KIDS FIRST! News

Turning your TV Time into Quality Time

Ranny Levy, Publisher
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Let’s End 2025 With A Big Hurrah!

Dear Friends and Colleagues, The year 2025 has presented unprecedented financial challenges for KIDS FIRST! We began the year with optimism, having secured two federal grants designated to support our Film Festivals in Ukraine, Pakistan, and across the U.S. Unfortunately, a subsequent change in administration halted the release of federal grants, a dramatic move that impacted countless nonprofits, including ours. This forced us to immediately pivot and seek sustainable, forward-looking sources of revenue. We responded by doing what we do best: innovating for the future. We successfully formed new alliances to ensure our stability and growth: We partnered with a company serving 5,000+ Montessori schools nationwide to host KIDS FIRST! Film Festivals for their families. This generates funds for their schools as well as for us. We relaunched our podcast with … - read more...

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KIDS FIRST! Best Films and TV Shows of 2025 for Kids and Families

What are the best movies and TV shows for kids and families of 2025? While the year started slowly in cinemas, streamers quickly raised the bar. Kicking off the year were major home releases like Aardman’s Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (Netflix) and StuGo (Disney+). Theaters quickly followed with family-friendly hits like Autumn and the Black Jaguar and Universal’s Dog Man. The year gathered pace with blockbuster hits that our KIDS FIRST! Film Critics rated highly. February delivered five-star reviews for Captain America: Brave New World, Paddington in Peru, and The Unbreakable Boy. March brought excitement with Plankton: The Movie and the much-discussed Snow White (a KIDS FIRST! favorite), alongside The Electric State. The major studios offered big swings in the spring and summer: April premiered Andor: Season 2 and Sea Lions of the Galapagos … - read more...

Featured Blog Posts

Granny Ranny's Coming Attractions

Jump Start Your Acting Career As A KIDS FIRST! Reporter

Do you love film, love talking about film and love being on-camera? If so, we have a job for you on our international KIDS FIRST! Film Critics team! This audition is open to those wishing to be join our team. The KIDS FIRST! Film Critics is an international team of 65 tween and teen reporters who attend various industry events - press screenings, red carpets, press junkets - and review the latest films and media plus they and interview industry professionals -- actors, directors, production designers, animation directors and more!Auditions are open to tweens and teens anywhere in the world, ages 9 to 16. You must be able to write and speak English as … - read more...

KIDS FIRST! Radio

Exciting News: Our Podcast is Back – and on iHeartMedia!

We have exciting news for you, our loyal follower! Now you can get all our KIDS FIRST! reviews in 3 to 4 minutes that you can listen to anytime, anywhere, and keep up on the latest kid-friendly entertainment news – reviews, interviews, behind the scenes insights. Exclusive to you on our new KIDS FIRST! Coming Attractions Podcast on IHeartMedia. Listen here: https://iheart.com/podcast/277638809. Or, on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/46ib2cH A special shout-out to KIDS FIRST! Film Critics Ashleigh Clyde and Tiana Sirmans for their invaluable contributions as hosts and for expertly navigating … - read more...

From the Jury

A Very Jonas Christmas * Easily One Of The Cutest Christmas Movies To Come Out In A While!

A Very Jonas Christmas Movie is a holiday film on Disney+ where the Jonas Brothers must overcome sibling rivalry and a series of chaotic obstacles to make it from a concert in London to New York for Christmas. The plot features an unlikely Santa Claus (played by Jesse Tyler Ferguson) who complicates their journey, forcing the brothers to confront their issues and remember what's important. The story includes new music, cameos from their partners and family, and humorous, self-referential moments about their career. KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Juliana S. comments, “A Very Jonas Christmas is easily one of the cutest Christmas movies to come out in a … - read more...

About CQCM and KIDS FIRST!

The Coalition for Quality Children's Media is a national, nonprofit organization founded in 1991 whose mission is to teach children critical viewing skills and to increase the visibility and availability of quality children's media. . . . More.

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