In an archival folder dated late 2002, I found this little note. Fred was preparing his commencement address to Dartmouth College (where he had attended as an undergraduate). He jotted down the main idea of his talk on a small piece of stationary from Rollins College (to which he transferred from Dartmouth). This Dartmouth address became one of Fred’s last public speeches....
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In a recent e-newsletter for the Fred Rogers Center, early childhood development expert Hedda Sharapan unpacked how and why Fred used puppets with children. He believed that puppets helped adults understand children’s thoughts, feelings, and concerns. Hedda wrote, “Puppets can be powerful learning tools for you [the adult] too. Because they can open the door for some important conversations, they...
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Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood exudes love. Viewers have warm feelings about the program, even if they have not seen an episode since they were children. The very first researcher to visit the Fred Rogers Archive, when our building opened in 2008, thought that she would start her search with the subject of love. But then she realized her dilemma. “Wait, I...
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As a young child, Fred frequently visited the Latrobe library to find interesting books and to see Aunt Sara. Aunt Sara was the librarian. Every child who visited called librarian Sara McComb “Aunt Sara” because she knew and appreciated everyone who came in. Libraries were important to Fred, and they continue to be great partners to the Fred Rogers Center....
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The arrival of the new year often sets off a flurry of resolutions as though life will be miraculously different when the clock strikes midnight. Unless you are Cinderella, this moment is far less transformational. Lose weight. Check. Get in shape. Check. Save more for retirement. Check. Be a better friend. Check. Often, these goals are so fixated on the outer...
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Part Three: Technology that enriches, rather than replaces, human interactions Sometimes an innovative learning idea will go beyond a one-time exposure or a one-afternoon experience. It can become embedded within the extended and intimate relationships children have already formed with the adults near them. The “Baby Promise” project, funded through a Spark award from The Sprout Fund, was delivered through a...
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What makes us try new things, especially when new things do not come easily? What makes us stick with challenges when we can see that others appear better and faster? Persistence, or grit, or stick-to-it-ness develops in us through enriching interactions with those near us, especially when we are trying, failing, and struggling. Fred Rogers often talked about the importance of...
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For many years, on the desk of Pittsburgh’s favorite neighbor, Fred Rogers, visitors would spot a framed piece of calligraphy of the famous theme from the children’s novel “The Little Prince” that read, “What is essential is invisible to the eye.” Fred Rogers, with his gentle persistence and deliberate approach, tried to find and articulate for children and families what...
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I want to tell you something: I wasn’t always in favor of technology and media in early education, and I still am skeptical about much of the media itself and many of its applications in children’s earliest experiences. I know many of you are, too. You worry about how technology and media are changing the fabric of childhood—and with good...
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I had the distinct pleasure and honor to attend and present at the 2015 National Association for the Education of the Young Child (NAEYC) Conference & Expo. This year’s theme was titled “The Power of the Profession.” After my experience there, I would like to retitle it: The Power of the Profession, Connection, and Relationships. Ruby Bridges, the first African-American child...
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