Live from the lobby of the Claggett Retreat Center, listen in as attendees and presenters debrief the day’s events–what resonated, what challenged them, and dreams for what happens next. The Play Empowers Teacher Retreat is truly one of a kind. 

Because it was a live recording of a large group, the volume levels vary a bit from person to person–this  may not be an ear bud episode!

Thank you to Kisha Reid for bringing us all together!

Want to order my book Using Schema Play Theory to

Teachers College Press: https://www.tcpress.com/using-schema-play-theory-to-advocate-for-free-play-in-early-childhood-9780807787243

Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/mry4md7b

Barnes and Noble: https://tinyurl.com/4vy5eyxy

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.

Nikki Darling-Kuria joins host Heather Bernt-Santy to share her growth as a trauma informed early childhood professional in an unpredictable world. The quote to start this conversation is from Katherine Anne Porter, who said, “The past is never where you think you left it,” meaning that events that we think are in the past and believe we should be “over” aren’t ever over. Nikki shares thoughts and resources about moving through our work and our lives with trauma informed practices. 

For more information:

Listeners can get 10% off the book Trauma Responsive Strategies for Early Childhood from 7/7/2025-9/1/2025. Enter code: podcast10

https://www.redleafpress.org/Trauma-Responsive-Strategies-for-Early-Childhood-P2503.aspx  

Listeners can get 10% off each of the four eLearnings from 7/7/2025-9/1/2025. Enter code: podcast10

https://www.thinksmall.org/trauma-informed/ 

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.

For a century, America’s early childhood policy has been premised on a myth. This falsehood—which dictates that child care and education are somehow separate and distinct—not only suboptimizes the most important window into all human development, but costs American taxpayers an untold fortune. It’s time to think differently.

Written in plain yet provocative language by one of the field’s most respected bipartisan policy experts, The Daycare Myth makes the case for why the early years matter; why America’s longstanding early childhood policy approach sacrifices the needs of young children in favor of promoting adult employment; and why fixing the problem makes good sense, regardless of your place on the political spectrum.

With straightforward guidance for policymakers, practitioners, and parents, this incredibly timely book is a wake-up call for a nation that aspires to nothing less than the wholesale transformation of America’s early childhood landscape.

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.

Mike Huber is back to talk more about pretend play, children’s power, and the teacher’s liberation as we continue to discuss his new book The Power in Pretend: Supporting Children’s Power, Identity and Agency. Mike shares a story of powerful pretend play that started with taking chairs outside so that children could clean them and ended with the children’s own take on what happens when you go to church. So fun! And so powerful. 

Buy Mike’s book here: https://www.redleafpress.org/Power-in-Pretend-Supporting-Young-Childrens-Power-Identity-and-Agency-Through-Play-P3107.aspx

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.

“School can be a stressful place. It can be overstimulating and demanding which impacts everyone’s nervous system and ability to cope, let alone learn. The prevailing wisdom is that children thrive in predictable routines, but it’s not black and white.” 

Early childhood education speaker and instructor Amy Chiu suggests that we shift from thinking about routines and rigid schedules to developing rhythms in our days with young children. 

Find more of Amy’s work here: https://www.theworkofplay.com/

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.

Child development expert Amanda Morgan returns to That Early Childhood Nerd to discuss her new book, “Not Just Cute: How Powerful Play Drives Development in Early Childhood,” in which she calls out myths and pressures that push play aside and makes a compelling case for bringing it back. 

Find more Amanda here: https://notjustcute.com/

Order the book here: https://notjustcute.com/book

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 joins host Heather Bernt-Santy to talk about her powerful Exchange article, “A Letter to Educators: Surviving the Child Care Crisis.” 

Find the article here: https://hub.exchangepress.com/articles-on-demand/50396/

More about Kisa’s work: https://theplaylabnfpoakpark.org/the-play-lab

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 thought she was joining a recording session to discuss an article shared by Lizz Nolasco–but surprise! The Nerds ambushed her–tricking her into talking instead about her upcoming book Using Schema Play Theory to Advocate for Free Play in Early Childhood! The book will be out in the fall of 2025, keep your eye out on That Early Childhood Nerd’s social media accounts, or Teachers College Press’s website: https://www.tcpress.com/browse-books

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.

Mike Huber is back to dig into ideas about how pretend play supports focus, impulse control, and self regulation. And what about super hero play? When children imitate superheroes from tv or movies, can that be considered imaginative? It’s a fun conversation! 

Buy the book here: https://www.redleafpress.org/Power-in-Pretend-Supporting-Young-Childrens-Power-Identity-and-Agency-Through-Play-P3107.aspx

Find the episode with Cay Burton that Mike mentions here: https://www.thatearlychildhoodnerd.com/podcast/episode/1f238ea3/nerd_0325-princess-playgender-creative-play

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.

Mike Huber has a new book! He joins host Heather Bernt-Santy for the first of (we hope) many conversations about his book The Power of Pretend: Supporting Children’s Power, Identity and Agency. 

Buy the book here: https://www.redleafpress.org/Power-in-Pretend-Supporting-Young-Childrens-Power-Identity-and-Agency-Through-Play-P3107.aspx

More about Eve Trook: https://www.thatearlychildhoodnerd.com/podcast/episode/1f10d8e0/nerd_0362-early-childhood-maytriarchy-eve-trook-dr-marianne-gibbs-and-bev-bos

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.