Jundiaí is a municipality in the state of São Paulo, in the southeast region of Brazil. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, many children in Brazil felt confined, with few safe and accessible opportunities to enjoy open-air spaces. During the pandemic, the Jundiaí government began to recognize the urgency to reopen schools, as well as the opportunity this presented to think creatively about public spaces. They responded by putting children’s well-being at the front and center of the city’s decision-making process. The Secretary of Education of Jundiaí became one of the first entities to adopt a series of recommendations on getting children outside through the Desemparedamento da Infância (“unwalled childhoods”) project. The project encourages and supports educators to take lessons outside of the classroom, whether it’s on school grounds or in nearby nature-filled areas such as squares and parks.

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“Playing and learning are two key elements in the development of children. Schools are places for coexistence and learning. When this happens in the midst of nature, everything transpires in a harmonious way,” Vasti Ferrari, Secretary of Education, Jundiaí

Schools in Jundiaí’s municipal network are also being trained and encouraged to install natural elements and structures that support different types of play, provide beneficial risk, aid in the development of psychomotor skills and create opportunities to connect with nature. Jundiaí is a stellar example of the positive impacts that can occur when cities prioritize children’s health and well-being, and work in partnership with schools to reshape internal systems and processes for maximum benefit.

The work is supported by the Innovative School Program, a public policy which envisions pedagogical innovation as a tool capable of promoting a change in behaviors, concepts and processes, with three pillars: environment, teacher training and teaching quality.