The project is coordinated by professor Kay Tisdall at the the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and in Brazil by professor Irene Rizzini at CIESPI/PUC-Rio. The aim is to contribute to debates and actions about children and their families in two communities: Rocinha (Rio de Janeiro) and Jardim Catarina (São Gonçalo), both in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The focus is to develop partnerships to improve the state of Early Childhood Education.

This first bulletin describes the results of our first consultations with the two communities in the project. We have addressed two topics: 1) the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and 2) initiatives aimed at young children. Between September and December 2020, we consulted with people who work in these communities about the challenges of caring for and working with young children especially in these difficult times.