COVID-19 and early childhood in Brazil: impacts on children’s well-being, education and care

This article describes and analyses the corona virus pandemic consequences on Brazilian early childhood education, on small children families' life conditions and on teacher's work, since March 2020, when preventive measures, such as social distancing and schools closure, were adopted by states and municipal authorities in the country. The text covers four main aspects of this situation: (a) economic and social factors affecting families with small children during the pandemic; (b) early childhood education policies and initiatives during the period of school closure; (c) the new roles of teachers; (d) a number of narratives from small children experiences and feelings. Data were obtained from different sources: reports published on the Internet; preliminary data from on going researches; and information given by some public schools. The collected information shows how school and home's spaces and times are now mixed up and how teachers and parents roles are being shared since the schools closed. Children tell how they miss going to school, their teachers and friends; parents miss the school support and its presence in their lives; teachers have to improvise using virtual means of communication and are afraid of returning to schools when they reopen.