Between the state and the municipality: The Department of Physical Education and the management of playgrounds in the São Paulo countryside (1939-1967)

Abstract

The paper analyzes the role of the Department of Physical Education of the State of São Paulo (DEF-SP) in the implementation and management of playgrounds in towns across the state’s interior between 1939 and 1967. Drawing on extensive administrative, legislative, and journalistic documentation, the analysis explores the interplay between state and municipal authorities in the creation of the playgrounds. The findings underscore the pioneering role of Maria Aparecida Junqueira Duarte, the first General Inspector of the DEF-SP Playground Service (1939–1946), who established administrative and pedagogical guidelines that remained in force for decades. They further reveal the strategies pursued by the DEF-SP, including architectural planning, the circulation of official directives to municipalities, teacher training, and the organization of excursions and pedagogical exchanges. The study also points to the normative dimension of the agency, expressed through regulations, reports, and inspections designed to standardize educational practices. It concludes that, during the period under review, the DEF-SP consolidated itself as a central actor in the expansion and regulation of playgrounds in the state’s interior, contributing significantly to the development of pedagogical frameworks for early childhood education in São Paulo.