Resources for Caring Adults

May 2022: Welcome to springtime - the "growing season!" Many teachers are using this time of year to offer a science lesson about "growing" by planting seeds. It's a great way to help children see first-hand what a seed needs in order to grow into a plant - soil, water, light.

Lately, I've been wondering what it was about the presence of Fred Rogers that helped to foster mutuality and connection. Throughout my time as a public educator, children and family pastor, and resident hospital chaplain, I have looked to Fred as an exemplar in how to engage and be with those I am seeking to serve...

November 2021: The new Mister Rogers sculpture that was recently unveiled at Rollins College is a remarkably fit tribute to Fred. I was delighted to see that the sculptor Paul Day decided to depict Fred with his Daniel puppet talking with children.

"A child was having a hard day, slumped in the corner of a classroom, shirt pulled over his head. He poked out of his shirt to yell to the teacher across the room who was engaged with the other children in the class: Hey, can we play that love song again?"

This Toolkit was developed through the work of this IMLS grant and is designed to be a flexible step-by-step walk-through. Our main goal in creating the toolkit is that it can be used in whatever way helps people to reflect on and appreciate the depth of the simple interactions all around them.

A guide for families in establishing relationships with the educators, caregivers, and other helpers in a child's life. From the Fred Rogers Institute and the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning.

July 2022: For many of my friends in early childhood, this is the time of year they love most. It's summertime. Some programs take a break. Other programs have a slower pace, more like summer camp. Professors' schedules are often lighter. Whatever it's like for your work, I hope you can take a bit of a breather...

Fred Rogers loved questions. And he loved inviting YOU to ask questions about anything and everything.

In our Educators' Neighborhood community, anytime we show and discuss a clip of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood where Fred Rogers talks with a guest, the conversation overflows with description of all that is beautiful about the interaction.

Read our 2022 Annual Report to learn about the ways we invested in the strengths of caring adults and advanced Fred's legacy this year!

January 2022: Here we are at the beginning of the year when we're "looking ahead," wondering what this new year will bring. It seems kind of ironic, but "looking back" can help us with our journey ahead. There's even a name for that in early childhood — reflective teaching.

A guide for families of children with disabilities as you establish relationships with educators, caregivers, and other helpers in a child's life. From the Fred Rogers Institute and the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning.

October 2021: However you're dealing (or not dealing) with Halloween in your work with children, this holiday reminds us of how much children love to dress up in costumes and how much they get from it.

As Educators' Neighborhood moves into its fifth year of educators learning together inspired by the life and work of Fred Rogers, I've been reflecting on the core of this work, it's essential through-line, the heart of it.

August 2021: It's the beginning of a new school year, and I remember a teacher telling me that while she's excited to work with a new group of children, this has always been a challenging time for her. Now and then she sometimes starts to feel sad or a little impatient.