Helping the Helpers

Fred Rogers Institute celebrates 20 years of following Mr. Rogers' favorite advice.

Story by Macy Di Rienzo

Photos by Kelsey Maline

When beloved television host and children’s media pioneer Fred Rogers retired in 2001, he wanted to continue serving children and honoring their childhoods in his hometown of Latrobe, Pennsylvania. So, he established the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media, which opened just months after he died of pancreatic cancer in 2003.

Now, 20 years later, the Fred Rogers Institute continues to serve students, educators, and the world with its education programs, student scholarships, and overall reminder to be a good neighbor.

“People are looking to Mister Rogers more and more in today’s world,” says Emma Lee, associate director at the institute. “So, we continue to evolve while staying true to Fred’s legacy.”

Part of the institute’s evolution came in 2022 when they dropped “Early Learning and Children’s Media” from the name to rebrand as the Fred Rogers Institute. “We rebranded to capture what we do a little better—professional learning and support for researchers and people looking to learn from Fred,” says Lee.

Thanks to the institute’s hardworking team believing in Fred’s message, “America’s Favorite Neighbor” continues to inspire, inform, and comfort adults and children through the organization’s many initiatives and events.

A Strong Partnership with the College

Established in the “Original Mister Rogers Neighborhood” of Latrobe, the Fred Rogers Institute is based at local Saint Vincent College, where Rogers had a personal relationship with the school’s chancellor, Archabbot Douglas Nowicki. The collaboration between the institute and the college supports the Fred Rogers Scholar Program, a four-year scholarship program open to Saint Vincent students who plan to work in the service of children and families.

“Fred’s goal and dream was to work with students at Saint Vincent College, and we get to do that today in a handful of ways,” says Lee.

The scholars conduct research in the institute’s archives and support projects in the Incubator 143 lab (named after Rogers’ favorite number, which represents the number of letters in each word of the phrase “I love you”). They also support the greater Latrobe area by volunteering in the community.

“Our scholars volunteer at Latrobe Elementary School where they work with students to teach relationship building and kindness during ‘friendship groups,’ or they will help with Big Brothers/Big Sisters in the area and be ‘lunch buddies,’” says Lee.

The scholars also collaborate with the Latrobe Arts Center and the institute’s archivist to create exhibits centered around Fredrelated ideas.

“It’s such a neat partnership to see the community of Latrobe support the exhibits and the students, but it’s been just as important for the students to learn more about Latrobe,” says Lee. “They recently worked on a project looking at the way the town raised Fred and how Latrobe helped make him who he became, too.”

Creating a Global Educators' Neighborhood

One of the Fred Rogers Institute’s fastest-growing initiatives is the Educators’ Neighborhood, a yearlong professional learning opportunity. These educators—defined by the institute as anyone who cares for children—gather monthly in small groups to reflect upon and discuss a principle of Fred Rogers’ legacy to apply to their current work with children and families.

“This year we have 200 people in our new cohort and 150 people returning from the previous year, all over the country and the world,” says Lee. “People meet with other educators in a similar context to their work and share their daily challenges and triumphs in the home or classroom, talking about how they can respect children and grow their self-worth.”

The program runs from October through June, with enrollment open in the spring. “Managing these small groups is my favorite part of my job,” she says. “These people have sought out Fred because they are drawn to his legacy and want to continue serving children as best they can. It’s beautiful.”

A New Initiative: Helping the Helpers

To celebrate two decades of Fred’s continued legacy, the institute recently launched The Helper Awards—a nationwide recognition of individuals who care for children and communities in ordinary and extraordinary ways.

This year’s 14 Helpers, six from Pennsylvania, are featured on the institute’s website and recognized for their genuine, kind, and positive spirits. The institute plans to continue these awards to honor “those in our communities who are rarely recognized for their hard work,” Lee says.

An Endless Bounty Of Artifacts

There truly is something for everyone at the Fred Rogers Institute, whether you’re a student, educator, or just a fan of Mister Rogers’ message and spirituality. The institute’s exhibit offers a free, interactive display of Fred’s life and legacy, including video clips, interviews, and artifacts spanning his life.

For researchers, students, and educators, the Fred Rogers Archive preserves more than 22,000 items from Fred Rogers’ personal life and his television career. “People study the archives to write academic articles, white papers, or develop curriculum for their classroom,” says Lee. “There’s everything from fan mail to scripts with his handwritten edits available for anyone to come and study.”

For More

The Fred Rogers Exhibit is located on the top floor of the Fred M. Rogers Center at Saint Vincent College. It’s free and open to the public Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

To learn more about the Educator’s Neighborhood and for information on how to apply, visit www. fredrogersinstitute.org/ educators-neighborhood.

To learn more about the institute’s current initiatives, to find printable Fred-informed materials, and to keep up with new projects and events, visit www.fredrogersinstitute.org.