Original article

Integrated early childhood care: conception for its achievement

Aramys María Torres Ulacia^{1  *} 
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6708-0792

Neisy Figueredo Ramirez¹ 
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1033-2442

Jorge Luis Álvarez Zamora¹ 
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4782-6091

¹Universidad de Ciego de Ávila Máximo Gómez Baéz. Cuba

ABSTRACT

The article discusses how to establish relationships between the children's circle, the preschool grade in elementary schools and the Educate Your Child program, in order to improve the work of educational agents, while organizing the educational process. The objective of the work is to present a theoretical-methodological conception that makes possible the articulation between the modalities of attention to the early childhood and it is specified in revealing the relationships between the components that make up early childhood, which is distinguished by offering the design of the interrelation of the personal components, and of organization for the solution of the problems that are manifested in different work scenarios. The fundamentals of the socio-critical approach are assumed, which makes possible the use of participatory action research as a fundamental method. The main theoretical methods applied were: historical-logical, analytical-synthetic, inductive-deductive, systemic-structural and empirical methods: observation, interview, survey, modeling, documentary analysis and triangulation of sources; in addition, the percentage calculation and qualitative analysis of data for the comparison and interpretation of the results obtained in the educational practice In the research it was possible to modify the performance of the educational agents involved in the educational process, and from their joint action to solve or mitigate the effects of the inadequacies that occur in practice in the modalities of early childhood care through institutional and non-institutional channels.

Keywords: articulation; educate your child; early childhood intersectoriality; educational process

Introduction

In recent years in Latin America and Europe, social evolution has led to the predominance of a dual system, in which early childhood programs are differentiated according to their objectives and target groups, with a preference for child custody and care, or more specifically educational objectives.

The educational systems of various Latin American countries (Cuba, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Brazil) show that the early childhood and preschool curricula are organized according to the two educational modalities: institutional and non-institutional; in the case of Cuba, both modalities have common objectives, given the stage of development, with similar contents, based on theoretical and methodological principles that place the child at the center of the educational process, thus eliminating the rupture that is often established between these modalities of early childhood care [^{Mayol, M. Marzonetto G. and Quiroz, A., 2020}; ^{Marzonetto, G., 2019}; ^{Morán, C., 2018}; United Nations Children's Fund ^{(UNICEF-LACRO), 2017}].

It is assumed that the modalities for the care of children from zero to six years of age in Cuba form a dialectic unit where both are necessary and complementary. The institutional modality refers to systematic education centers, children's circles and preschool classrooms in primary schools; the non-institutional modality is carried out in communities and homes, through the family, with the implementation and follow-up of the Community Social Attention program called Educate your child, which is conceived with an intersectoral and community character and is put into practice with the decisive participation of the family, which carries out activities to stimulate the integral development of children in this age group.

In the results of the control system applied and through the early childhood balance, the methodological assistance visits, the integral inspections of the educational process, as well as the monitoring applied in the province of Ciego de Avila, and in the experience of the researcher, deficiencies have been found, since the implementation of the educational process by both modalities of early childhood care, such as:

• In the institutional modality:

  • The educational activities (joint activities) that are planned with families in children's institutions do not develop interest and satisfaction in parents. The preparation that the family receives to give continuity to the educational process at home is insufficient.

• In the non-institutional modality:

  • There are qualitative differences in the development that children reach in the intellectual sphere. They are withdrawn and need more levels of help to develop the tasks. Limitations in the methodological treatment of the contents of the developmental areas by the educational agents who teach the joint activity.

It is important to highlight that the articulation between both modalities of early childhood care is significant to improve the care of children from zero to six years of age, taking into account that children go from one care modality to the other throughout the entire stage. During the first year of life, all children are cared for in the non-institutional modality; if the mother is a worker, they go to the institutional modality until she maintains this condition; otherwise, they return to the non-institutional modality and, in the sixth year of life, taking into account the area where they live, they are cared for in the institutional or non-institutional modality. In addition, there are differences in the personnel that work in them, so that in this sense both modalities have strengths that can have an impact on the efficient development of the educational process.

The studies conducted by ^{Franco, O. (2011}), Sistema de Información de Tendencias Educativas en América Latina ^{(SITEAL) 2019}, ^{World Association of Early Childhood Educators (2017)}, among others, on the importance and main characteristics of the articulation process between the preschool stage and the subsequent stage are significant. ^{Pérez, I. (1998}), ^{Martínez, F. (2004}a) outline aspects that should be taken into account so that early childhood care modalities are interrelated in the interest of raising the preparation of all those who educate.

The children's center can and should maintain a close link with the non-institutional modality of early childhood. ^{Martínez, F. (2004}a, page 163) considers that this is one of the ways for the child center to project itself to the community and argues that the center's own parents can become volunteers for the task of educating in a different but equivalent way to the institutional modality.

The authors ^{Gutiérrez Duarte, Socorro Alonso and Ruiz León, Mara (2018}) refer that children's centers constitute the ideal place that guarantees early stimulation. However, the findings confirm that not only children's centers provide the comprehensive development of the infant; the social, economic and cultural context where the child develops generates stimuli to favor such development (^{Piñeiro, R. and Díaz, T. 2017}).

The insufficiencies that exist in practice and the limitations in theory affect the forms of interaction and mutual influences of education and development in early childhood; therefore, the system of pedagogical influences is organized in two modalities of care that differ in the ways, methods and approaches in which they are implemented in educational practice, without taking advantage of the potentialities that each modality of care contributes to solve the existing problems.

The objective of this paper is to present a theoretical-methodological conception that makes possible the articulation between the modalities of early childhood care.

Materials and methods

For this research, a population of 61 educational agents was selected as the unit of study: . These agents constitute the Participatory Action Research group of this study. This population is broken down as follows: 24 teachers from the "Heroicas Guerrillas" Children's Circle, 12 preschool teachers, seven full-time promoters, 14 members of the coordinating groups, four from the municipal coordinating group and 10 from the popular councils of the Educate Your Child program and four methodologists from the Municipal Directorate of Education.

The research assumes a socio-critical approach, which allows us to assess the problems that arise in the early childhood educational process and, based on them, to analyze the possible actions that should be developed so that the modalities of care can articulate and use the potentialities that they develop in a conscious manner.

For this purpose, Participatory Action Research is used, uniting theory and practice in a process where educational agents are involved in the search for solutions through collective reflection and dialectically combining quantitative and qualitative methods, techniques and procedures.

The historical-logical method was used to systematize the theory related to early childhood: background, actuality and projection; it also provided knowledge about the evolution and development of the relationships between the modalities of care and the cooperative activity of the educational agents for the educational process.

The systemic-structural approach was used to establish the relationships between the new points of view of the conception and made possible the structuring of the articulation process, the organization of the work in the different contexts, the roles assumed by the participants at each moment and the ways adopted to integrate these actions into the educational process.

The modeling allowed the Participatory Action-Research group to represent the organization of the process of articulation between the modalities of early childhood care, based on the new point of view presented by the researcher.

The analytical-synthetic approach was used by the Participatory Action Research group throughout the research process, in the analysis of the sources, the determination of the theoretical foundations on the articulation process and its contextualization in the work developed by the early childhood care modalities, in the conformation of the theoretical elements from the synthesis of this information, in the interpretation of the results and in the determination of the partial and final conclusions.

Participant observation was used throughout the research process, which made it possible to obtain information about the conditions and characteristics of the educational process in both modalities of care and to reveal the patterns of conduct and behavior of each of the educational agents.

The documentary analysis was useful in the study of three groups of documents: the first, related to MINED's priorities, specifications and circular letters; the second, with the educational programs of both modalities and the third with the annual, methodological and action plans elaborated in the territory. It made it possible to determine regularities in the planning and organization of the early childhood education process.

The survey was applied to the municipal director of Education, the promoters, teachers, members of the municipal coordinating group and the Popular Council, in order to obtain criteria on how the articulation between the modalities of early childhood care is manifested and to reach a consensus on the starting point and the successive progressive approaches towards the conformation of the theoretical-methodological conception.

The interview was conducted with the municipal director of Education, the promoters, the teachers, the members of the municipal coordinating group and the Popular Council who work in the early childhood institutions, which made it possible to obtain evaluative criteria on the relationship established between the institutional and non-institutional modality of early childhood.

The procedure of triangulation of sources was used to collect data from different angles, to compare and control them with each other. A cross-check was made between different sources: evaluators, at different times and spaces, to reveal the transformations achieved; and the projective technique of sentence completion, to evaluate the level of satisfaction of the educational agents involved in both modalities of early childhood care in the implementation of the articulation to solve the problems of educational practice with the use of the potentialities of both modalities.

In addition, use was made of percentage calculation and qualitative data analysis for the comparison and interpretation of the results obtained in the educational practice. The socio-critical approach was used and the Participatory Action Research was assumed, because it allows creating the necessary space to build the theoretical component and improve the educational practice. The use of this method has been confirmed by its cognitive and transformative functions. These, while producing knowledge, link it to social action; furthermore, it not only generates new knowledge for the researcher, but also for the subjects involved in the process of change who must materialize the transforming processes.

In this process there is no sense in the didactic transmission of knowledge, but learning through research and investigation. The living knowledge resulting from this activity is transferred directly to action. In this way, the relationship between knowing and doing is restructured and the educational agents involved in the early childhood educational process are given the functions of both production and use of knowledge.

Results

Evaluating the state of the relationships established between the early childhood care modalities, as part of the articulation between the two, required the use of key informants, the application of two surveys, six interviews, 16 activities of the coordinating group of the Educate Your Child program were observed (municipal meeting, training of peer promoters and visits to non-formal groups in the Popular Councils) and the analysis of six types of documents related to the planning and execution of actions and activities in early childhood.

The comprehensive analysis of the diagnostic instruments by the working group made it possible to identify the potentialities and needs to establish the articulation between the early childhood care modalities, which coincide with the results of the methodological assistance visits and the inspections carried out in the different work scenarios.

When analyzing the survey applied to the methodologists, municipal director of education, promoters, teachers and members of the coordinating group, it was found that, in relation to the definition by the different levels of the interrelationship between the modalities of early childhood care, 26 of the respondents, representing 77%, reported not having clarity in this regard. Although it is described in the manual "Para Ti Promotor" that the children's circle is the training center for the Educate Your Child program, it is not defined exactly what actions and/or activities the institution will develop in this regard and what position the noninstitutional modality will assume. Respondents from the children's circle and the coordinating group of the Popular Council are the ones with the greatest limitations.

Three of the seven promoters of the Educate your child program, which represents 42.8%, identified some spaces that can be used to promote the articulation between early childhood care modalities, but they were not able to identify which processes can be developed in these spaces, nor how they would be organized. The most identified spaces are related to training, from the intersectionality, with the participation of teachers in the meetings of the basic working group of the Ministry of Public Health, to train the family doctor and nurse, integrated visit of teachers of the National Institute of Sports and Recreation and teachers of the second cycle of the early childhood education level to the child care office, to carry out practical activities with the doctors in the preparation of the family in the first year of life.

In order to obtain information on what has been established for the interrelation of early childhood care modalities, the analysis was based on the analysis of normative and methodological documents prepared by the Ministry of Education, which have created the basis for guiding and organizing the entire early childhood education process; among them are the priorities for different school years, the details of these priorities, documents, pamphlets, resolutions and circular letters that have been issued.

The action plans elaborated for the Educate Your Child program are very general and formal. In the course of six months, no adjustments or corrections had been made; they remained with the tasks conceived by the coordinating group at the beginning of the school year, which shows a poor command of the particularities of the educational process by the members of the coordinating group. With the exception of the training actions conceived for the preparation of preschool teachers, there is no evidence of the planning of actions related to the articulation with the institutional modality.

In the annual and monthly plan prepared in the children's circles and in the methodological preparation actions for teachers, the full-time promoters of the Educate Your Child program and the preschool teachers are included, but specific topics of the institutional educational process are planned and the Educate Your Child program as a non-institutional modality is not addressed in depth, so it can be said that there is no evidence of a dynamic in the relationship between the two modalities of early childhood care.

In the education program that is intended for the learning of children from zero to six years of age in the institutional modality, it is evident that each of the areas of knowledge and development is made explicit in the different cycles, and its contents must be developed during the entire preschool stage in order to comply with the objectives.

The non-institutional modality uses an interdisciplinary pedagogical program, which is presented in a collection of nine booklets, which, in addition to the general goals and objectives for each age group, also include activities for the development of movement, language, intelligence, the socio-affective sphere, social behavioral habits, hygiene and health, nutrition and health, as well as the achievements that the children should reach by the end of the year of life.

There is a marked difference in the number of developmental achievements proposed in both programs; in those related to the non-institutional modality, important actions that serve as a basis for the work developed by the family are omitted. This situation constitutes a regularity that can be attenuated through the articulation between both modalities of care, through the cooperative and coordinated work of both modalities of early childhood care.

It was found that the prioritized objectives of the Ministry of Education for the different courses are oriented towards the development of intersectoral activities in which a working relationship between both modalities of care is inferred, but they do not have a comprehensive approach that favors an efficient and effective relationship between the children's circle, the preschool grade in primary schools and the Educate Your Child program.

In the precisions for the improvement of the educational process (^{Cáceres Suárez, Y. and Benavides Perera, Z., 2019}; ^{Cuba. Ministerio de Educación, 2017}) it could be seen that actions are indicated that merit the cooperative development among the three components that make up the modalities of early childhood care for the continuous improvement of knowledge, basic and specialized skills, which would enable a better performance of the responsibilities and functions of those involved in the process (^{Alfonso Amaro, Y.; Carreño Ortega, D. y Marcaida Pérez, Y., 2019}).

During the observation of different processes and activities that take place in early childhood, with the participation of educational agents, seven observers, representing 100%, state that the relationship between educational agents is generally manifested in the same modality; only the promoters of the popular councils are involved in the process of relating with all the educational agents.

Even though 83.6% of the observers agree that there is a favorable expectation among the educational agents for the development of cooperative actions to solve the problems of educational practice in the same type of process, it is evident that the educational agents disagree with the analyses and suggestions that are made from a modality different from their own, since the potentialities that both modalities develop to improve the process are not used.

In the interview with the four early childhood methodologists, the elements that characterize the educational process at this stage, which were not entirely clear after the analysis of the data obtained in the observations that were carried out, were examined in depth. These observations showed that in the children's circle there is no clarity about the mothers who aspire to the places offered in the institution, since there is a lack of a communication mechanism that would allow the board of directors to handle this data prior to the awarding of the vacancies.

The in-depth interview with key informants made it possible to confirm the reality of the scientific problem, the causes that provoke it and to consider, from a new point of view, the design of a theoretical-methodological conception for the articulation between the early childhood care modalities. This was applied individually to the educational agents of each of the components that make up the early childhood care modalities that fulfill this role, during the development of the phases of the Participatory Action Research.

100% of the key informants agree that the cause that affects the definition of the interrelation between early childhood care modalities is the lack of systematization and unity of criteria regarding the actions and activities to be developed in each early childhood component.

100% of those interviewed considered it pertinent to take advantage of the potential of the joint activity and the home visit in both modalities of care, to develop actions that allow for the articulation between them. 57.1 %, representing four key informants, suggested the need to use the days of open doors in the children's institution, with greater intentionality to show the community the particularities and characteristics of the processes of satisfaction of basic needs, which should be promoted from the home and in the children's institution.

However, it can be seen that the suggestions in this particular area contributed less, which shows limitations in the interviewees' conception of actions to achieve articulation between the modalities of early childhood care.

The interview conducted with the 36 teachers of the institutional modality allowed for an in-depth study of the causes that affect the relationship between the early childhood care modalities. These results showed that, even though topics related to the educational process of the non-institutional modality and the Educate Your Child program were taught as part of the curriculum and in the master's degree modules, the teachers' knowledge of this modality is insufficient.

When interviewing the 25 educational agents, who are directly related to the non-institutional modality, it was possible to verify that in order to solve the insufficiencies of the educational practice, the potentialities that intersectionality offers are used, but direct help is never requested from the institutional modality for this purpose; the promoters approach the institution to clarify doubts and then be able to explain them in the People's Councils.

In an integrative and generalizing analysis of the results of the instruments applied, it can be seen that, in general, no actions are being developed to make possible the integration of educational influences to improve the educational process and the deficiencies diagnosed in the baseline and follow-up survey are confirmed. In addition, the educational agents rightly raised the possible causes that originate this situation and feasible alternatives for its solution, which allowed the interpretation and objective analysis of the information, which are summarized below:

Potentialities

• Early childhood teachers, most of whom have a university education.

• The preparation of the family of the non-institutional modality for the realization of educational activities at home.

• Teachers feel committed and willing to get involved in the transformations aimed at the articulation with the non-institutional modality, in order to improve the educational process in both modalities.

It is necessary to organize the early childhood education process as a dynamic system, in which strategic processes of articulation are mobilized between the modalities of early childhood care and the use of the potentialities that both modalities possess to achieve the maximum possible development of these children, regardless of the educational modality in which they have been enrolled.

These needs were considered to be integrated in the structuring of the theoretical methodological conception, in order to enhance the articulation between the modalities of early childhood care.

The structure of the theoretical-methodological conception includes in the theoretical component the new point of view, work scenarios, roles and relationships, while in the methodological component the workshop system and the methodological procedures to be taken into account by the educational agents in the process of articulation between the modalities of early childhood care are made explicit.

The theoretical component is based on the assumption that early childhood differs from other types of education because in order to achieve its purpose and fulfill its objectives, it uses two modalities of care, which in turn are composed of three components: the children's circle and the preschool grade in primary schools or in children's circles as an institutional modality, and the Educate Your Child program as a non-institutional modality. These differ in their management structure, organizational forms and role in the conduct and development of the educational process.

Since the generalization of the non-institutional modality in 1990, work has been done to improve the preparation of the family and the educational process, but from each of the care modalities or, in its minimum expression, from the components that make them up. The researcher proposes to approach the problem from another point of view: the articulation between the institutional and non-institutional modalities, based on the potentialities that both develop, favors the work of educational agents to improve the early childhood educational process.

This new perspective guides the theoretical-methodological conception, to establish the articulation between the early childhood modalities; which is manifested in the relationships between the educational agents of the children's circle, the preschool grade in primary schools and the Educate Your Child program.

The systematization carried out allowed us to take into consideration that the problems that constitute regularities in early childhood are manifested in the following work scenarios.

They belong to the non-institutional modality:

The work of the municipal coordinating group with the coordinating group of the Popular Council, a scenario in which the members of the group train their counterparts and evaluate the actions conceived in the action plan for the implementation of the program at the base, taking into account the diagnosis of the community. Key elements are the dissemination of the importance of the activities, the mobilization of families to attend the sessions that are programmed, the preparation of the personnel, the intervention in the organization and execution of activities (educational, cultural, sports and recreational).

Work of the promoters in the communities, in which the promoters characterize the community with the census of the population from zero to six years of age, the extension of the territory, the socio-cultural level of the population, as well as the number of executors and the way in which they will be incorporated to the task (full or part time). The population census will make it possible to know in which age groups the children are most concentrated in order to be able to distribute and advise the volunteer implementers. The way in which the houses are distributed in the territory is also an element to be taken into account: if they are grouped or dispersed.

Work of the volunteer implementers, where the implementers inform the family, in a brief and simple way, about what activities they are going to carry out with their children and what aspects of the child's development are favored with these: language, perception, strength of their movements, or other; they also call their attention to the means they are going to use and explain how they should participate and how they should support them. In these actions, the executor, in a pleasant and motivating way, develops with the children the planned contents, among which the game cannot be absent.

They belong to the institutional modality:

The work with the circle or school council for the preschool grade in elementary schools, which enables the active participation of different organizations, agencies and institutions related to educational work in the community. Its purpose is the link between the institution and the community, to guarantee the unity of educational influences and to increase the responsibility of parents in the education of their children.

The work of family education, which promotes the preparation of parents in aspects related to the way in which they can and should stimulate the integral development of their children, getting them to adopt an attitude of cooperation and active participation and support for the tasks and objectives of the institution.

In order to achieve a dynamic in the articulation between the early childhood care modalities, spaces for positive encounters between the members of the working group were generated. This made it possible to consider what type of communication or links were needed in both modalities and to design the conduct to be followed.

It was necessary to highlight the roles defined in the literature for the work of the educational agents participating in each modality. However, for the cooperative work, only specific actions are defined for the preschool teachers, as executors of the four- to five-year-old group and, for the full-time promoter, the coordination of training actions with the director of the children's circle when deemed necessary.

In the research they propose to assume the roles of:

Action coordinator: all educational agents whose functions include the responsibility of organizing and directing the educational process in one modality or another and who are in charge of organizing the actions to be developed in the work scenarios, based on the analysis of the problems that are evident in the educational process and the potential of the components that make up the early childhood care modalities.

Facilitator or modeler: this is assumed by the educational agents designated to develop the workshops in which doubts are clarified; procedures are explained, ideas, judgments and evaluations are issued or training is given to the rest of the educational agents, taking into account the problems addressed. These roles are the basis of the relationships proposed in the conception.

The articulation between the modalities of care is concretized in the relationships between the personal components of the educational process, which constitute a heterogeneous group due to the particularities of early childhood.

The relationship between them presupposes: the direction and organization of the group work, with the objective of achieving the coordination and integration of the efforts of all the members and their interrelation, allowing them to act jointly in the diversity of their affairs and interests, and to assume as a starting point the diagnosis for the projection of the activities in the institution, the action plan of the coordinating group and the training of the socializing agents. In addition, it contributes to concretize the educational policy of preserving the unity of the system in order to guarantee quality in conditions of massiveness.

The relationships established from the personal components of the educational process and the planning of actions and activities from the organization are the fundamental basis for the articulation between the modalities of early childhood care. For this purpose, three types of relationships were designed among the components that make up the educational level: cooperative, coordinating and subordinate relationships.

The cooperative relationships between early childhood care modalities are partially described by authors such as: ^{Pérez, M. (2012)}; ^{Martínez, F. (2004}b), but they are manifested in only one direction, from the institutional modality towards the non-institutional modality.

As part of the cooperative relationship already described in the theory, it is necessary to develop the following cooperative actions to be developed by the non-institutional modality: participate in work sessions where topics related to community work, family preparation through joint activity and intersectoral work are taught; give demonstrative joint activities to educators and teachers of the preschool grade who do not work as executors of the Educate your child program, so that they appropriate the work algorithm of this type of activity; facilitate the characterization of the communities that make up the Popular Councils, to evaluate the social situations that occur there, in order to redesign the institution's community work.

Coordination relations begin with the planning of a meeting, in which the educational agents of both modalities participate and which is held on a quarterly basis, to evaluate the problems that arise in the different work scenarios of the educational process and that have an impact on it, in order to determine the potentialities available to solve them.

This coordination meeting is held in two moments: one, where the problems that arise in the work scenarios are presented, and the other, where the type of activity to be developed, who will carry it out, when and where, is coordinated. Among the actions to be developed by both modalities of attention in the first moment are: explanation of the main problems and the causes that originate them; stating the actions undertaken to solve them and the results obtained in their management.

Regarding the actions to be developed by both modalities of attention in the second moment we find: to analyze the results exposed in the reports presented and to value if they have solved similar situations in one or the other modality and what they have to contribute to the solution of the problems that arise. Present their ideas and assimilate, in a conscious, active, critical and reflective manner, the approaches and suggestions. To elaborate actions based on the potentialities they have, the personnel that will participate in their execution and the deadlines in which the results obtained in this intervention will be re-evaluated.

The subordinate relationships between teachers and volunteer executors, and vice versa, are oriented according to what is agreed upon in the coordination meetings. These actions correspond to the diagnosis and the social aspiration arrived at. Actions to be developed by both care modalities: exchange of the main shortcomings revealed in the work carried out; development of didactic-methodological topics, taking into account the particularities of the care modality in question, the shortcomings revealed in the different work scenarios and the needs of the participants; teaching the correct use of effective methods and procedures for the achievement of the objectives; the didactic relationship between the activities developed by the factors and the pedagogical activity of early childhood.

The methodological component is manifested from the realization of workshops as a form of interactive work and ideal resource to generate educational acts within active pedagogy and didactics, which made possible the joint work of the group, the work aimed at the integral development of intellectual capacities of higher order such as: analysis, synthesis, conceptualization, information management, systemic thinking, critical attitude and metacognition.

The satisfactory interaction of the educational agents was obtained by taking into account the development of cooperative activities that solve the problems of educational practice. In this sense, the organization of these activities was flexible, based on the diagnosis and characterization developed by both modalities of care, as well as on the intersectoral activities planned.

The implementation of the actions generated continuous changes in the mode of action of the educational agents of the children's circle, the preschool grade and the Educate Your Child program, by assuming the coordinated work between the modalities of early childhood care. The emergence of cooperative work, taking into account the potentialities of both modalities, was the premise and result of the attention to the dynamics of the articulation and made evident modifications produced in: the attention to the first year of life child, to guarantee a quality adaptation process, the fulfillment of the home life schedule, the characterization of the family life system and the preparation of the parents.

The main strengths during the research focused on: the favorable disposition towards exchange and discussion among the educational agents; the realization of collective reflection to solve the problems of educational practice; the cooperation of the main leaders of the agencies, organizations and the Municipal Directorate of Education during the whole process.

The data referring to the results of the educational process presuppose that the articulation between the early childhood care modalities led to improvements in the quality of the educational process, which contributed to confirming the new point of view put forward.

Discussion

In early childhood, the term articulation or relationship is present in the fundamentals that govern the educational policy for early childhood; however, it acquires greater significance in the more general pedagogical conceptions and in the guidelines for the structuring and methodological orientation of the educational process. In the acting system of principles, structured to conduct the educational process in early childhood, the following stand out: the integration of activity and communication in the educational process, the linking of the institution with the family and the systematization of the different components of the educational process.

These principles can be taken into account as generalizers of the articulation between both modalities. They unequivocally show the close unity that must exist between the influences that children receive at home, in the children's circle or in the preschool grade of the elementary school, in order to achieve the maximum possible development of all their possibilities, according to the particularities of their age and the cooperation of all.

The principle referring to the "... systematization of the different components of the educational process states that the expression of this systematization is materialized in different forms of relationship: between the different areas of development for the same cycle or year of life. Within the same area of development, in a given cycle or for the entire preschool stage. Between the different cycles of the entire stage. Between the culmination of the preschool stage and the beginning of primary education..." (^{Martínez, F., 2004}b, page 64).

The author considered, when analyzing the principle, that its content does not exhaust the intentions of its name; but this is not the object of transformation of this research, so we agree with the collective of authors regarding the importance of these relationships to achieve an efficient educational process that enhances the fulfillment of the purpose and objectives of the stage. It is worth noting that, by not taking into account the relationship between early childhood care modalities, a separation is created between institutional and non-institutional modalities, because even though both have specific functions and modes of action, they are aimed at achieving the same goal: to enhance the maximum possible development of each child.

The proposed relationships set the guidelines to offer an integrating and harmonious vision of the institutional and non-institutional modalities that make up early childhood; it facilitates intersectoral coordination and training of all the factors involved in the early childhood educational process and expands the way of conceiving the cooperative work between the modalities of early childhood care, so that its goals and objectives are achieved.

In addition, they consolidate the fulfillment of the educational objectives within the institutions, using the skills developed by the executing families and the educational agents and agencies involved as promoters of the importance and particularities of the early childhood educational process.

In relation to the above, authors such as ^{Martínez, F. (2004}a. page 165); ^{Roselló Aldana, Y., Hidalgo Rosabal, Y., and Montero Silveira, E. (2020}), ^{Rodríguez, A, C. Turón, C. O. (2007)} among others, issue criteria related to the benefits that the articulation between early childhood care modalities brings to the educational system and to the early childhood child in general, to guarantee efficiency in the educational process. ^{López, J. (2001}; (²⁰⁰⁵) states that the children's circle is the first institution of the school system, which as an educational institution must guarantee that the educational process developed in it has the organization to ensure its efficient assimilation and must maintain close links with the community.

^{Martínez, F. (2004}a. page 165) refers that the children's center can and should maintain a close link with the non-institutional modality of early childhood in different ways, facilitating areas and premises that are not in use to develop the educational activities of this alternative to participating directly in the training. Pérez, I. , et al. (2012) defend the idea that the children's circle should act as a training center for the Educate Your Child program.

The author agrees with the need to establish relationships between the modalities of care. The new conception reveals the contexts in which training is applied, taking into account the potential of the different factors and educational agents for the formation and development of early childhood children.

The approaches related to the fundamentals of early childhood make it possible for the articulation between care modalities to occupy a place in the system of principles established to conduct the educational process at this stage, aimed at enhancing the role of educational agents, while consolidating the institution's community work. Each modality of care has its own structures and characteristics for working with the family and children in early childhood; the articulation between them plays a decisive role so that the infant receives a coherent system of influence in his or her transition from one modality to another.

The theoretical-methodological conception developed for the articulation between the modalities of early childhood care is an important approach for integrated care in this phase, as it is based on three types of relationships: cooperation, coordination and subordination, in which the roles and procedures assumed by the educational agents in the different work scenarios to solve the problems of educational practice are evidenced.

The evaluations obtained in relation to the effects of the conception in the educational practice point to evaluate as very adequate the change of mentality in the members of the working group and revealed the positive results that the articulation between the children's circle - Educate your child program - preschool grade exerted in the educational process. The interactive workshops were corroborated as an effective way for the articulation between the modalities of early childhood care.

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Received: February 12, 2021; Accepted: November 03, 2021