The Neuroscience of Neighborliness: How kindness changes kids' brains | Pittsburgh is Kidsburgh

This article explores how Pittsburgh's Etna community celebrated Be My Neighbor Day 2025, bringing together families and organizations to honor Fred Rogers' legacy of kindness and community connection.

The celebration transformed Butler Street into a festival featuring Daniel Tiger appearances, crafts, service projects, and free family activities. More than 30 partners collaborated to create an event that goes beyond typical neighborhood festivals by focusing specifically on teaching and practicing kindness. The timing coincides with the development of Etna's new community center, reflecting the borough's commitment to rebuilding after economic and environmental challenges.

• Neuroscience research confirms Fred Rogers' intuition that kindness is teachable and measurably impacts children's brain development and academic performance
• Events like Be My Neighbor Day function as "live empathy labs" where children practice prosocial behaviors that strengthen neural pathways for empathy
• Studies show "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood" effectively teaches empathy to preschoolers, with lasting impact into teenage years
• Community celebrations that emphasize helping others create meaningful connections between schools, families, and neighborhoods while fostering social resilience in children