That Early Childhood Nerd, Heather Bernt-Santy, host of That Early Childhood Nerd podcast, was kind enough to put together her list of Life Changing Books. Heather shares, “I read these books for professional development, and found myself changed personally as well.“

Here they are in no particular order–click a title to learn more about the book:

The Visionary Director, Second Edition: A Handbook for Dreaming, Organizing, and Improvising in Your Center

Prime Times, 2nd Ed: A Handbook for Excellence in Infant and Toddler Programs

by Jim Greenman

Places for Childhoods: Making Quality Happen in the Real World

by Jim Greenman

Women’s Ways of Knowing: The Development of Self, Voice, and Mind

by Mary Field Belenky

Education for a civil society : How Guidance Teaches Young Children Democratic Life Skills

by Dan Gartrell

Training Teachers: A Harvest of Theory and Practice

by Margie Carter and Deb Curtis

More Things to Do with Toddlers and Twos

by Karen Miller

What You Need to Lead: An Early Childhood Program- Emotional Intelligence in Practice

by Holly Elissa Bruno

Infants, Toddlers, and Caregivers: A Curriculum of Respectful, Responsive, Relationship-Based Care and Education

by Dianne Widmeyer Eyer and Dianne Widmeyer Eyer

Beyond Discipline: From Compliance to Community

by Alfie Kohn