Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast That Early Childhood Nerd

"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 into a phrase ("image of the child") that is becoming more and more common in our field. What does it really mean? Why does it matter so much? Find more of Ron here: https://www.childology.co/Support Heather's work with a one time donation, or membership levels with even more content, here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heatherf Thanks for listening! Save 10% on professional development from Explorations Early Learning and support the show with the coupon code NERD. 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. For a small fee we can issue self-study certificates for listening to podcasts.

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 development from Explorations Early Learning and support the show with the coupon code NERD. 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. For a small fee we can issue self-study certificates for listening to podcasts.

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 Thanks for listening! Save 10% on professional development from Explorations Early Learning and support the show with the coupon code NERD. 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. For a small fee we can issue self-study certificates for listening to podcasts.

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 impacts young children unequally. Early education is segregated by race and class in the same way K–12 education is. Play-centered advocacy must dismantle oppressive educational systems that deny access to play based on race and class." You'll want to hear this conversation!Find more from Ijumaa here: https://www.ijumaajordan.com/Want to support the show? You can make a donation, or enroll as a member for bonus content, at Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heatherf Thanks for listening! Save 10% on professional development from Explorations Early Learning and support the show with the coupon code NERD. 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. For a small fee we can issue self-study certificates for listening to podcasts.

"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, burnout, and our love of everything Anne Helen Petersen writes. Read the substack article here: https://annehelen.substack.com/p/when-your-profession-is-on-fire?utm_source=publication-searchWant even MORE Nerd content? A Nerd Membership at Buy Me a Coffee offers soapbox videos from Heather, the opportunity to join in for monthly virtual office hours, and more! Join here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heatherf Thanks for listening! Save 10% on professional development from Explorations Early Learning and support the show with the coupon code NERD. 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. For a small fee we can issue self-study certificates for listening to podcasts.

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.com/Rethinking-Weapon-Play-in-Early-Childhood-How-to-Encourage-Imagination-Kindness-and-Consent-in-Your-Classroom/Broaden-Marx/p/book/9781032649122 Find more of Kisa's work here: https://theplaylabnfpoakpark.org/the-play-lab Find more of Samuel's work here: https://samuelbroaden.graphy.com/ Looking for more Nerd content from Heather? A Nerd Membership at Buy Me a Coffee includes occasional "soapbox videos" and opportunities to join in virtual office hours once a month. Join here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heatherf Thanks for listening! Save 10% on professional development from Explorations Early Learning and support the show with the coupon code NERD. 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. For a small fee we can issue self-study certificates for listening to podcasts.

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 Margie Carter and Deb Curtis. 

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 that invite some of my favorite women in early childhood to talk about the women who guide our work. In this episode, Heather is joined by Krystina Tapia and Kisa Marx to discuss how bell hooks, Emmi Pikler, and Lisa Murphy inspire them. 

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 May that invite some of my favorite women in early childhood to talk about the women who guide our work. In this episode, Heather is joined by Stephanie Goloway, Stacy Benge, and Nancy Rosenow to discuss how Sylvia Ashton Warner, A. Jean Ayres, Vivian Gussin Paley and Chris Athey inspire them. 

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 that invite some of my favorite women in early childhood to talk about the women who guide our work. In this episode, Heather is joined by Rixa Evershed, Carol Garboden Murray and Lizz Nolasco to discuss how Robin Wall Kimmerer, Carol Gilligan, Janet Gonzalez Mena and Rhoda Kellogg inspire them. 

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 adult problems on those children's shoulders.

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 The Whole Child Alphabet: How Young Children Actually Develop Literacy). Listen in as we talk about what we think we should call ourselves as we work with young children--teacher? Developmentalist? Caregiver? 

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 Starts suggests that as we continue to invest in preschool as an anti-poverty policy, we need a fuller understanding of how segregated classroom environments impact children's educational outcomes and their ability to thrive."

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 relationship between what we teach in school and the unequal outcomes of schooling based on social class, race, language or dialect, and gender. According to this perspective, schools are seen not as the equalizer in society, as Horace Mann envisioned, but as a means of reproducing the race, class, and gender inequities which persist in society today."

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 the "stuff" of child exploration and creativity.

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, self-regulation, and cultural affirmation." Order the book here: https://www.redleafpress.org/Happily-Ever-Resilient-Using-Fairy-Tales-to-Nurture-Children-through-Adversity-P2648.aspxFind Stephanie here: www.imaginationonthemove.com

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 freely explore our inner thinking and desires. Join host Heather Bernt-Santy and author Miriam Beloglovsky for more!

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 embrace your year.Order the book from Exchange Press, and get 15% off when you use the code ECENERD: https://www.exchangepress.com/catalog/product/encouragement-every-day/3600590/

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 mentioned in the episode:

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 Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child here: https://ipaworld.org/childs-right-to-play/article-31/

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.ooeygooey.com/Want to Buy Me a Coffee to support my work? https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heatherf

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 Whole Child Alphabet by Stacy Benge here: https://exchangepress.com/Buy Heather a Coffee to support her work here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heatherf

"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 buy his books here: https://www.childology.co/Want to support Heather's work? You can "Buy Her a Coffee" here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heatherf

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 theoretical. Want to support Heather's work? You can "Buy Her a Coffee" here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heatherf

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: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heatherf

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 Childhood Nerd merch? You can find coffee mugs, shirts, hats, tote bags and even a (baby) onesie at the TECN shop: https://www.bonfire.com/store/that-early-childhood-nerd-store/

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 perception to effectively foster literacy development? What do our stakeholders need to know? Stacy is here to answer those questions. Order your copy now from Exchange Press. Use code ECENERD for 15% off!https://www.exchangepress.com/catalog/product/the-whole-child-alphabet/3600588/Want to support Heather's work? You can do that here at her Buy Me a Coffee page: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heatherf

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? Here's the link to her Buy Me a Coffee page: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heatherf

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? 

Occupational therapists. Speech language pathologists. Artists. Family Therapists. Heather and Mike spend some time talking about the ways we have learned and our work has been impacted by people outside of the early childhood education field. 

Child and family policy expert and author Elliot Haspel joins Heather and Tiffany to talk about why the economic argument for "solving" the child care crisis is important--but not enough. Love the show? Help support our work by "buying me a coffee!" here: https://bmc.link/heatherf

Child advocate, play enthusiast and maker of magic Kisa Marx is this week's guest! Listen in as she talks with Heather and cohost Mike Huber about humanity, genius and joy in early childhood settings. Thank you for listening! Would you like to support Heather's work? You can "buy her a coffee" here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heatherf

Amanda Morgan (www.notjustcute.com) stops by to talk with Heather about the renewed focus in education on the Science of Reading, and how to be sure we don't forget the early childhood foundation necessary for supporting its "Five Pillars." Thank you for listening! Would you like to support Heather's work? You can "buy her a coffee" here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/heatherf

Tamar Jacobson, author of Everyone Needs Attention: Helping Young Children Thrive (and other great books!) joins Heather to talk about authentic self-regulation and young children.Check out That Early Childhood Nerd episode 117 for more Tamar Jacobson!

If you haven't followed occupational therapist Greg Santucci on social media, what are you even doing? In this episode, Greg joins Heather to talk about ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis), the reported experiences of autistic people who have been "treated" with ABA, and alternatives for families who feel like ABA is their only option for their autistic children. 

When Heather saw Kelsie Olds' post on her Occuplaytional Therapist Facebook page that opened with, "I think we would actually all be fine if we would drop the word 'consequences' from our vocabularies entirely," she KNEW this would be a great podcast conversation. And it was! Find Kelsie on FB at The Occuplaytional Therapist or visit her website at www.occuplaytional.com

Family therapist and child development expert Dr. Erika Bocknek joins Heather Bernt-Santy for a "convo" about relationships and belongingness in early childhood.Find Dr Erika's website here: www.myconvo.orgOr find her on Instagram: drerikaconvo

Strategies and responses for working with young children who have experienced or are experiencing trauma are vital for early care and education practitioners to understand--why would we need to be warned about our use of ACE scores? Instructional coach and PhD candidate Alex Winninghoff joins Heather Bernt-Santy and Lizz Nolasco to discuss her article, "Trauma By Numbers: Warnings Against the Use of ACE Scores in Trauma Informed Schools." Read the article here: https://educate.bankstreet.edu/occasional-paper-series/vol2020/iss43/4/

In his foreword to the book Rethinking Readiness in Early Childhood Education: Implications for Policy and Practice (edited by Jeanne Marie Iorio and Will Parnell), William Ayers writes, "Every child comes to school a question mark and an exclamation point...every teacher must decide whether...to keep questions and passions alive...or to hammer the children into shape so that they leave her classroom, no longer as vital question marks or exclamation points, but as dull periods." Host Heather Bernt-Santy and cohost Richard Cohen (Zen and the Art of Early Childhood) unpack this powerful idea.