That Early Childhood Nerd
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Podcast Overview
<p>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!</p>
Language
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Publishing Since
8/1/2016
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Recent Episodes
June 17, 2026
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, 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!
June 10, 2026
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 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!
June 3, 2026
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 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!
410 total episodes available
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Frequently asked questions
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- What is That Early Childhood Nerd?
<p>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!</p> - How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates daily.
- Where can I listen to this podcast?
This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
- Does this podcast accept guests?
Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.
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