) in 1971. The Movimento de Luta Pró-Creche (MLPC – Movement for Daycares), organized in the 1980s and working in Betim contributed to the achievement of children’s right to education in the 1988 Brazilian Federal Constitution. As a result, an increase is observed in the provision of public early childhood education in the city of Betim over the last years. However, although recognizing the improvements, there are great demands for more investment in the structure of the public network, as well as in the career and training of professionals.