A May 2026 article posted by Education Week wonders, "Who's Responsible for Toilet Training? Schools or Families?" While the article is a measured report of data and policies, the headline hit a nerve for host Heather Bernt-Santy. How can we say it's one or the other? What developmental considerations need to be included in the question? What systemic barriers are in place? And for goodness sake, why did they select a photo of a defiant looking preschooler for the post? 

Lizz Nolasco joins Heather to unpack, to wonder, and to stand up for the child caught between school and family.

Find the article here: https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/whos-responsible-for-toilet-training-schools-or-families/2026/05

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

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"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!

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!

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

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Susan Stacey joins the show for a deep dive into emergent curriculum--what it really means, what is looks like in practice, and why it still matters in early childhood settings. Her book Emergent Curriculum in  Early Childhood Settings reminds us that "emergent curriculum requires the disposition of genuine curiosity about children and their play" and that "a teacher who is curious, who wonders why children are doing a particular thing in a particular way, will be genuinely interested in finding a meaningful response." 

Order Emergent Curriculum in Early Childhood Settings here: https://tinyurl.com/y9h5us2f

Find more of Sue’s work at https://suestacey.ca/

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

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Gennie Gorback and Kate Allen Fox want to help parents (and others!) understand how play can unlock many wonderful possibilities--and unexpected joys--for their families. Because, as they say, there's no such thing as "just play." Play isn't just anything; it is everything.

Their book Go Play: How Parents Can Empower Kids to Build Their Own Worlds is really wonderful. 

Buy the book here: https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9798889836216/Go-Play

Download a free pdf discussion guide here: https://ms.broadleafbooks.com/downloads/Discussion_Guide_Go_Play.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

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Have you heard about the canary in the coal mine? It was an old safety practice with coal miners to protect them from harmful toxins in the air of the mines--a caged canary would be taken into the mine and miners would know if the canary was harmed by the air, it was not safe. 

In this conversation, Denita Dinger and host Heather Bernt-Santy use this as a metaphor for what we can learn about the messages children's behavior may be trying to convey about their experiences in our spaces. 

Find more Denita here: https://listen-to-the-children-academy.teachable.com/

More Denita here: https://www.facebook.com/p/Listen-to-the-Children-100064041760545/

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!

In this episode, host Heather Bernt-Santy is joined by Herb Ginsburg, a leading expert in children's understanding of mathematics and author of the book Young Children's Amazing Math: A Guide to Understanding and Supporting Early Learning. 

Dr. Ginsburg's book shows readers how math is embedded in children’s everyday lives, how daily routines contribute to the development of important math concepts, and what adults can do to foster the joy of early math learning. Ginsburg describes the development of children’s informal ideas about number, shape, space, pattern, and measurement, and offers many specific activities designed to promote learning. 

Order Dr. Ginsburg's book here: https://www.tcpress.com/products/young-childrens-amazing-math_9780807786512

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!

In Talk to Them Early and Often: A Caregiver's Guide to Intentional Language Development for Infants and Toddlers, Cara Tyrrell explains why early communication with infants and toddlers is so important and how to effectively talk to these young learners in a wide variety of circumstances. 

And you know host Heather Bernt-Santy loves to talk infants and toddlers!

Order Cara's book here: https://www.tcpress.com/products/talk-to-them-early-and-often_9780807783702

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!