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Free training on AVAMEC brings together socio-emotional strategies for Early Childhood Education educators, with a methodology associated with Harvard, practical activities called “Caroços” and a focus on welcoming, school coexistence, and the integral development of children in more inclusive learning environments.
The Ministry of Education has expanded the offer of the free course “Socio-emotional Strategies for Childhoods: in-depth course”, an online training aimed at teachers, managers, and pedagogical coordinators of Early Childhood Education, available on AVAMEC, the MEC’s virtual environment, with over 500,000 open slots.
With free certification and a workload reported as 20 hours by institutional sources linked to the initiative, the training aims to support educators in applying socio-emotional practices in the school routine, although certificates issued by AVAMEC also record 19 hours of duration.
Course deepens socio-emotional strategies in Early Childhood Education
Created to expand the repertoire of professionals working with young children, the training addresses topics related to integral development, welcoming, and school coexistence, without treating emotional, social, and cognitive aspects as separate dimensions of pedagogical practice.
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According to promotional materials from Itaú Social, a partner of the initiative, the course is self-training and was developed in collaboration with the EASEL Lab, Harvard University, Espaço Ara, and educators from Amazonas, deepening an introductory training previously launched.
The proposal dialogues with Brazilian educational references, such as the National Common Curricular Base, the National Curricular Guidelines for Early Childhood Education, and policies aimed at early childhood, situating socio-emotional learning within the practices already foreseen for this stage.
Methodology uses the so-called “Caroços”
At the center of the training are the SEL Kernels, an approach formed by simple, brief, and adaptable activities to the school routine, which in Amazonas came to be called “Caroços” during the process of regionalizing the methodology.
This Brazilian adaptation involved collaboration from researchers and educators linked to the project in Amazonas, including experiences in Iranduba, where the name “Caroço” was associated with the idea of a seed that germinates and grows in the school environment.
In the routine of Early Childhood Education, the “Caroços” are used to stimulate skills such as emotion identification, coexistence, cooperation, positive bonds, and self-regulation, always integrated into existing school moments, without functioning as an isolated discipline.
Training was born from a partnership with Harvard and Brazilian institutions
Linked to the EASEL Lab, a laboratory of the Harvard Graduate School of Education focused on ecological approaches to socio-emotional learning, the course is based on the SEL Kernels methodology, devised by Professor Stephanie Jones and her team.
In Brazil, the initiative brings together Itaú Social, the MEC, Espaço Ara, and educators from Amazonas, in an in-depth training presented as a continuation of a first module launched in 2024 on child development and school well-being.
This trajectory helps explain the reference to Harvard in the course, although the offering to the Brazilian public occurs through national educational platforms, such as AVAMEC and the Itaú Foundation School, focusing on the pedagogical application of the strategies.
Content is organized into six modules
Throughout the training course, the participant finds theoretical foundations, legal references, and practical application proposals, distributed in six modules that address welcoming, Early Childhood Education, early childhood policies, socio-emotional foundations, Caroços in practice, and evaluation.
The organization allows for progress from general concepts to classroom situations, with guidance on monitoring activities, observing children’s responses, and adjusting strategies according to the needs of each class.
Being self-paced, the course allows the participant to study at their own pace within the timeframe established by the platform, with completion possible in a minimum of five days and a maximum period informed of 180 days.
Who can participate in the training
Directed at Early Childhood Education teachers, school managers, and pedagogical coordinators, the training may also interest professionals who work with children and wish to deepen their knowledge of socio-emotional learning in educational contexts.
As all content is offered remotely, there is no need to travel to attend classes and activities, which broadens access to continuing education in an area increasingly present in education networks.
Upon completing the planned stages, the participant can issue a certificate through the platform, a resource used by educators in training records and in internal professional appreciation processes, according to the rules adopted by each network or institution.
In recent years, socio-emotional learning has started to appear more frequently in policies, courses, and materials aimed at Basic Education, especially when associated with welcoming, coexistence, and the integral development of children.
How to enroll in the free MEC course
To participate, the interested party must access AVAMEC, locate the course page “Socio-emotional Strategies for Childhoods: in-depth course”, register or log in to the platform and follow the virtual environment’s instructions to start the studies.
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