KIDS FIRST! Jurors

A Few of Our KIDS FIRST! Jurors

Heidi Amsley

Amsley did a summer 4-H film program through her library and believes being a juror will provide her with guidelines for a successful program. Others in her area are also interested in the Juror Club for Kids - so Amsley feels this can serve as a pilot program - she can answer questions they may have.

Katy Grant

Ignazia M. Grant (Katy) M.L.S., Library Science, B.S., Elementary Education, Indiana University. For the last twenty-three years Ms. Grant has worked with children's library materials. Currently as West Region Children's Librarian for Louisville Free Public Library, Louisville, Kentucky. "As a children's library assistant (1980-94), I conducted story-times for children ages two to fourteen years. As a children's librarian (1995-present), I am always looking for new doors to open with children."

Dr. Ed Greene

Ed Greene holds a Ph.D. in Early Childhood Education and Child Psychology from Indiana State University, a M.A. in Child and Human Development from Pacific Oaks College and a B. A. in Music from DePauw University. Dr. Greene served as an Assistant Professor in Early Childhood and Elementary Education at Lehman College, City University of New York and as an online instructor for Pacific Oaks College (Pasadena, CA). He served a four-year term on the Governing Board of the National Association for the Education of Young Children and is presently on the Board of the Council for Early Childhood Professional Recognition, Educational Equity Concepts and Jumpstart Americorps. Dr. Greene has served as a consultant for Children's Television Workshop, Lancit Media and Time / Life Kids, and was an Advisor to PBS Ready To Learn. Ed currently works at Sesame Workshop where he is responsible for their global outreach initiative.

Dr. Laura Gruntmeir

Dr. Laura Gruntmeir obtained her Ed.D. from Oklahoma State University in Higher Education Administration with an emphasis in Family Relations and Child Development, and has a graduate certificate from Oklahoma State University in Gerontology. She graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a M.S. in Human Relations, and from Kansas State University with a B.S. in Family and Consumer Sciences and a secondary major in Gerontology. Dr. Gruntmeir currently serves as program coordinator / instructor and teaches nutrition, health and safety at Redlands Community College. She a Certified Family Life Educator with the National Council on Family Relations, and is a member of the American Associate Degree Early Childhood Educators, the American Association for the Education of Young Children, and Rotary International. She resides on the family farm with her husband who is a wheat and cattle producer. They have two small children and a pack of animals including a horse, dog, guinea pig and more cats than they can herd.

Kathleen Holton

Kathleen says: I am proud to be a Music Teacher (K-8) and Show Choir Director at the Seven Hills Public Charter School in Worcester, Massachusetts. I have been teaching for 30 years and love it. I was recognized as the "Distiguished Educator of Music" for the state of Massachusetts in 2002. Our Show Choir has performed at more than 200 performances over the last eight years, including a national televised performance with Sir Elton John and the Boston Pops. We also performed on national television at the Democratic National Convention.

Monique Kogan

Monique Kogan has a M.S.in Library Science, University of British Columbia with specialization in Children's Literature; B.A., Psychology, Simon Fraser University, B. Ed, Simon Fraser University with specialization in Early Childhood Education; Certificate of Liberal Arts, Simon Fraser University. Currently, she is a freelance software reviewer for family papers, and a stay at home parent.

Dr. Irving Lazar,

Dr. Lazar, Professor Emeritus, Cornell University, received his Doctorate from Columbia University and was an intern at the Menninger Clinic. He is a Resident Scholar at the Kennedy Center for Research in Human Development at Vanderbilt University, was a Fellow at the East-West Center in Honolulu and was a member of the external faculty of the Santa Fe Institute. Dr. Lazar has conducted longitudinal studies on the effects of early intervention with infants and preschool children and has designed and evaluated service programs for children and their familes in this country and abroad. He served as a Trustee of the Coalition for several years.

Valerie Moore

Valerie says: I have been the director of the after-school and summer programs at Heathwood Hall Episcopal School for eight years. Heathwood Hall is an independent school for three-year-olds through 12th graders, located in Columbia, SC. Our after-school program includes students in nursery school (three- year-olds) through eighth grade. I worked as a full time mom for 13 years before being employed outside the home full-time. In a previous career, I was a computer programmer but really wanted to work with children and stay involved with my own children and their school. I love working with the children in my care and enjoy working with college students studying to be teachers who work on my staff. I am fortunate to have experienced teachers from our faculty who work in our after-school program. KIDS FIRST!® is a wonderful resource for parents and schools looking for quality childrens' media. My goal in becoming a juror for KIDS FIRST!® was to train my staff to use media as a positive teaching tool & help children view media actively rather than passively. I think it is more important than ever to teach children to view media using critical thinking skills.

Elizabeth O' Connell

Elizabeth O’Connell is an award-winning producer and editor with over 25 years of program development experience for the Discovery Channel, PBS and Rand McNally. In 1988, her first children's program, "The Friendly Gray Whales," won a silver apple. Nature and Natural History programs evolved easily from her Alaska surroundings where she lived for over 15 years. Her most recent program "Alaska’s Coolest Bird's" is also a children’s program narrated by an enthusiastic six-year-old. Check out www.wondervisions.com to learn about more.

Christine Pollock

Christine Pollock, managing editor of KIDS FIRST! News since 2004, has a B.S. in Elementary Education from Houghton College, a minor in music and a diploma from the Institute of Children's Literature. Christine spent twelve years working with preschool children. She taught in a Waldorf-inspired preschool and operated a licensed Head Start home daycare. Her music and art curriculums have been published for daycare providers. Most recently, Christine's work has been published in Cable in the Classroom's magazine, Access Learning and in United Parenting Publication's 16 plus publications. Christine and her sculptor husband, Christopher, reside in western New York. They currently enjoy homeschooling their three boys and teaching sixty students in the local homeschool co-op about media literacy and music in media. Christine and her boys have been KIDS FIRST! jurors since 1999.

Deepa Rajagopal

Deepa Rajagopal is a full-time mom and resides with her husband Murthy and their five-year-old daughter Kavya in Fairfax, VA. She recently launched her three well-acclaimed movie titles for preschoolers and toddlers under the brand name "Smart Cookie!" to the North American market. She is currently working on children's books that will be sold under the same brand name.

Renee Sanchez

Renee Sanchez is the department coordinator of the Ector County Library. She writes, "I thought it would be great to learn a little more about the KIDS FIRST!® organization and found out the benefits of joining the KIDS FIRST!® Jury. I feel it would be a great asset for the Ector County Library and the children we serve."

Courtney Taylor

Courtney Taylor is the proud mother of an inquisitive 7-year-old boy.  For years, they have enjoyed watching movies together and rating them.  With KIDS FIRST!, they can now fuel their love for films and give back to the world of responsible children’s media. By day, Courtney works as the Senior Content Developer for Telligent, a Dallas-based company with a recognized history of innovative software development and creative services for online communities and social networks. By night, Courtney is a freelance writer, working as a ghost writer for authors, pastors, and not-for-profit organizations.