That Early Childhood Nerd

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!

Episodes

Apr 13, 2022

1hr 2 min

Sometimes it seems like "mindfulness" in our work with young children has become more of a product than a process. Bethany Corrie and Richard Cohen join Heather to talk about how we can bring back its authenticity.
Want to support the show and help keep it ad free? You can make a one time donation or become a member to get access to more TECN content at "Buy Me a Coffee:"
buymeacoffee.com/heatherf
Another way to support the show is to leave a review/rating on iTunes or Spotify, and to share on your social media networks!

Mar 30, 2022

48 min

Richard Cohen joins Heather for another episode on teaching ECE in higher education. How can we break away from traditional teaching models to provide spaces and experiences that teach critical thinking?
Want to support the show and help keep it ad free? You can make a one time donation or become a member to get access to more TECN content at "Buy Me a Coffee:"
buymeacoffee.com/heatherf
Another way to support the show is to leave a review/rating on iTunes or Spotify, and to share on your social media networks!

Mar 23, 2022

53 min

Lisa Murphy and Heather discuss the difference between having 30 years of experience teaching and having one year of experience 30 times. What are the implications for the profession and for children?
Want to support the show and help keep it ad free? You can make a one time donation or become a member to get access to more TECN content at "Buy Me a Coffee:"
buymeacoffee.com/heatherf
Another way to support the show is to leave a review/rating on iTunes or Spotify, and to share on your social media networks!
 

Mar 16, 2022

53 min

An all star Nerd Panel comes together in this episode (Lisa Murphy! Sam Balch! Lizz Nolasco! Mike Huber! Richard Cohen! Heather!) to look at real examples of phrases heard in early childhood programs that demonstrate a disconnect between theory and practice.
Want to support the show and help keep it ad free? You can make a one time donation or become a member to get access to more TECN content at "Buy Me a Coffee:"
buymeacoffee.com/heatherf
Another way to support the show is to leave a review/rating on iTunes or Spotify, and to share on your social media networks!

Mar 9, 2022

39 min

Mobile STEM teacher Laura Weilert has some thoughts about real STEM experiences, play and those google-search-volcano-science-experiments.
Want to support the show and help keep it ad free? You can make a one time donation or become a member to get access to more TECN content at "Buy Me a Coffee:"
buymeacoffee.com/heatherf
Another way to support the show is to leave a review/rating on iTunes or Spotify, and to share on your social media networks!

Feb 23, 2022

51 min

ECE advocate and school director Rixa Evershed joins Mike Huber and Heather to talk about the language of "achievement gaps" and how capitalism and deficit approaches to children and families fuel policies and practices that have a negative impact on the people they claim to be helping.
Want to support the show and help keep it ad free? You can make a one time donation or become a member to get access to more TECN content at "Buy Me a Coffee:"
buymeacoffee.com/heatherf
Another way to support the show is to leave a review/rating on iTunes or Spotify, and to share on your social media networks!

Feb 16, 2022

53 min

You may have seen child care center director Cori Berg's interview with NPR--it went viral fast! Cori joins the show, along with Richard Cohen, to talk more about the "special kind of hell" the pandemic has created for directors and for families.
Want to support the show and help keep it ad free? You can make a one time donation or become a member to get access to more TECN content at "Buy Me a Coffee:"
buymeacoffee.com/heatherf
Another way to support the show is to leave a review/rating on iTunes or Spotify, and to share on your social media networks!
 

Feb 9, 2022

49 min

Richard Cohen is Heather's cohost for this episode, continuing the conversation about "professional love."
Want to support the show and help keep it ad free? You can make a one time donation or become a member to get access to more TECN content at "Buy Me a Coffee:"
buymeacoffee.com/heatherf
Another way to support the show is to leave a review/rating on iTunes or Spotify, and to share on your social media networks!

Feb 2, 2022

52 min

Jesse Coffino, Krystina Tapia and Emma Pickering join the show to help us understand how the "reflection" element of Anji Play adds depth to children's play and how it can be implemented in any early care and educations setting.
Want to support the show and help keep it ad free? You can make a one time donation or become a member to get access to more TECN content at "Buy Me a Coffee:"
buymeacoffee.com/heatherf
Another way to support the show is to leave a review/rating on iTunes or Spotify, and to share on your social media networks!

Sep 28, 2020

41 min

Lisa Murphy is Heather's guest in this episode, to talk about one of their mutual favorite topics--nursery rhymes! A recent teaching experience showed Heather that nursery rhymes may be becoming obsolete or unfamiliar to early childhood teachers. This episode provides a rationale for bringing them back.
Want to support the show and help keep it ad free? You can make a one time donation or become a member to get access to more TECN content at "Buy Me a Coffee:"
buymeacoffee.com/heatherf
Another way to support the show is to leave a review/rating on iTunes or Spotify, and to share on your social media networks!

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