Ellen Wartella believes media do have learning potential in early childhood. And she should know. Wartella has been a senior fellow here at the Fred Rogers Center since 2006. She is professor of communication and human development and social policy at Northwestern University and has been studying the impact of media on children for more than 30 years. Wartella says that...
Read MoreTo an unprecedented extent, we live in a screen-saturated world. Of particular interest and concern in recent years is the impact on young children. A common response to this concern is to treat TV or other electronic media as if it is a mass substance like a drug or high-calorie food. People, for example, ask, “how many hours of TV should...
Read MoreAs touchscreen tablets became the breakaway holiday gift this past year for children—even for tots still learning to walk and talk—many parents are still feeling a little confused and skeptical about this new trend. Is the digital deluge good or bad for kids? And, critically, do the educational apps on the iPad and Android-enabled devices that claim to help children...
Read More
Fred Rogers had a unique understanding of young children’s sensitivities and needs as well as the challenges families and educators face. He knew that caring adults make the difference in a child’s life. He set the highest possible standards for his work—standards grounded in research on how children grow and develop, his own years of observing and learning from young...
Read More