The Early Childhood Studies Center of SMAS trains professionals with an innovative method.

The first training session was the “Introduction to the Pikler Approach Module – studies of childcare inspired by the Pikler Approach”, which took place on Monday the 24th, for managers, from 9 am to 17 pm. The second, on Friday the 28th, was the “Workshop on the reference educator”, from 9:30 am to 13 pm, aimed at technical and management teams.

Aline Peçanha, coordinator of the study center, is a member of the Pikler Brazil Network and has already taken courses on the methodology in France and Ecuador.

– The Pikler Approach is a new perspective on infant care, conceived and tested by the Hungarian pediatrician Emmi Pikler. She ran an orphanage in the post-World War II period, and there, using the methods and principles she employed, the children's physical and motor development was preserved, even while in a collective space and separated from their parents – as happens in our shelters,” explains Aline.

Start in 2016

The method has been used at the Ana Carolina Social Reintegration Unit (URS) in Laranjeiras since 2016. Starting in 2022, with the creation of the study center, it was expanded to other foster care units for children.

– We are currently expanding this work to other teams, such as those of the Foster Family Service and also to the CRAS (Social Assistance Reference Centers) that participate in the UNICEF program that awards the Early Childhood Friendly Unit seal. Building this approach is a slow process, but with beautiful results – emphasizes Aline.

The approach focuses on caring for children who are separated from their families, but without abandoning the bond and affection, respecting the body and the developmental pace of each child.

– It's a very respectful form of physical care, always provided by the same educator, whom we call the reference caregiver. If she can't sit up yet, even though she's old enough to do so, we won't sit her up, because she has the age, but not the maturity. What Emmi Pikler teaches us is that when a child achieves postures using their own body, it generates a feeling of competence and security that isn't just for that moment, but for a lifetime. Respectful, delicate care with a bonding relationship with an adult positively impacts the child, and this will reverberate throughout their life – says Aline, who is proud to highlight that the Early Childhood Studies Center of SMAS is considered a pioneering space in Brazil, in the seminars on the subject in which it participates.

The Undersecretary for Special Social Protection at SMAS, Jéssica Oliveira de Almeida, was at the study center to observe part of Friday's training and spoke about the importance of capacity building for the network.

"I'm so happy to see this room full! Working on this topic is important, and training our network to practice these skills in all care units is our duty," says Jéssica.