The approach is situated in the emblematic social, political and economic historical period in which the working classes are suffering degrading attacks on their social conquests. The research reveals contradictions, complexities and advances in relation to the work, career and policies that guide the actions of professionals working in the reality of public early childhood education in the city of Campinas/SP in the implementation of the Political-Pedagogical Project (PPP). It reflects on the concepts and conceptions of management and administration, of work as a form of expropriation and alienation and/or as a form of creation and humanization in the face of a scenario in which meritocracy, managerialism, competitiveness and different manifestations of a public-privatist nature have prevailed in the clashes over educational policies; the reality and tensions that emerge from the work and care relationships at this educational stage; the theoretical and practical assumptions of the PPP; the analysis of documents and interviews and the conclusion of the research.