Educators' Neighborhood

Applications for the 2025-2026 cohort of Educator's Neighborhood will open March 1, 2025

“Educators’ Neighborhood wasn’t an hour taken out of my day, it was an hour added.” 
– Educators’ Neighborhood Participant

Educators' Neighborhood is a community of educators who learn together inspired from the life and work of Fred Rogers. We define "educator" broadly to include any adult who directly serves children, youth, families, and/or other educators. This year-long opportunity brings together a cohort of individuals from across the world who learn together, primarily through virtual meetings, and consider how to deepen their application of Fred Rogers' work and theory to their work with children.

Educators' Neighborhood might be a good fit if you are a...

• Early Childhood Educator (e.g., early childhood education program, family childcare, preschool, or early intervention)
• Early Childhood Leader (e.g., Director of early childhood education program, family childcare, preschool, or early intervention)
• K-12 Educator (e.g., teacher, guidance counselor, reading specialist, school librarian)
• K-12 Leader (e.g., Principal or superintendent at a K-12 school)
• Out-of-school Learning Educator (e.g., staff at a library, museum, afterschool, summer program, religious organization, environmental education)
• Out-of-school Learning Leader (e.g., Director of a program that serves children and youth outside of school such as library, museum, afterschool, summer program, religious organizations, etc.)
• Educator serving adults who are working with children, youth, and/or families (e.g., higher education, professional development, quality improvement, families)
• Home-based Educator (e.g., homeschool educator)

Dive into the comprehensive 2024-2025 Educators’ Neighborhood Information Guidebook to discover program specifics, including eligibility, participation details, meeting dates, alumni opportunities, outcomes from previous years, and more.

2024-2025 Educators’ Neighborhood Information Guidebook

Participation Fees and Scholarships

If selected, the cost to participate in Educators’ Neighborhood is $595. This includes 30 hours of learning, lifetime access to the Educators’ Neighborhood community, and access to alumni opportunities.

Thanks to generous support, we are able to offer full and partial scholarships to a large percentage of participants in the 2024-25 cohort. If you think you might be a good fit for an EN scholarship, we invite you to complete our scholarship interest form at the end of the Educators’ Neighborhood application. 

Some of these scholarships include:

• Joshua Nathaniel Heaton Scholarship: For educators and helpers who serve children through music, art, or reading education

• Western PA Educators Scholarship: Available to educators working in Greene, Fayette, or Westmoreland counties

• Red Cardigan Scholarship: The Red Cardigan Scholarship is offered to professionals who work for informal learning environments such as libraries and museums. This scholarship is made possible by Dr. Zachary Stier who has worked in public libraries for over 15 years and has been a library patron for over 30 years. Dr. Stier has been one of thousands across the globe whose life has been and continues to be impacted by Fred Rogers. This scholarship is dedicated to Fred Rogers, Douglas and Mikki Stier, Dr. Stier's parents, for their unconditional love and support and to his cat, Oliver Jones, who was a key catalyst in becoming a full-time librarian.  

• General EN Scholarship: Educators’ Neighborhood participants in any context or location might be eligible for this needs-based scholarship

Continuing Education Credits

All participants receive a certificate of participation at the end of the cohort year. If you are an educator in Pennsylvania, you are eligible to receive ACT 48 credits for participating in Educators’ Neighborhood.  We can provide additional documentation of completed learning hours for educators outside of Pennsylvania who are interested in transferring credits.