Author, speaker, lavender farmer, and long time friend-of-Heather Erin Ramsey joins the show this week to talk about the ideas in her book Inspired Work: Showing Up and Shining Bright. With an engaging combination of “woo-woo” and science, Erin has some great ideas for anyone who wants to work in a way that aligns with their authentic self. Find mo…

Heather finally got to meet the crew behind her favorite podcast–“Teaching with the Body in Mind.” Join in as Heather, Mike Huber, Tom Bedard, Joey Schoen and Ross Thompson talk about how we can honor children and help them flourish by understanding their need for, and right to, movement. Thanks for listening! Save 10% on professional development f…

In our final episode of our series of episodes focused on the contributions of Lilian Katz, Heather brings in Lizz Nolasco, Tiffany Pearsall and Samantha Balch to talk about…well, a lot. But it all starts with an article by Dr Katz called “The Benefits of the Mix.” Find it here: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED382411 Want more Nerd content, like free qua…

Another episode celebrating the contributions of Lilian Katz! This time, Heather is joined by Lizz Nolasco, Samantha Balch and Mike Huber to talk through Dr. Katz’s 2015 Exchange article “Distinctions Between Academic and Intellectual Goals for Young Children.” Find the article here: https://www.exchangepress.com/article/distinctions-between-academ…

It’s Heather and Lizz Nolasco again! After we recorded the episode on Lilian Katz’s stages of preschool teacher development, Lizz had a great idea–a series of episodes focused on Lilian’s work called “Katz Ladies!” In this second episode of the series, they discuss an essay she wrote, published in a 1995 collection called Talks with Teachers of You…

Part one of a four episode series focusing on the work of Lilian Katz, in this episode Heather and Lizz Nolasco revisit Katz’s 1972 article outlining her theory of the developmental stages of preschool teachers: survival, consolidation, renewal, and maturity. Find the article here: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED057922 Want more Nerd content, like free …

“Your image of the child, regardless of whether it is the first time you have reflected upon it, defines and determines the way you approach every interaction you have with children,” writes Ron Grady in his book Honoring the Moment in Young Children’s Lives: Observation, Documentation, and Reflection. Ron joins Heather in this episode to dig deep …

Listen in as host Heather Bernt-Santy, and fellow ECE Nerds Bethany Corrie and Mike Huber, talk through the article When Boys Won’t Be Boys: Discussing Gender with Young Children, where authors Hannah Katch and Jane Katch discuss the ways Jane is seeing gender roles enacted in her classroom. Thanks for listening! Save 10% on professional developmen…

저자 Ron Ramsey

If you’ve listened to the show for a while, you know Heather is a big fan of Anji Play! In this episode, she is joined by Bethany Corrie and Richard Cohen to talk through the article Stepping Back to Nurture by Krystina Tapia, Emma Pickering and Jesse Coffino. Link to article: https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/tyc/fall2021/stepping-back-nurture …

In her article Both/And: Early Childhood Education Needs Both Play and Equity, consultant Ijumaa Jordan writes, “All children have a right to play. All children learn through play, not as enrichment but as a foundational context. Public outcry that play is disappearing from early childhood ignores the elephant in the room: this worrisome trend impa…

"Passion work is doing work you feel 'called to,' a job that makes you feel very obviously 'fulfilled,' a job that announces itself clearly as 'making a difference.'" (When Your Profession is on Fire by Anne Helen Petersen)Tiffany Pearsall joins host Heather Bernt-Santy for a discussion of early care and education as passion work, systems thinking,…

Kisa Marx and Samuel Broaden, authors of Rethinking Weapon Play: How to Encourage Imagination, Kindness and Consent in Your Classroom, join host Heather Bernt-Santy for a discussion of the ways adults respond to weapon play and challenge us to wonder what we're doing, why we're doing it, and who it serves. Buy the book here: https://www.routledge.c…

Host Heather Bernt-Santy is thrilled to have had this opportunity to talk to professor and author Dr. Lori Desautels about her book Connections Over Compliance: Rewiring Our Perceptions of Discipline. Find more of Dr. Desautels work here: https://revelationsineducation.com/

Cayley Burton drops by to talk about her research article, "This Is a Different Kingdom: A Case Study of Gender-Creative Feminine Expression During Princess Play" with Heather Bernt-Santy and cohost Mike Huber.

If the question is “How do you raise anti-ableist kids?” the answer is “Become anti-ableist and then model it through intention and action for your children.” Join Heather Bernt-Santy and Mike Huber as they welcome Carrie Hahn, author of the book Beyond Inclusion: How to Raise Anti Ableist Kids.

This episode is the fourth installment of a new tradition–episodes in May that invite some of Heather's favorite women in early childhood to talk about the women who guide our work. In this conversation, Heather talks about Lilian Katz, Miriam Beloglovsky celebrates Bev Bos, Rixa Evershed discusses Alison Gopnik's work, and Nadia Jaboneta salutes M…

저자 Ron Ramsey

저자 Ron Ramsey

Have you ever noticed that most of the theorists and philosophies in our early childhood textbooks are the same handful of men-plus-Montessori? Heather got curious….who are the women (past and present) who are influencing and informing the work we’re doing with young children. This episode is the third installment of a new tradition–episodes in May…

Have you ever noticed that most of the theorists and philosophies in our early childhood textbooks are the same handful of men-plus-Montessori? Heather got curious….who are the women (past and present) who are influencing and informing the work we’re doing with young children. This episode is the second installment of a new tradition–episodes in Ma…

Have you ever noticed that most of the theorists and philosophies in our early childhood textbooks are the same handful of men-plus-Montessori? Heather got curious....who are the women (past and present) who are influencing and informing the work we're doing with young children. So, here's the first installment of a new tradition--episodes in May t…

Heather is TIRED of non-expert stakeholders trying to tell her what is and isn't "quality" for young children's spaces and experiences. In this episode, she invites Carol Garboden Murray and Richard Cohen to help her process how problematic it is when we lose sight of children's current, lived experiences in favor of placing the weight of solving a…

If there's one thing host Heather Bernt-Santy loves, it's a nerdy panel discussion! And this one is a good one...including Heather, Richard Cohen (Zen and the Art of Early Childhood), Nancy Rosenow (author of Encouragement Every Day), Carol Garboden Murray (author of Illuminating Care: The Practice and Pedagogy of Care) and Stacy Benge (author of T…

This week host Heather Bernt-Santy welcomes Dartmouth sociologist Dr Casey Stockstill, author of the book False Starts: The Segregated Lives of Preschoolers. In her book, she describes and discusses what she learned while conducting research in two different early childhood programs: a Head Start program and an affluent private preschool. "False St…

Join host Heather Bernt-Santy and fellow nerd Lizz Nolasco as they explore this quote from an article by Beth Blue Swadener and Shirley Kessler: "Of significance among reconceptualist perspectives is the social, historical and political context of the early childhood curriculum. Underlying this rethinking of curriculum planning is the study of the …

The idea of loose parts is often misunderstood and misrepresented in early childhood spaces and conversations. In this conversation, Heather talks to authors Suzanne Axelsson and Miriam Beloglovsky to explore the origin of the idea, the reasons and ways it gets mixed up, and how to get back to the beauty and possibility of filling our spaces with t…

Join host Heather Bernt-Santy as she talks to Stephanie Goloway, author of the Redleaf Press book Happily Ever Resilient: Using Fairy Tales to Nurture Children Through Adversity. Discover how "we can transform our best practices surrounding play, stories, and nurturing relationships into the protective factors for resilience: attachment, initiative…

In a post on his Substack, Peter Gray wrote, "the rules of play provide boundaries within which the actions must occur, but they do not precisely dictate the actions. The rules always leave plenty of room for creativity." In this episode, Mike Huber joins Heather to discuss rules in children's power play.…

We've heard and read over and over again that children need "structure," but too often what that translates into in practice with young children is attempts to "control." Host Heather Bernt-Santy and Nerd Favorite Lisa Murphy are here to unpack the difference.

In play, children stay connected to their childhood capacities that support creativity and innovation. Just like children, when adults engage in play and creative endeavors, they can find that childlike center that cultivates happiness and joy. Play is affirming because it allows us to enter a natural, safe, and caring environment in which we freel…

Author Nancy Rosenow, advisor at Dimensions Educational Research Foundation, joins host Heather Bernt-Santy to discuss her new book, Encouragement Every Day, "a collection of 366 quotes and daily nuggets thoughtfully curated by Nancy...as she journeys along with you. A little something for everyone -- offering support, joy and high fives as you emb…

Heather Bernt-Santy talks with Carol Garboden Murray about the ways that idealizing or romanticizing children or childhood can prevent us from seeing them as fully human.

In this episode, Heather is joined by Mike Huber, who has some thoughts about young children, power, and play.Thanks for listening! If you'd like to help support the show, you can do that here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heatherf

Lisa Murphy cohosts to explore a mind blowing new (but really pretty old) perspective on "patience".Thanks for listening!Like the show? Consider supporting our work by becoming a Patron, shopping our Amazon Link, or sharing it with someone who might enjoy it. You can leave a comment or ask a question here.Click here for more Heather.Here's the PDF …

After reading Peter Gray's article, "Beware of 'Evidence Based Preschool Curricula,' Mike Huber and I decided we needed to dig in to how curriculum and practices labeled "evidence based" and "research based" should not be given a free pass.

"Human rights belong to everyone from cradle to grave and everywhere in between, irrespective of who we are or where we come from." (Alison Tonkin)Join host Heather Bernt-Santy and Guest Nerd Lisa Murphy for a conversation of play as a child's human right, and what that means for us in the big picture as well as in our daily work. Find more on Arti…

FINALLY! It's been so long since Lisa Murphy was on the show! After hanging out at the NAEYC conference Expo/Vendor Hall, Lisa and host Heather Bernt-Santy have some thoughts about the priorities and messages of the Vendor Hall, teacher developmental stages (sort of) and what we WISH had been there.Want more Lisa? (Of course you do!): https://www.o…

You've heard Stacy Benge on a previous episode, but we had to bring her back! This book is SO GOOD, folks. Join host Heather Bernt-Santy, Mike Huber and Stacy for this discussion of visual perception, how it differs from "eyesight," and why it matters for our developmentally informed support of children's literacy.Use code ECENERD for 15% off The W…

"Childhood is full of invisible intentions. The ones that, without listening, would bloom and die without our knowledge." -Ron GradyTune in to hear Ron talk more about these intentions, the relational energy of materials in early childhood spaces, and honoring the moment with children to host Heather Bernt-Santy. Find more about Ron's blog and/or b…

Did you know that some early childhood folx have strong feelings AGAINST pushing children on swings? What started as text chat between Mike Huber and Carol Garboden Murray (and was then shared with host Heather Bernt-Santy) turned into a really good episode about child development, adult roles and a "serve and return" that is both literal and theor…

Host Heather Bernt-Santy and visiting Nerd Carol Garboden Murray are so excited to present this episode for you! Dr Alison Clark, author of Slow Knowledge and the Unhurried Child: Time for Slow Pedagogies in Early Childhood Education. You can buy the book here: https://shorturl.at/uDFS4Want to support Heather's work? You can "Buy Her a Coffee" here…

It's a question that comes up whenever Heather talks about play--what do we do when children don't know how to play? Listen in as she talks through some possibilities with beloved Nerds Richard Cohen, Bethany Corrie, Mike Huber, and special guest-who-didn't-know-she'd-be-a-guest-when-she-logged-in, Annie Friday!…

You all! It's the 300th episode of the show! And you know what special episodes mean? PAJAMA PARTY! Put on some jammies, grab a favorite beverage, and join the Nerd Collective as we talk about how gross our obsession with school readiness is and how it negatively impacts children and our profession.

Tune in for a conversation about attempts to define quality, gatekeeping in early childhood, myths about one type of care being automatically higher quality, and more with Heather Bernt-Santy and Lizz Nolasco. Want to support Heather's work? You can do that on her Buy Me a Coffee page! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heatherfNeed some That Early Child…

YOU GUYS! You have to read Stacy Benge's book "The Whole Child Alphabet: How Young Children Actually Develop Literacy" as soon as you can! Author and speaker Stacy Benge joins Heather Bernt-Santy to discuss this really, very, really important new book. How does physical development strengthen literacy? What do we need to know about visual perceptio…

New York City PreK teacher Helen Frazier joins Heather Bernt-Santy for a discussion of her Chalkbeat article "In Preschool, One Size Doesn't Fit All. So Why is NYC Asking Early Educators to Use a Single Curriculum?"Read the article here: https://ny.chalkbeat.org/2023/7/31/23807750/preschool-creative-curriculum-nycWant to support Heather's work? Her…

저자 Ron Ramsey

Heather, Carol Garboden Murray and Bethany Corrie finally get together (woo hoo!) for part 2 of our discussion of Allison Clark's book Slow Knowledge and the Unhurried Child: Time for Slow Pedagogies in Early Childhood Education.

If you haven't read the 2019 book Let the Children Play: How More Play will Save Our Schools and Help Children Thrive, you're missing out! The book's authors, William Doyle and Pasi Sahlberg, join Heather for a conversation about play, schools, 21st century skills....and George Costanza?