THE PROFESSIONALISM OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION TEACHERS AND THEIR CARE-EDUCATING YOUNG CHILDREN RESPONSIBILITES

This paper introduces the discussion about the teachers' professionalism from their responsibilities regarding early childhood education. The objective is to investigate the relationship between the function of caring-educating young children in early childhood and the professional development of their teachers. Experiences from Italy, Sweden and Portugal contributed to illuminate the discussion of both the personal, professional and organizational development of nurseries and schools. In this research, challenges were identified to professionals with regard to the establishment of relations with the children's family, to meet the needs of the children themselves and also about the definition of a curriculum for early childhood education. The results show prospects for the pursuit of professional teaching for early childhood teachers.