In the face of persistent inequities, discrimination, and violence against women, girls, and gender non-conforming individuals, formal education emerges as a space to intervene and generate the necessary cultural changes to progress towards more inclusive societies (O’Brien et al., 2021). One way to do this is shifting from traditional perspectives on teaching sexuality towards comprehensive sex education (CSE), which broadens the focus on sexuality to encompass human relationships, health, sexual and reproductive rights, reflecting on values, and developing skills to make healthy and informed decisions about life and human relationships and explicitly valuing diversity and affection (Keogh et al., 2020). 

In educational environments, it's imperative for teachers to embody comprehensive pedagogical practices to promote comprehensive sexual education (CSE). This entails not only possessing the necessary knowledge and skills but also showcasing appropriate attitudes, emotions, and beliefs, serving as role models in fostering CSE development (Dessel et al., 2017). This importance is magnified in early childhood education (ECE), where social interactions serve as primary avenues of learning for young children. Given that children in ECE spend considerable time engaging with educators and assistants, these adults wield significant influence over their learning and growth (Poblete, 2020). Moreover, ECE serves as a crucial arena for children's social integration and exposure to diverse individuals beyond their immediate families. Within these settings, children learn to navigate diversity, making ECE pivotal in nurturing individual identities. Essential to both ECE and CSE are the processes of learning to interact with others, sharing collective values, and recognizing one's own identity and needs. 

Education serves as a foundational platform for these processes, shaping and perpetuating norms and discourses surrounding gender identity according to heteronormative and cisgender standards, which unfortunately exclude certain segments of the child population from their developmental narrative. Similarly, issues of otherness and diversity, including those pertaining to migrants, indigenous peoples, and diverse family structures, are often marginalised, perpetuating notions of inequality. CSE emerges as a catalyst for cultural shifts toward a fairer, safer, more democratic and respectful world that guarantees human rights. 

Children and adolescents are rights holders with full capabilities to participate, have their voices heard, and not suffer any type of discrimination. Therefore, adults and the state must consider these rights. As such, the rights that accompany Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) include the right to receive information to take care of their bodies, adopting responsible and supportive behaviours in relation to others; the right to inhabit school spaces where respect for all individuals prevails; the right to live without violence, to live their gender identity without suffering discrimination, the right to express feelings and emotions, and the right to be diverse However, the implementation of CSE remains a contentious issue, particularly for families and educators, especially in the context of ECE (Shibuya et al., 2023). 

This paper presents the preliminary results of a three year study that analyses the representations of early childhood teachers and teaching assistants about what entails CSE and how they include (or not) the fundamental axes of CSE in their teaching practice in the Chilean context. The study seeks to generate knowledge about the representations of the CSE axes (gender, sexuality and diversity) that facilitate the incorporation and development of CSE as a human right from early childhood. Focussing on the findings of the first year of this research, for this conference we will delve into the beliefs, knowledge, and the ways in which CSE is manifested in the practices of teachers and teaching assistants of three Chilean nurseries. 

Working qualitatively with a descriptive/comprehensive approach through participatory, the research adopts a qualitative methodology to explore the symbolic dimensions shaping cultural practices in educational settings, particularly within ECE. Grounded in induction, the study aims to derive explanations from observed phenomena, emphasising qualitative research's focus on descriptive data, including verbal and behavioural expressions, and the interpretive processes underlying them (Gorman & Clayton, 1997; Taylor & Bogdan, 1987). The theoretical framework integrates Blumer's premises of symbolic interactionism, highlighting how individuals derive meaning from their interactions and constantly interpret and redefine situations (Blumer, 1969). Ethnography serves as both an approach and methodological tool, focusing on understanding social and cultural phenomena from the perspectives of participants (Guber, 2001; Guber, 2018). As an approach, it seeks to provide a detailed description, understanding, and interpretation of observed actions and events, avoiding ethnocentric biases. As a method, ethnography employs participant observation and in-depth interviews, facilitating immersion in the research context and capturing the nuanced meanings embedded in social interactions (Taylor & Bogdan, 1987). The research design involves a longitudinal observation process, complemented by in-depth and conversational interviews with preschool teachers, already carried out. Self-confrontation interviews, based on video recordings of educational experiences, aim to encourage reflection and identify transformative elements over time and will be applied during the second year. Additionally, workshops have been and will be conducted to promote ongoing reflective practices among participants (Fernández & Clot, 2007). Ethnography also functions as a textual tool, enabling the generation of narratives that deeply explore the cultural realities of the educational centres under study. The writing process aims for "doubly reflexive ethnography," integrating both emic and etic perspectives to understand the research process from multiple viewpoints (Dietz, 2011). The study adopts a multiple case study approach, selecting early childhood education centres based on theoretical sampling criteria that represent diverse regional, modal, and curricular contexts (Yin, 2003; Stake, 2005). Data analysis is facilitated using Nvivo 12.2, following a grounded theory approach to coding, from open to axial and selective coding stages, to derive explanations and conclusions (Martínez, 2006). Ultimately, the research aims to transition from descriptive to comprehensive and interpretive analysis, capturing individual and collective experiences, symbolic interactionism, and pedagogical practices related to CSE. By engaging with multiple cases and employing rigorous qualitative methods, the study seeks to contribute to teacher training, professional development, and policymaking efforts aimed at promoting CSE and fostering social justice in ECE.

Findings of the initial year of the study show educators and assistants' understandings about CSE and how they promote it -or not- in their pedagogical practice. These findings reveal different tensions in relation to the conceptualisation of CSE and its components; the association with elements of the national curriculum; and how it is implemented in the classrooms. It is interesting to note that ECE workers highlight the need of working with a CSE approach in their classroom and with children’s families as they identify several issues that are strongly associated with elements of CSE. Furthermore, while observations and ethnographic methods in this study have shown that most ECE workers’ pedagogical practices are usually aligned with CSE, it is noticeable that educators and assistants claim a lack of training and skills to work from a CSE approach. Educators and assistants find it difficult to associate CSE with something that goes beyond the biological aspect; they see it as disconnected from intersectional diversity such as ethnicity, age, class, among others. They maintain ignorance, prejudices, and fears, associating CSE with topics not suitable for children. The gender approach is understood from a very binary and biologistic notion to some who manage to understand the difference between gender identity and sexual orientation, expression, or stereotypes. This unprecedented study about CSE in ECE in Chile. Exploring ECE workers’ perspectives, their knowledge and concerns about the need of CSE provides insight about how ECE workers construct and systematise knowledge in their settings. Furthermore, analysing how ECE workers implement -or not- CSE and the main issues that they face on a daily basis is a critical input to promote CSE in Initial Teacher Training and Professional Development Programmes for ECE workers, as educators play a pivotal role as guarantors of rights within the framework of CSE.

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