The thesis is about the courtyards of Early Childhood Education public schools, from eight cities in Rio de Janeiro State. It analyzes these spaces considering not only the apparent and exposed by their physical characteristics, but also the traces that reveals who circulates in these spaces. In dialogue with Walter Benjamin, the methodological strategy was to create a collection of photographs of the courtyards. Taking singularity as possibility to comprehend totality, the photos show the situation of Rio de Janeiro´s Early Childhood Education. The first chapter draws the study object: remember the achievements of Early Childhood Education in the last fifteen years, presents the current situation of Early Childhood Education in the State of Rio de Janeiro and discuss the impact of school spaces in the relationships between children and between children and adults. Finally, reflects about pedagogical practices and conceptions of knowledge and childhood, opposing inner and outer spaces. The second chapter describes the research methodology and discusses the use of photographs as a methodological resource. The third chapter presents, in their contexts, the nine schools that composes the thesis field / collection. The fourth chapter, taking schools as pieces, outlines aspects of closeness and distance between the courtyards and guiding documents of Early Childhood Education. Chapter 5 brings the conclusions, pointing the bad conditions of Early Childhood Schools and the necessity of taking action in three areas: municipal management and teacher´s training and supervision.