That Early Childhood Nerd

Early Childhood Nerdwork

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!

  1. 4d ago

    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 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!

  2. 5d ago

    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 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!

  3. 6d ago

    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 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!

  4. Jul 28

    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, 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!

  5. Jul 27

    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, 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!

  6. Jul 22

    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 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!

  7. Jul 15

    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 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!

  8. Jul 8

    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 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!

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About

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!

Information

  • Creator
    Early Childhood Nerdwork
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    421
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    That Early Childhood Nerd

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