RenovaBR alumnus Juliana Guedes shares a constant commitment to education and defending early childhood as a fundamental right. With management experience in Mogi das Cruzes (SP) and Recife (PE), she strives to structure public policies focused on children in their early years of life. Today, she works to strengthen an intersectoral agenda that recognizes childhood as a priority for the country's future. 

Her career has always been in education, starting as a Portuguese and English teacher in the state and private schools, until joining Mogi das Cruzes City Hall, where she served as Secretary of Education from 2017 to 2020. It was in 2021, when she had the opportunity to enter pedagogical management as an executive secretary in Recife, that she came into contact, for the first time, with the structuring of a public policy focused on early childhood, an inspiration that she brought back to the municipality of São Paulo.

Early childhood as a fundamental right 

Guaranteeing rights in childhood requires planning, and Juliana believes that the government is still figuring out the importance of this stage of life in its policy thinking. "Children must be supported across sectors. In other words, health, social assistance, urban planning, the environment—all areas need to work together to promote early childhood," she emphasizes. 

For the expert, early childhood should be recognized as a fundamental right, as expressed in the Constitution. Within this framework, the first three years of life, known as "early childhood," are especially delicate, as they represent the child's most vulnerable and dependent stage.

Special coordination and municipal plan for early childhood

In her career dedicated to education, Juliana transformed her dream of strengthening early childhood into public policy. Today, Mogi das Cruzes, she is part of the special coordination office within the mayor's office, whose goal is to coordinate intersectoral initiatives for children. "I've always dreamed of focusing on early childhood, and now we've managed to structure this coordination office to promote integrated public policies," she says.

She emphasizes that the first step in implementation was raising awareness among public servants. According to her, anyone in city hall can answer questions about early childhood and the importance of caring for this period. 

Another milestone was the development of the Municipal Plan for Early Childhood, which has already passed the City Council and is expected to be approved in the coming days. The topic was also incorporated into the Multi-Year Plan (PPA) and the Annual Budget Law (LOA), ensuring resources to turn the proposals into reality. "There's no point in having paperwork without ensuring action," Juliana emphasizes.

The policies also rely on the support of the third sector, which, in the expert's view, is essential. Mogi has established partnerships with the Maria Cecília Souto Vidigal Foundation and Urban95, which help adapt successful experiences from other cities to the local reality. Current initiatives include the Pé de Infância program, already present in more than 70 daycare centers in the city, and the communication campaign featuring the character Nelson, the Nenê, which brings the population closer to the issue in a playful and educational way. "In the public consultation on our plan, early childhood was one of the most mentioned topics by the population. This shows that the topic is resonating in society," celebrates Juliana.

When early childhood takes center stage on the public agenda

For Juliana, guaranteeing the right to childhood means looking beyond immediate indicators and building solid foundations from the earliest years of life. She draws an analogy to the foundation of a house, arguing that without quality daycare centers and schools, the entire future educational structure may require costly reforms. This is where municipal action becomes crucial, as it is in cities that children live, learn, and develop.

The future, as Alumni emphasizes, demands innovation and courage to overcome complacency. Prepared municipalities, with skilled teams and an integrated vision, can make childhood a real priority, preventing inequalities and ensuring fairer development for society as a whole. Juliana's experience shows that when early childhood is at the center of the public agenda, results cease to be promises and become legacies.