That Early Childhood Nerd
- Episódios
- 434
- Publicação
- semanal
- Último episódio
- 12 nov 2026
Sobre o podcast
If you love thinking deeply about childhood, early childhood education, caring for children, and supporting children’s right to play, this is the podcast for you! Each week, host and self-proclaimed early childhood nerd Heather Bernt-Santy invites practitioners, writers, and thinkers who share her commitment to doing the very best we can for children, their caregivers and teachers, and their families to discuss big ideas, real life practices, and cool research. Let’s get nerdy!
Episódios 434
NERD 0435 The (Problematic) PreK Push
Rixa Evershed is an early childhood educator, administrator, and advocate who has some big thoughts about PreK. She's here in this episode to talk with host Heather Bernt-Santy to talk through the ways our …
Notas do episódio
Rixa Evershed is an early childhood educator, administrator, and advocate who has some big thoughts about PreK. She's here in this episode to talk with host Heather Bernt-Santy to talk through the ways our current PreK push is missing the point. So many points.
How can we help families understand (and relax about) the panic we've created around covid, learning loss, and academic "recovery?"
Should we be talking about teaching or development?
Why is it so easy to ignore or hide research about "real" quality indicators, brain development, and play?
And where does motor development fit in?
Rixa and Heather cover a lot in this episode.
Order Heather’s book, Using Schema Play Theory to Advocate for Free Play in Early Childhood, here: https://www.tcpress.com/products/using-schema-play-theory-to-advocate-for-free-play-in-early-childhood_9780807783177
Join our new Patreon community! For just $5 a month you can support all the Early Childhood Nerdwork podcasts AND join our Discord server to chat with the hosts and others who are working for children, their families, and their teachers: https://www.patreon.com/cw/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd
Thanks for listening!
NERD 0434 Lisa Murphy's Grab Bag pt 2
Lisa Murphy is back for another fun conversation about stuff that’s on her mind. And it’s brilliant stuff! If you are wondering what “readiness is a rock pile” means, or what Lisa’s murder board might look …
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Lisa Murphy is back for another fun conversation about stuff that’s on her mind. And it’s brilliant stuff! If you are wondering what “readiness is a rock pile” means, or what Lisa’s murder board might look like, you’ll love this conversation.
Lisa’s just released a new edition of her important book Lisa Murphy on Play: The Foundation of Children’s Learning. Order your copy today! https://www.redleafpress.org/Lisa-Murphy-on-Play-3rd-Edition-The-Foundation-of-Childrens-Learning-P3195.aspx
Order Heather’s book, Using Schema Play Theory to Advocate for Free Play in Early Childhood, here: https://www.tcpress.com/products/using-schema-play-theory-to-advocate-for-free-play-in-early-childhood_9780807783177
Join our new Patreon community! For just $5 a month you can support all the Early Childhood Nerdwork podcasts AND join our Discord server to chat with the hosts and others who are working for children, their families, and their teachers: https://www.patreon.com/cw/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd
Thanks for listening!
NERD 0433 Customer Service in Early Childhood Education
Who is really the “customer” in early childhood programs? How do we genuinely respect families and their experiences while still maintaining strong systems, standards, and accountability? And what does customer …
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Who is really the “customer” in early childhood programs? How do we genuinely respect families and their experiences while still maintaining strong systems, standards, and accountability? And what does customer service look like in a sector grounded in care, ethics, and community responsibility—not retail models?
Professor and wonderer Robin Landals-Hill joins host Heather Bernt-Santy for a conversation centered on these questions, and whether the customer is really “always right.”
Order Heather’s book, Using Schema Play Theory to Advocate for Free Play in Early Childhood, here: https://www.tcpress.com/products/using-schema-play-theory-to-advocate-for-free-play-in-early-childhood_9780807783177
Join our new Patreon community! For just $5 a month you can support all the Early Childhood Nerdwork podcasts AND join our Discord server to chat with the hosts and others who are working for children, their families, and their teachers: https://www.patreon.com/cw/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd
Thanks for listening!
NERD 0432 It's So Much More Than "Potty Training"
What if the words we use during toilet learning could help children feel capable, respected, and empowered? In this episode, host Heather Bernt-Santy talks with Jen Marcus, author of Potty Pedagogy: Guiding …
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What if the words we use during toilet learning could help children feel capable, respected, and empowered? In this episode, host Heather Bernt-Santy talks with Jen Marcus, author of Potty Pedagogy: Guiding Children through Toileting with Language that Empowers about the role word choice and other considerations plays in one of the most personal parts of caring for children.
Find Jen's article here: https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/vop/winter2025/guiding-children-through-toileting
Jen would love to hear from you! You can email her at [email protected].
Order Heather’s book, Using Schema Play Theory to Advocate for Free Play in Early Childhood, here: https://www.tcpress.com/products/using-schema-play-theory-to-advocate-for-free-play-in-early-childhood_9780807783177
Join our new Patreon community! For just $5 a month you can support all the Early Childhood Nerdwork podcasts AND join our Discord server to chat with the hosts and others who are working for children, their families, and their teachers: https://www.patreon.com/cw/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd
Thanks for listening!
NERD_0431_Lisa Murphy's Grab Bag pt 1
I don’t know about you, but this Nerd loves Lisa Murphy! So it was so fun to have her say, “I keep a list of topics and questions that I want to pod about!” Here’s the first episode of what we’re calling “Lisa …
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I don’t know about you, but this Nerd loves Lisa Murphy!
So it was so fun to have her say, “I keep a list of topics and questions that I want to pod about!”
Here’s the first episode of what we’re calling “Lisa Murphy’s Grab Bag,” an ongoing series of episodes where Lisa brings that list to That Early Childhood Nerd.
Included in this conversation:
- An off hand remark at a nail salon that left Lisa wondering, “do children have freedom to ‘not like someone’s tone’?”
- If you were a child in your own class today, would you want to come back tomorrow?
- How do Heather and Lisa feel about having to make dinner decisions?
- Who do you have in your life that stretches your adult zone of proximal development?
- Is it kinder to be direct?
- Why do toddlers pick their noses and why don’t we all already know the answer?
- Which 80’s soaps did you watch and why?
Lots of heart, lots of laughs, and lots of Lisa and Heather—enjoy!
Order the latest edition of Lisa’s PLAY book here: https://www.redleafpress.org/Lisa-Murphy-on-Play-3rd-Edition-The-Foundation-of-Childrens-Learning-P3195.aspx
Order Heather’s book, Using Schema Play Theory to Advocate for Free Play in Early Childhood, here: https://www.tcpress.com/products/using-schema-play-theory-to-advocate-for-free-play-in-early-childhood_9780807783177
Join our new Patreon community! For just $5 a month you can support all the Early Childhood Nerdwork podcasts AND join our Discord server to chat with the hosts and others who are working for children, their families, and their teachers: https://www.patreon.com/cw/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd
Thanks for listening!
NERD 0430 Children's Behaviors and Children's Learning: Tools Over Tactics
One of host Heather Bernt-Santy’s favorite things is to find someone who takes something she is instinctively feeling and brilliantly putting that feeling into words. In this episode, her guest Amy Chiu has …
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One of host Heather Bernt-Santy’s favorite things is to find someone who takes something she is instinctively feeling and brilliantly putting that feeling into words. In this episode, her guest Amy Chiu has done just that.
Amy joins the show to talk about how easy it can be for early childhood practitioners to take the tools we have in our toolbox and use them as tactics for control or compliance. Listen to find out what she means when she says:
- Tools become tactics when the goal shifts from understanding children to controlling outcomes
- Taking deep breaths becomes a tactic when a child is expected to “calm down” on command
- Scaffolding becomes a tactic when participation matters more than agency
- Visual schedules become tactics when they leave no room for humanity, flexibility, or individual rhythms
Find more of Amy’s work at www.theworkofplay.com
Order Heather’s book, Using Schema Play Theory to Advocate for Free Play in Early Childhood, here: https://www.tcpress.com/products/using-schema-play-theory-to-advocate-for-free-play-in-early-childhood_9780807783177
Join our new Patreon community! For just $5 a month you can support all the Early Childhood Nerdwork podcasts AND join our Discord server to chat with the hosts and others who are working for children, their families, and their teachers: https://www.patreon.com/cw/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd
Thanks for listening!
NERD 0429 Developmental Theorists and Ageism with Dr. Jennifer Fane
Could child developmental theories be ageist, encouraging us to see only children’s deficits? This week host Heather Bernt-Santy discusses this question with Dr. Jennifer Fane, co-author of the book The …
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Could child developmental theories be ageist, encouraging us to see only children’s deficits?
This week host Heather Bernt-Santy discusses this question with Dr. Jennifer Fane, co-author of the book The Sociology of Early Childhood: Young Children’s Lives and Worlds.
The conversation begins with this quote from the book: “We believe that child development theories are often ageist, because they carry an implicit assumption that we begin life as deficient, and get better, wiser, and more capable as we get older. Such theories reassure adults that they are capable, but are often very damaging to young children, who are left feeling incapable, and so encourage passivity and helplessness. Many of these developmental theories have led to a deficit approach to education, in which educators spend most of their time focusing on what young children cannot do (by using developmental checklists) rather than what they enjoy or do well. A less ageist perspective suggests babies enter the world capable of absorbing knowledge and drawing conclusions at a rapid pace. As we age, we acquire more knowledge and experience, but we also slow in the rate we can learn, and become more limited in our creativity and curiosity.”
Find the book here: https://a.co/d/0dEf1MdP
Find more of Dr. Fane’s work here: https://www.signal49.ca/team-members/jennifer-fane/
Order Heather’s book, Using Schema Play Theory to Advocate for Free Play in Early Childhood, here: https://www.tcpress.com/products/using-schema-play-theory-to-advocate-for-free-play-in-early-childhood_9780807783177
Join our new Patreon community! For just $5 a month you can support all the Early Childhood Nerdwork podcasts AND join our Discord server to chat with the hosts and others who are working for children, their families, and their teachers: https://www.patreon.com/cw/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd
Thanks for listening!
NERD 0428 What is Moral Injury in Early Care and Education?
In a 2026 article co-written with Brianne Kramer and Clint Broadbent, Denisha Jones explores the idea of moral injury in our work in the early childhood profession, writing, ‘Many teachers view their profession …
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In a 2026 article co-written with Brianne Kramer and Clint Broadbent, Denisha Jones explores the idea of moral injury in our work in the early childhood profession, writing, ‘Many teachers view their profession as a calling, so they take their work as a personal mission to educate students. Because of this, it is a moral affront to teachers to face daily ‘circumstances that challenge their moral conscience, vocational identity, and the values that got them into teaching in the first place’ (Keefe-Perry, 2018). Santoro (2011) theorized about moral injury by asking ‘What happens when experienced teachers who are fueled by the moral dimension of teaching find they can no longer access the moral rewards embedded in their work?’ Santoro goes on to (2011) argue the moral and ethical dimensions of teaching involve both required and prohibited practices (moral dimensions) and teachers' recognition that their work is in service to a better world (ethical dimensions). Often these are inseparable so that if a teacher is repeatedly forced to do something that they believe is harmful to their students, they may feel they are bad at their job or their job is bad for the world (Santoro, 2011). This creates a moral injury that plagues teachers daily.”
In our conversation in this episode, Denisha defines moral injury and explains how it may be more useful to reframe our current “burnout” conversation as moral injury.
Read The Intensification of Moral Injury in Teachers During the Pandemic here: https://ices.library.ubc.ca/index.php/workplace/article/view/187167
Check out Denisha’s new project the Play Science Institute here: https://playscience.org/
Order Heather’s book, Using Schema Play Theory to Advocate for Free Play in Early Childhood, here: https://www.tcpress.com/products/using-schema-play-theory-to-advocate-for-free-play-in-early-childhood_9780807783177
Join our new Patreon community! For just $5 a month you can support all the Early Childhood Nerdwork podcasts AND join our Discord server to chat with the hosts and others who are working for children, their families, and their teachers: https://www.patreon.com/cw/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd
Thanks for listening!
NERD 0427 Anti Fascism in Early Childhood: Imagining and Building Worlds
In this episode, host Heather Bernt-Santy is joined by Kylie Cooper, Jamie Bonczyk, and Lucy Recio to discuss their recent Exchange article titled Reclaiming Our Legacy of Imagining and Building Worlds …
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In this episode, host Heather Bernt-Santy is joined by Kylie Cooper, Jamie Bonczyk, and Lucy Recio to discuss their recent Exchange article titled Reclaiming Our Legacy of Imagining and Building Worlds: Countering Fascism.
Jamie shares:
The article discussed in this episode grew out of a conversation that began in January 2025. Listeners can follow the evolution of these ideas through the following articles from Exchange Magazine:
Taking Stock: Is Personal Grief the Invisible Companion Informing How You Show Up?
What’s at Stake? Professional Loss and Grief in Early Care and Education Workplaces
Taking Action: Channeling Collective Grief Towards Social Justice and Change
To explore these articles and additional resources, begin a two-week free trial of Exchange Press or receive 50% off an Exchange Community Membership with the promotional code FRIEND50.
Connect with Jamie Bonczyk at LinkedIn and Instagram
Find Lucy here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucyrecio/
Find more about Kylie and her work here: https://www.riseearlylearningcenter.org/
And find the article here: https://hub.exchangepress.com/articles-on-demand/86844/
Order Heather’s book, Using Schema Play Theory to Advocate for Free Play in Early Childhood, here: https://www.tcpress.com/products/using-schema-play-theory-to-advocate-for-free-play-in-early-childhood_9780807783177
Join our new Patreon community! For just $5 a month you can support all the Early Childhood Nerdwork podcasts AND join our Discord server to chat with the hosts and others who are working for children, their families, and their teachers: https://www.patreon.com/cw/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd
Thanks for listening!
NERD 0426 Behavior or Biology? with Amy Reyes
This week, our guest is Amy Reyes-Hauff, ECE consultant and outdoor play advocate, who recently published the book Why Did They Do That? It's Not a Behavior Problem, It's a Biological Reaction. Why Did They Do …
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This week, our guest is Amy Reyes-Hauff, ECE consultant and outdoor play advocate, who recently published the book Why Did They Do That? It's Not a Behavior Problem, It's a Biological Reaction.
Why Did They Do That reframes the tumultuous preschool years (3-5) as a period of neurological renovation rather than a series of behavior problems. By explaining the biological gap between the fully developed, emotional "downstairs brain" (the amygdala) and the under-construction, logical "upstairs brain" (the prefrontal cortex).
Order Amy's book here: https://a.co/d/0iXTs4sy
Order Heather’s book, Using Schema Play Theory to Advocate for Free Play in Early Childhood, here: https://www.tcpress.com/products/using-schema-play-theory-to-advocate-for-free-play-in-early-childhood_9780807783177
Join our new Patreon community! For just $5 a month you can support all the Early Childhood Nerdwork podcasts AND join our Discord server to chat with the hosts and others who are working for children, their families, and their teachers: https://www.patreon.com/cw/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd
Thanks for listening!
NERD 0425 Play and Adult Roles with Suzanne Axelsson
What is the adult's role if children are allowed to "just play?" It's a question host Heather Bernt-Santy hears often as she talks with early childhood practitioners. Thank goodness Suzanne Axelsson has done a …
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What is the adult's role if children are allowed to "just play?" It's a question host Heather Bernt-Santy hears often as she talks with early childhood practitioners. Thank goodness Suzanne Axelsson has done a lot of thinking and writing about it!
In a post in her Substack, Suzanne writes about play and adult roles. When is it play and what can we do to support it? How can we learn to be clear and authentic about what is true play and adult attempts at teaching?
Read the post here: https://suzanneaxelsson.substack.com/p/view-on-play-and-adult-roles
Order Heather’s book, Using Schema Play Theory to Advocate for Free Play in Early Childhood, here: https://www.tcpress.com/products/using-schema-play-theory-to-advocate-for-free-play-in-early-childhood_9780807783177
Join our new Patreon community! For just $5 a month you can support all the Early Childhood Nerdwork podcasts AND join our Discord server to chat with the hosts and others who are working for children, their families, and their teachers: https://www.patreon.com/cw/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd
Thanks for listening!
NERD 0424 Empathy and Kindness in Early Childhood Classrooms with Jacky Howell
Early childhood consultant and author Jacky Howell is this week's Guest Nerd and she's here to talk to host Heather Bernt-Santy about the empathy and kindness she knows young children are capable of. The …
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Early childhood consultant and author Jacky Howell is this week's Guest Nerd and she's here to talk to host Heather Bernt-Santy about the empathy and kindness she knows young children are capable of.
The conversation begins with a quote from one of Jacky's heroes, Jane Goodall:
"You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make."
Jacky and her colleagues Makai Kellogg, Magy Youssef, and Sabina Zeffler shared their stories of children's kindness and empathy in their book Reflection, Perspecive Taking, and Social Justice: Stories of Empathy and Kindness in the Early Childhood Classroom.
Order their book here: https://www.redleafpress.org/Reflection-Perspective-Taking-and-Social-Justice-e-book-Stories-of-Empathy-and-Kindness-in-the-Early-Childhood-Classroom-P3055.aspx
Order Heather’s book, Using Schema Play Theory to Advocate for Free Play in Early Childhood, here: https://www.tcpress.com/products/using-schema-play-theory-to-advocate-for-free-play-in-early-childhood_9780807783177
Join our new Patreon community! For just $5 a month you can support all the Early Childhood Nerdwork podcasts AND join our Discord server to chat with the hosts and others who are working for children, their families, and their teachers: https://www.patreon.com/cw/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd
Thanks for listening!
NERD 0423 The Already Whole Child with Em Clark
"What would early childhood education look like if young children were recognized as already whole human beings?" asks child liberation scholar Em Clark in her recently published article The Already Whole …
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"What would early childhood education look like if young children were recognized as already whole human beings?" asks child liberation scholar Em Clark in her recently published article The Already Whole Child: Reconceptualizing Care and Sanctuary through Childism."
Join host Heather Bernt-Santy as she talks with Em Clark about the ways that the dominant discourse in early childhood education "position children as beings-in-progress, whose humanity is contingent on their movement toward normative adulthood."
What if we let children be present-tense human beings instead of future kindergartners, future test-takers, future workers, future economic contributors?
You can access the article here: https://iccpsonlinejournal.org/index.php/childhoods/article/view/347
Find more of her liberation work here: https://liberatingchildhood.org/
Order Heather’s book, Using Schema Play Theory to Advocate for Free Play in Early Childhood, here: https://www.tcpress.com/products/using-schema-play-theory-to-advocate-for-free-play-in-early-childhood_9780807783177
Join our new Patreon community! For just $5 a month you can support all the Early Childhood Nerdwork podcasts AND join our Discord server to chat with the hosts and others who are working for children, their families, and their teachers: https://www.patreon.com/cw/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd
Thanks for listening!
NERD_0422 Lisa Asks Heather: Reflecting on 10 Years of TECN
Ten years of That Early Childhood Nerd? We could hardly believe it either! To wrap up our week of bonus anniversary content, we handed the microphone to one of Heather's favorite people, Lisa Murphy...and, as …
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Ten years of That Early Childhood Nerd? We could hardly believe it either!
To wrap up our week of bonus anniversary content, we handed the microphone to one of Heather's favorite people, Lisa Murphy...and, as you might expect, things got a little (delightfully) off track. Lisa asks the questions, Heather tries to answer them, and together they look back on a decade of conversations about play, teaching, advocacy, and whatever rabbit trails seem too interesting to ignore.
They talk about the beginnings of the show, the episodes that stick with Heather, the ideas she's changed her mind about, and what keeps her showing up behind the microphone after all these years. There are stories, laughs, a little reminiscing, and plenty of nerding out along the way.
Whether you've been here since day 1 or you're just joining "That Early Childhood Nerd Nation" (thanks, Lisa!), thanks for listening, and thanks for making ten years of this podcast possible.
Order Heather’s book, Using Schema Play Theory to Advocate for Free Play in Early Childhood, here: https://www.tcpress.com/products/using-schema-play-theory-to-advocate-for-free-play-in-early-childhood_9780807783177
Join our new Patreon community! For just $5 a month you can support all the Early Childhood Nerdwork podcasts AND join our Discord server to chat with the hosts and others who are working for children, their families, and their teachers: https://www.patreon.com/cw/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd
Thanks for listening!
TECN Bonus Episode 4: Community Care and Mutual Aid
In this episode, we explore how Little Women's themes of community care and mutual aid connect to our work with young children, their families, and each other. The novel tells stories of a family giving to …
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In this episode, we explore how Little Women's themes of community care and mutual aid connect to our work with young children, their families, and each other. The novel tells stories of a family giving to others, whether informally through sharing their Christmas breakfast or more formally through Marmee's organized work on behalf of Union soldiers, and then receiving care themselves from friends and neighbors when Mr. March becomes ill.
Mike Huber and Lizz Nolasco join host Heather Bernt-Santy to discuss how interdependence, shared responsibility, and showing up for each other might be the answer to so many of the problems we live with today and create a world where children, families, and educators are supported by communities that care.
Order Heather’s book, Using Schema Play Theory to Advocate for Free Play in Early Childhood, here: https://www.tcpress.com/products/using-schema-play-theory-to-advocate-for-free-play-in-early-childhood_9780807783177
Join our new Patreon community! For just $5 a month you can support all the Early Childhood Nerdwork podcasts AND join our Discord server to chat with the hosts and others who are working for children, their families, and their teachers: https://www.patreon.com/cw/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd
Thanks for listening!
TECN Bonus Episode 3: Finding Your Voice
One of the themse of Little Women is the journey of finding your voice. Jo insisted on telling her own stories, and found a way to support her family with her writing. Amy claims her artistic talents, even when …
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One of the themse of Little Women is the journey of finding your voice. Jo insisted on telling her own stories, and found a way to support her family with her writing. Amy claims her artistic talents, even when her ambitions are thwarted. In the process, they find out what it means to be heard and live authentically. In this episode, Lizz Nolasco and Stacy Benge join host Heather Bernt-Santy discuss what it means to find your voice in a profession that is often overlooked. How do we speak up for children, families, and ourselves? Whether it's writing books, hosting podcasts, speaking to groups, or talking to coworkers and families about our practice, we connect the stories in Little Women to our ongoing work of advocacy and courage in early care and education. Order Heather’s book, Using Schema Play Theory to Advocate for Free Play in Early Childhood, here: https://www.tcpress.com/products/using-schema-play-theory-to-advocate-for-free-play-in-early-childhood_9780807783177 Join our new Patreon community! For just $5 a month you can support all the Early Childhood Nerdwork podcasts AND join our Discord server to chat with the hosts and others who are working for children, their families, and their teachers: https://www.patreon.com/cw/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd Thanks for listening!TECN Bonus Episode 2: Caregiving and Invisible Labor
In this episode, we revisit Little Women and its themes of caregiving and invisible labor. From Marmee's care work at home and in the community, emotional and domestic responsibilities of the March sisters …
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In this episode, we revisit Little Women and its themes of caregiving and invisible labor. From Marmee's care work at home and in the community, emotional and domestic responsibilities of the March sisters, Beth's almost martyr-like caring, and Hannah's role in the family and care load, we explore the often unseen work that holds families and communities together.
Sam Balch and Carol Garboden Murray join host Heather Bernt-Santy to connect these themes to early care and education, where care work remains essential, undervalued, and too often invisible.
Order Heather’s book, Using Schema Play Theory to Advocate for Free Play in Early Childhood, here: https://www.tcpress.com/products/using-schema-play-theory-to-advocate-for-free-play-in-early-childhood_9780807783177
Join our new Patreon community! For just $5 a month you can support all the Early Childhood Nerdwork podcasts AND join our Discord server to chat with the hosts and others who are working for children, their families, and their teachers: https://www.patreon.com/cw/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd
Thanks for listening!
TECN Bonus Episode 1: Little Women and Teaching
It’s the show’s 10th anniversary! In honor of the anniversary, we are releasing FIVE episodes this week, starting with a re-release of the very first episode. This episode originally aired on August 1 …
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It’s the show’s 10th anniversary! In honor of the anniversary, we are releasing FIVE episodes this week, starting with a re-release of the very first episode.
This episode originally aired on August 1, 2016...back then the podcast was called Cause an Effect. A lot has changed since then, including the host's name (from Heather Wenig to Heather Bernt-Santy) but we hope you will tune in!
In this episode, Heather is joined by Tiffany Pearsall to talk about the connection between this quote from Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women" and our work with young children:
"Mr Davis knew any quantity of Greek, Latin, algebra, and ologies of all sorts so he was called a fine teacher, and manners, morals, feelings, and examples were not considered of any importance."
Order Heather’s book, Using Schema Play Theory to Advocate for Free Play in Early Childhood, here: https://www.tcpress.com/products/using-schema-play-theory-to-advocate-for-free-play-in-early-childhood_9780807783177
Join our new Patreon community! For just $5 a month you can support all the Early Childhood Nerdwork podcasts AND join our Discord server to chat with the hosts and others who are working for children, their families, and their teachers: https://www.patreon.com/cw/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd
Thanks for listening!
NERD 0421 Autistic Play and Autistic Joy with Kara Ketter
Let's talk autistic play and autistic joy! Host Heather Bernt-Santy is joined in this episode by autistic educator, preschool teacher, and disability justice advocate Kara Ketter and the conversation starts …
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Let's talk autistic play and autistic joy! Host Heather Bernt-Santy is joined in this episode by autistic educator, preschool teacher, and disability justice advocate Kara Ketter and the conversation starts with this quote:
“If I could change three things about how the world sees autism, they would be these. That the world would see that we feel joy—sometimes a joy so intense and private and all-encompassing that it eclipses anything the world might feel. That the world would stop punishing us for our joy, stop grabbing flapping hands and eliminating interests that are not “age-appropriate”, stop shaming and gas-lighting us into believing that we are never, and can never be, happy. And that our joy would be valued in and of itself, seen as a necessary and beautiful part of our disability, pursued, and shared.”
Read the full blog post here: https://tinyurl.com/yfhpd6c3
Order Heather’s book, Using Schema Play Theory to Advocate for Free Play in Early Childhood, here: https://www.tcpress.com/products/using-schema-play-theory-to-advocate-for-free-play-in-early-childhood_9780807783177
Join our new Patreon community! For just $5 a month you can support all the Early Childhood Nerdwork podcasts AND join our Discord server to chat with the hosts and others who are working for children, their families, and their teachers: https://www.patreon.com/cw/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd
Thanks for listening!
NERD 0420 We Have Surrendered to the Children with Kimberlee Hendricks
In her article for Exchange's winter 2025 issue on Protecting Play, Kimberlee Hendricks shares how her program's commitment to providing a space that belonged to children, that protected play required that they …
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In her article for Exchange's winter 2025 issue on Protecting Play, Kimberlee Hendricks shares how her program's commitment to providing a space that belonged to children, that protected play required that they surrender some things, and that they remember what play feels like for adults. She talks with host Heather Bernt-Santy about surrendering to children in this episode.
You can read Kimberlee’s article here: https://hub.exchangepress.com/articles-on-demand/70263/
Order Heather’s book, Using Schema Play Theory to Advocate for Free Play in Early Childhood, here: https://www.tcpress.com/products/using-schema-play-theory-to-advocate-for-free-play-in-early-childhood_9780807783177
Join our new Patreon community! For just $5 a month you can support all the Early Childhood Nerdwork podcasts AND join our Discord server to chat with the hosts and others who are working for children, their families, and their teachers: https://www.patreon.com/cw/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd
Thanks for listening!
NERD 0419 Caroline Pratt: More Than Just Blocks (But We Love the Blocks!)
Did you know that the familiar wooden unit blocks that so many early childhood spaces have were created in the early 20th century be a progressive educator named Caroline Pratt? I did know that--but I didn't …
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Did you know that the familiar wooden unit blocks that so many early childhood spaces have were created in the early 20th century be a progressive educator named Caroline Pratt? I did know that--but I didn't know what an amazing, interesting, spirited woman she really was.
Join me, host Heather Bernt-Santy, as Charleen Kepner takes us on a journey to get to know the truly amazing ways that Caroline Pratt challenged the status quo and championed children's right to a meaningful education...including amazing quotes from Pratt that delighted me.
You can read Charleen’s thesis on Caroline Pratt here: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/honorstheses/1649/
Order Heather’s book, Using Schema Play Theory to Advocate for Free Play in Early Childhood, here: https://www.tcpress.com/products/using-schema-play-theory-to-advocate-for-free-play-in-early-childhood_9780807783177
Join our new Patreon community! For just $5 a month you can support all the Early Childhood Nerdwork podcasts AND join our Discord server to chat with the hosts and others who are working for children, their families, and their teachers: https://www.patreon.com/cw/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd
Thanks for listening!
NERD 0418 Potty Training and School: Whose Job Is It Anyway?
A May 2026 article posted by Education Week wonders, "Who's Responsible for Toilet Training? Schools or Families?" While the article is a measured report of data and policies, the headline hit a nerve for host …
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A May 2026 article posted by Education Week wonders, "Who's Responsible for Toilet Training? Schools or Families?" While the article is a measured report of data and policies, the headline hit a nerve for host Heather Bernt-Santy. How can we say it's one or the other? What developmental considerations need to be included in the question? What systemic barriers are in place? And for goodness sake, why did they select a photo of a defiant looking preschooler for the post?
Lizz Nolasco joins Heather to unpack, to wonder, and to stand up for the child caught between school and family.
Find the article here: https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/whos-responsible-for-toilet-training-schools-or-families/2026/05
Order Heather’s book, Using Schema Play Theory to Advocate for Free Play in Early Childhood, here: https://www.tcpress.com/products/using-schema-play-theory-to-advocate-for-free-play-in-early-childhood_9780807783177
Join our new Patreon community! For just $5 a month you can support all the Early Childhood Nerdwork podcasts AND join our Discord server to chat with the hosts and others who are working for children, their families, and their teachers: https://www.patreon.com/cw/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd
Thanks for listening!
NERD 0417 Carcerality and Child Care with Kisa Marx
In our second episode with Kisa Marx about her new book, we had to dig into two quotes to get a full picture for our conversation. "Care is a birthright--an inherent need that follows us throughout our lives …
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In our second episode with Kisa Marx about her new book, we had to dig into two quotes to get a full picture for our conversation. "Care is a birthright--an inherent need that follows us throughout our lives. From the moment a child is born they are entitled to care, not just as a basic necessity but as something that nurtures their growth, autonomy, and capacity to imagine a future where they belong." "We hold dreams for children--visions of freedom, exploration, connection, and joy. Yet in practice, these dreams are often stifled by deficit-based narratives. These narratives don't merely fail to nurture children's potential, they actively strip away the empathy, belonging, and joy essential to their development." Kisa is here to talk us through it. Order Kisa’s book here: https://tinyurl.com/5ckscscz To find out more about the Play Lab Foundation: https://theplaylabnfpoakpark.org/the-play-lab Order Heather’s book, Using Schema Play Theory to Advocate for Free Play in Early Childhood, here: https://www.tcpress.com/products/using-schema-play-theory-to-advocate-for-free-play-in-early-childhood_9780807783177 Join our new Patreon community! For just $5 a month you can support all the Early Childhood Nerdwork podcasts AND join our Discord server to chat with the hosts and others who are working for children, their families, and their teachers: https://www.patreon.com/cw/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd Thanks for listening!NERD 0416 Risky Play at School with Megan Zeni and Mariana Brussoni
"We know that schools and classrooms can be tough spaces to work and learn. The good news is that OPAL almost always offers a pathway for improving learning conditions, no matter which difficulties districts …
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"We know that schools and classrooms can be tough spaces to work and learn. The good news is that OPAL almost always offers a pathway for improving learning conditions, no matter which difficulties districts, schools, or classroom teachers identify as priority issues. Improved mental health, student engagement, staff wellness, joy and wonder in the school day are all possible when OPAL and risky play are supported in schools."
Whether you work with children before they go to formal school or in an elementary/primary setting, you'll want to listen as host Heather Bernt-Santy talks with Dr. Megan Zeni and Dr. Mariana Brussoni about their book Embracing Risky Play at School: Getting Kids Outdoors to Explore, Learn, and Grow.
You can order Embracing Risky Play at School here: https://www.tcpress.com/products/embracing-risky-play-at-school_9780807784006
You can find the study Dr. Zeni and Dr. Brussoni referenced in this episode here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272494426001635
Find
Order Heather’s book, Using Schema Play Theory to Advocate for Free Play in Early Childhood, here: https://www.tcpress.com/products/using-schema-play-theory-to-advocate-for-free-play-in-early-childhood_9780807783177
Join our new Patreon community! For just $5 a month you can support all the Early Childhood Nerdwork podcasts AND join our Discord server to chat with the hosts and others who are working for children, their families, and their teachers: https://www.patreon.com/cw/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd
Thanks for listening!
NERD 0415 Can We Really Do Quality Child Care?
Any Princess Bride fans out there listening? If so, I'll bet you've quoted "You keep using that word. I don't think it means what you think it means" on more than one occasion. And host Heather Bernt-Santy …
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Any Princess Bride fans out there listening? If so, I'll bet you've quoted "You keep using that word. I don't think it means what you think it means" on more than one occasion.
And host Heather Bernt-Santy thinks of that line whenever she hears the words "high quality child care." What do we think it means? What do research, culture, child care budgets, or isms of all sorts say about "quality?"
Listen in as Heather and guest Sam Balch unpack the Vox article "A Critical Fight Over Quality Child Care Could Shape Millions of Kids" by Rachel Cohen Booth.
Find the article here: https://www.vox.com/child-care/413120/child-care-daycare-quality-preschool-head-start-qris-standards-children
Order Heather’s book, Using Schema Play Theory to Advocate for Free Play in Early Childhood, here: https://www.tcpress.com/products/using-schema-play-theory-to-advocate-for-free-play-in-early-childhood_9780807783177
Join our new Patreon community! For just $5 a month you can support all the Early Childhood Nerdwork podcasts AND join our Discord server to chat with the hosts and others who are working for children, their families, and their teachers: https://www.patreon.com/cw/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd
Thanks for listening!
NERD 0414 How Institutional Are You?
In 1992, Jim Greenman wrote an article called "Places for Childhoods--How Institutional Are You?" that has been, without exaggeration, in host Heather Bernt-Santy's mind at least once a week since she …
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In 1992, Jim Greenman wrote an article called "Places for Childhoods--How Institutional Are You?" that has been, without exaggeration, in host Heather Bernt-Santy's mind at least once a week since she discovered it early in her career. And what fun! Sam Balch was in town to join her for a conversation of how (sadly) relevant the question is today.
Find Jim's article here: https://hub.exchangepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/5008749.pdf
Order Heather’s book, Using Schema Play Theory to Advocate for Free Play in Early Childhood, here: https://www.tcpress.com/products/using-schema-play-theory-to-advocate-for-free-play-in-early-childhood_9780807783177
Join our new Patreon community! For just $5 a month you can support all the Early Childhood Nerdwork podcasts AND join our Discord server to chat with the hosts and others who are working for children, their families, and their teachers: https://www.patreon.com/cw/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd
Thanks for listening!
NERD 0413 Emergent Curriculum with Sue Stacey
Susan Stacey joins the show for a deep dive into emergent curriculum--what it really means, what is looks like in practice, and why it still matters in early childhood settings. Her book Emergent Curriculum in …
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Susan Stacey joins the show for a deep dive into emergent curriculum--what it really means, what is looks like in practice, and why it still matters in early childhood settings. Her book Emergent Curriculum in Early Childhood Settings reminds us that "emergent curriculum requires the disposition of genuine curiosity about children and their play" and that "a teacher who is curious, who wonders why children are doing a particular thing in a particular way, will be genuinely interested in finding a meaningful response."
Order Emergent Curriculum in Early Childhood Settings here: https://tinyurl.com/y9h5us2f
Find more of Sue’s work at https://suestacey.ca/
Order Heather’s book, Using Schema Play Theory to Advocate for Free Play in Early Childhood, here: https://www.tcpress.com/products/using-schema-play-theory-to-advocate-for-free-play-in-early-childhood_9780807783177
Join our new Patreon community! For just $5 a month you can support all the Early Childhood Nerdwork podcasts AND join our Discord server to chat with the hosts and others who are working for children, their families, and their teachers: https://www.patreon.com/cw/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd
Thanks for listening!
NERD 0412 Go Play! with Gennie Gorback and Kate Allen Fox
Gennie Gorback and Kate Allen Fox want to help parents (and others!) understand how play can unlock many wonderful possibilities--and unexpected joys--for their families. Because, as they say, there's no such …
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Gennie Gorback and Kate Allen Fox want to help parents (and others!) understand how play can unlock many wonderful possibilities--and unexpected joys--for their families. Because, as they say, there's no such thing as "just play." Play isn't just anything; it is everything.
Their book Go Play: How Parents Can Empower Kids to Build Their Own Worlds is really wonderful.
Buy the book here: https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9798889836216/Go-Play
Download a free pdf discussion guide here: https://ms.broadleafbooks.com/downloads/Discussion_Guide_Go_Play.pdf
Order Heather’s book, Using Schema Play Theory to Advocate for Free Play in Early Childhood, here: https://www.tcpress.com/products/using-schema-play-theory-to-advocate-for-free-play-in-early-childhood_9780807783177
Join our new Patreon community! For just $5 a month you can support all the Early Childhood Nerdwork podcasts AND join our Discord server to chat with the hosts and others who are working for children, their families, and their teachers: https://www.patreon.com/cw/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd
Thanks for listening!
NERD 0411 Why Can't Children Self Regulate? with Denita Dinger
Have you heard about the canary in the coal mine? It was an old safety practice with coal miners to protect them from harmful toxins in the air of the mines--a caged canary would be taken into the mine and …
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Have you heard about the canary in the coal mine? It was an old safety practice with coal miners to protect them from harmful toxins in the air of the mines--a caged canary would be taken into the mine and miners would know if the canary was harmed by the air, it was not safe.
In this conversation, Denita Dinger and host Heather Bernt-Santy use this as a metaphor for what we can learn about the messages children's behavior may be trying to convey about their experiences in our spaces.
Find more Denita here: https://listen-to-the-children-academy.teachable.com/
More Denita here: https://www.facebook.com/p/Listen-to-the-Children-100064041760545/
Order Heather’s book, Using Schema Play Theory to Advocate for Free Play in Early Childhood, here: https://www.tcpress.com/products/using-schema-play-theory-to-advocate-for-free-play-in-early-childhood_9780807783177
Join our new Patreon community! For just $5 a month you can support all the Early Childhood Nerdwork podcasts AND join our Discord server to chat with the hosts and others who are working for children, their families, and their teachers: https://www.patreon.com/cw/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd
Thanks for listening!
NERD 0410 Young Children's Amazing Math with Herb Ginsburg
In this episode, host Heather Bernt-Santy is joined by Herb Ginsburg, a leading expert in children's understanding of mathematics and author of the book Young Children's Amazing Math: A Guide to Understanding …
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In this episode, host Heather Bernt-Santy is joined by Herb Ginsburg, a leading expert in children's understanding of mathematics and author of the book Young Children's Amazing Math: A Guide to Understanding and Supporting Early Learning.
Dr. Ginsburg's book shows readers how math is embedded in children’s everyday lives, how daily routines contribute to the development of important math concepts, and what adults can do to foster the joy of early math learning. Ginsburg describes the development of children’s informal ideas about number, shape, space, pattern, and measurement, and offers many specific activities designed to promote learning.
Order Dr. Ginsburg's book here: https://www.tcpress.com/products/young-childrens-amazing-math_9780807786512
Order Heather’s book, Using Schema Play Theory to Advocate for Free Play in Early Childhood, here: https://www.tcpress.com/products/using-schema-play-theory-to-advocate-for-free-play-in-early-childhood_9780807783177
Join our new Patreon community! For just $5 a month you can support all the Early Childhood Nerdwork podcasts AND join our Discord server to chat with the hosts and others who are working for children, their families, and their teachers: https://www.patreon.com/cw/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd
Thanks for listening!
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