4,402

176,156

Oct 30, 2007

Oct 30, 2007

69

Bay City, MI

United States

KIDS FIRST! is the Coalition's program that evaluates, rates and endorses children's feature films, DVDs, videos, CDs and TV shows using volunteer, community-based juries comprising child development professionals, teachers as well as parents and children from diverse geographic, socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds. A KIDS FIRST! endorsement is given to titles that meet the KIDS FIRST! baseline criteria and are approved by both adult and child jurors. Reviews of endorsed titles are published on the KIDS FIRST! web site, in the KIDS FIRST! e-zine, and in reviews provided to publications such Grand Magazine, Working Mother, United Parenting Publication's 13 regional publications, and TiVo's KidZone. KIDS FIRST! is a voluntary initiative, only titles submitted to it will be evaluated, rated and endorsed.

KIDS FIRST! endorsed videos, DVDs and CDs from independent producers are offered for sale at the KIDS FIRST! Web Store. For parents and educators, these titles are somewhat hard-to-find titles. For independent producers, our online store offers an opportunity to align their endorsed title with the highly respected KIDS FIRST! brand. To shop for independent films, DVDs or CDs, visit http://www.kidsfirstmedia.com/

Our media literacy course teaches adults how to evaluate and critique a film, TV show or videogame using a curriculum designed for KIDS FIRST!. Our training course is done entirely online and at your own pace. In addition to giving you the foundation of assessing a title using the KIDS FIRST! criteria, it prepares you to become a leader of a children's Junior Film Critics Club or a children's jury.

Now in its eighth year, the KIDS FIRST! Film Festival has become the largest traveling children's film festival in the world by collaborating with more than 100 venues nation- and worldwide. The Festival showcases children's films, TV shows and DVDs from studios, independent and student filmmakers. This year, the Festival will have more than 10,000 screenings of individual films throughout the year. Youth are given a true voice - as curators of the Festival, panelists critiquing films, volunteer staff and as filmmakers and videographers showing their work. Critical to the impact of the Festival is providing educational programs that help children develop critical viewing skills. Once a year, in the fall, awards are given to films in more than 19 categories as well as five "Best of the Best" films at the annual KIDS FIRST! Best Awards Celebration.