Mister Rogers Professional Development Trainings in Mississippi
Annette Santella, FCI’s Professional Development Specialist, travelled to Mississippi last month where she presented five of our Mister Rogers Professional Development workshops to the state’s Child Care Resource and Referral Network (MSCCR&R).
Annette spent a week in Jackson at the invitation of Dr. Louise Davis, Director of the Mississippi Child Care Resource and Referral Network to expand upon the workshops we led there in 2007 after Hurricane Katrina. Annette worked with more than two dozen child care trainers, leading them through five of our Professional Development workshops. These workshops all focused on a core message of Fred Rogers’ work, which is the importance of the teacher-child relationship – in fostering children’s developing self-control, in nurturing their curiosity and in building emergent literacy skills. Through the MSCCR&R, the participants will be presenting these workshops to home-based and center-based early childhood teachers throughout the state of Mississippi.
The Mister Rogers Professional Development Initiatives and workshops are designed to “help adults who help children” by presenting the material in engaging, fun and accessible ways, using video segments to encourage self-reflection and discussion.