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“We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It’s easy to say ‘It’s not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.’ Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes.”

~ Fred Rogers

Today, in Mr. Rogers’ home neighborhood of Pittsburgh, thousands of people are showing up to help kids and families thrive. It’s just what we do as good neighbors.  

Whether it’s a parent or caregiver who’s encouraging their child with a kind word or a local librarian who’s creating a safe space for kids to be after school. Or a teacher who’s helping to unlock reading with quality literacy instruction. Or a neighbor who sees a need and donates a coat or food so a kid can get to school, Pittsburgh shows up for its children.

And it’s because of this community of care here in Pittsburgh that we’ve seen significant improvement in reducing the number of kids who are chronically absent—missing more than 10% of the school year. While we did experience increases in chronic absenteeism last year, we do see a positive story when we look at the years since coming out of the COVID pandemic. Compared to a few key benchmark cities, Pittsburgh has seen some of the biggest reductions in chronic absenteeism, even when looking at the slight increase that happened in the past year. The chart here shows data from multiple benchmark cities for a range of years (2024-25 data were not available for all of them at the time of publication).

EveryDay Labs’ letters and text messages are helping families know when their child is at risk of becoming chronically absent. Community partners are providing resources like food pantries, coats, and school supplies so children have what they need. Civic leaders are fixing community problems like broken streets and violence so kids can get to school on time. The Pittsburgh Steelers are showing up by joining the Stay in the Game! Network to help encourage kids to get to school every day, providing incentives that get students excited for class. And over a hundred partners in the Pittsburgh Learning Collaborative are coming together on a monthly basis to learn about how they can help get more kids engaged in school. 

Yet there’s still so much more we can do to show up for our kids. Current student achievement levels challenge the future economic growth of our region. And challenges from a state budget impasse to delays in SNAP benefits and increased medical costs will impact school engagement and attendance for our most vulnerable children. 

We launched our Show Up campaign earlier this year to raise awareness about the critical need for everyday attendance as a driver of economic mobility in our region AND to help channel the energy of this community to do something about it. With your help, we are making sure families have what they need so kids can show up ready to learn, communities are safe so kids can get to school on time, and schools are places where kids and staff are excited to be and feel they belong. 

I hope you’ll take the time to read our analysis of what’s happening in our schools. In it, you’ll find bright spots that can be replicated system-wide to get kids what they need and opportunities for you to get involved. 

The families, caregivers, and children of this city are its greatest assets. Let’s Show Up so we can create a more beautiful day in our neighborhood for us all.