The Training of Kindergarten Teachers: Appropriate Educational Practices to the Context of Childcare

Abstract

In this article we intend to address the initial training of kindergarten teachers and its adequacy particularly in the context of nursery education, which remains mostly unexplored. In this context it is important not only refer to the theoretical options that should sustain such training, but also to analyze aspects of practical intervention to ensure, cumulatively, the quality of the educational environment and the overall development of children. Thus, the primary objective is, first, to explain a set of relevant educational principles (Gonzalez‘Mena& Eyer, 2001) and, secondly, to highlight good practice to the development of children up to age three years old, envisaged by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). In conclusion, the implications and advantages of the consideration of such principles and practices in the initial training of kindergarten teachers will be referred as well as the impact of such training in professional practice, specifically in the context of nursery.