Educating the Educators in Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood

Dean of Education and Social Sciences Selected to Work with Fred Rogers Institute

Dr. Kathleen Harris has always felt a close connection to Fred Rogers. As a mother, she remembers watching Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood while at home with her young daughter. While she started as a fan of the show, her career as an educator has brought her closer to Rogers’ work over the years.

As a preschool teacher, preschool founder, and professor, she has taken the lessons Fred Rogers shared in his more than 900 episodes of television to heart and applied them to her career in education. Over the years, Harris’ goal has shifted from teaching young children to teaching the future educators of young children. 

As the Dean of the School of Education and Applied Social Sciences and Professor of Education at Seton Hill University, Harris looks to keep Rogers’ legacy alive and reinforce the important lessons he had about relating to children with her own students.

In the last several years she has published pieces on his work including “Fred Rogers and Children’s Spirituality: Valuing the Uniqueness of Others and Caring for Others” in the International Journal of Children's Spirituality and “Sharing the Gift of Ourselves: Lessons From Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” in Childhood Education Innovations along with graduate students Sara Shadwick ’23 and Shelby Ilich ’24.

Harris, who started her career in her native Ohio, has also moved closer physically to Rogers’ work over the years. The Fred Rogers Institute, which is home to the Fred Rogers Archive, is based in Rogers’ hometown of Latrobe just down the road from Seton Hill University.

After years of being part of the Educators’ Neighborhood, a virtual global community of practice that meets monthly to reflect on archival documents and pedagogical approaches, and regularly bringing students to visit the Fred Rogers Archives on the campus of St. Vincent College, Harris was selected as an Inquiry Educator for the Fred Rogers Institute for 2025-2026. The four professionals chosen as Inquiry Educators for the year are able to conduct independent research using the Fred Rogers Archive, which holds more than 22,000 items from Rogers' personal and professional life, and engage in monthly meetings with their cohort members.

As an Inquiry Educator, Harris’ research focused on the “Life Lessons My Students Have Taught Me Regarding the Heart of Teaching from Fred Rogers.” Throughout the past four years, Harris introduced Fred Rogers in education classes with chapter readings and books about the works of Fred Rogers, videos of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood programs, and reflective journals. Harris was inspired by students’ professional growth throughout this process, which she feels has given her an opportunity for renewal and transformation. 

The Inquiry Educators presented their research during a poster session at the sold-out Work of Fred Rogers conference in Latrobe in July. Harris’s presentation shared reflections, conversations, and new discoveries in teaching because of students’ curiosity about the work and philosophy of Fred Rogers. 

Dean Harris also led a conference session titled, “‘I'm Taking Care of You! Nurturing Social-Emotional Literacy with 'Mister Rogers' Neighborhood' First Experiences,” which featured ways to use Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood First Experiences picture books and connect them with interactive activities and discussions to have with young children going through these “firsts,” such as going to the dentist, visiting the doctor for the first time, moving to a new home and meeting new friends, transitioning to day care or kindergarten, or death of a pet.

“By introducing topics of interest in the real world to children of all ages and providing opportunities for children to encounter new experiences, Fred Rogers inspired curiosity, peace, resilience, and self-esteem,” Harris said.

She relished the opportunity to share her work and research with the 240 attendees from near and far at the conference and even had the chance to connect with keynote speaker Mychal Threets, the host of Reading Rainbow, who is also a big fan of Fred Rogers. 

“I was excited to be presenting and sharing my research at the Work of Fred Rogers Conference this July at the Fred Rogers Institute,” Harris said. “This conference presented two days of insightful sessions, inspiring stories, and meaningful opportunities to connect with others who were passionate about supporting children and the adults who care for them.”

As an Inquiry Educator, Harris relished the opportunity to take a deeper dive into the Fred Rogers Archive and form a deeper connection with Emily Uhrin, the Fred Rogers Archivist.

Uhrin has been working in the Fred Rogers Archive since 2006, and her responsibilities include cataloging the collection of materials and making them accessible to researchers. Uhrin also leads the Archive Study and Inquiry Educators groups.

“All of the programs and initiatives of the Fred Rogers Institute are based on staff members' research in the Archive,” Uhrin noted.

Harris will continue her archival research this year as part of the Archive Study Group led by Uhrin, where she, along with other educators, will be reviewing and reading archival documents and applying what she learns from those materials to support practices with educators.

“Throughout Fred Rogers' lifetime, his sensitivity to acceptance, the feelings of others, and empathy and compassion were wholly dedicated to children. Fred Rogers' genuine and patient presence had a healing quality, creating a world for young children in which real learning and unconditional love could flourish,” Harris said. “I believe Setonians can be like Fred Rogers. We can make the world a better place, with love, kindness, and wonder.”