Moving into a 21st Century
Neighborhood: Fred M. Rogers Center Perpetuating Namesake’s Legacy in a Digital World By Aliesha Walz
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Rita Catalano, Executive Director, in the Fred Rogers Exhibit.
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n almost the blink of an eye, our world has become simply inundated with digital media. It’s a part of our culture—a part of everyday living for people of all ages. With such abundant opportunities for the use of new media, the mission-driven work of the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media at Saint Vincent College focuses on the positive potential of technology and interactive media as a tool for learning and development. In addition to its ongoing core commitments (such as curation of the Fred Rogers Archive, sponsorship of the biennial Fred Forward Conference series, and research and new development through Center Senior Fellows and the Early Career Fellows program), the Rogers Center has embarked on a number of new initiatives for leadership in defining, studying, and demonstrating quality in children’s digital media. “We want to demonstrate in a variety of ways the continuing relevance of Fred Rogers’ unique contributions to early childhood development and children’s media,” said Rita Catalano, executive director of the Rogers Center. “His fundamentals—always grounded in research on what’s best for young children—are timeless and apply to today’s world of digital media.” Focusing on the issues affecting young children (ages birth to 5), the Rogers Center’s new Curriculum Toolkit has been designed to be an engaging, online resource for higher education faculties anywhere. The Toolkit includes syllabi and course materials that draw on the Fred Rogers Archive, including clips from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and the Fred Rogers Oral History Project. Using social media, the Toolkit encourages dialogue among faculty members in early childhood education, media studies, psychology and related fields.
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