The present study aimed to identify and compare knowledge and practices of early childhood education professionals from three public nursery schools (A, B and C) in the city of Florianopolis/SC relative to prevention, early detection and handling of acute respiratory infections (ARIs) in children aged between zero and six years old. A total of 120 educators answered a questionnaire. The instrument was composed of 15 close- and open-ended questions, five of which were scored. In statistical analyses, the Anova One-Way test revealed no significant differences for knowledge between professionals from the three institutions, with nursery school B having the highest mean score (6.12 [plus-or-minus] 0.8), showing fair knowledge about child care. Overall results point to existing gaps concerning the need for guidance on these aspects of a child's health. (author abstract)