Resources for Caring Adults

A guide from the Fred Rogers Institute for supporting children through the death of a loved one.

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.

October 2022: Ever since I started presenting workshops on Fred's approach to STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Math), I've kept my ears open for stories of children's questions about the world around them -- and for the way their teachers respond.

"As schools search for ways to educate children this school year, my heart reminds me to slow down to notice for what's already here. We have a beautiful example of how to inspire joyful, curious learning through a screen. That example is Mister Rogers' Neighborhood."

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

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?"

In December 2018, I wrote a piece entitled "Beechwood Kindergarteners Learn With Mister Rogers' Neighborhood." Now five months later, this same group of children continues to watch a new episode of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood each week, selected by their teachers.

The beauty and strength of a design emerge in the simplicity of its form. "Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away" (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Airman's Odyssey, 1942).

The question of, "How might young children today respond to episodes of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood?" was an early wondering explored through observation of children and teachers watching episodes in classrooms.

The 2019-20 school year is in full swing and educators who are part of the Fred Rogers Center's Educators' Neighborhood have been selecting and playing episodes of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood for their young students since September.

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!

A guide for grandparents 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.

Meeting children where they are means meeting them with kindness and without judgment. A willingness and an effort to understand where someone is emotionally in a particular moment can be very impactful, especially as things change over time.