KIDS FIRST! Film Critics Boot Camp This Summer in Los Angeles.
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“Some kids play doctor or teacher or firefighters. My kids play Film Critic.Maybe Siskeland Ebert costumes for Halloween?” H. Dallman, mother and KIDS FIRST! Juror. Photo by Linda Carfagno "It is very cool that I, as a kid, can have influence on other kids and parents on what movies that they buy. I have learned about how important the content of the films are and how many great movies there are for kids." Photo by Linda Carfagno |
Announcing!
2013 KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Winners
Concerned about what your kids watch on TV or at the Movies?
Should your tween see that new PG-13 movie?
Do you know what your kids do
online?
Want to turn TV time into learning time?
Get Involved - Join our Adult Jury
KIDS FIRST! Juror Training
KIDS FIRST! evaluates, rates and endorses children's films, DVDs, CDs, TV shows, apps and games using volunteer, community-based juries of adults and children from diverse backgrounds. To ensure consistency in these evaluations, every juror must complete our Film Critics training program. This course is designed to teach adults how to evaluate and critique children's media using criteria developed specifically for KIDS FIRST! Also, it gives you a curriculum to use with your children's jury when evaluating media. Every KIDS FIRST! endorsed title has been approved by our adult jurors and recommended by our child jurors.
Fundamental to the KIDS FIRST! mission is teaching children critical viewing skills. By participating in the KIDS FIRST! Juror program, children learn to make their use of media a positive one; one that enhances their cognitive, social and behavioral skills and cultivates a healthy media lifestyle.
KIDS FIRST! Juror Training Course
This is a 2-part class. You must attend both sessions to complete training.
New Courses TBA
Our prerecorded webinar is available at any time, at no additional cost.
Fee: $10 Admin fee per person
Payable in advance.
Private Courses: You may also arrange for a private session or for a group session for a special fee. Contact us to make special arrangements or to ask a question.
Register
Register online here or call 505-989-8076.
Online Curriculum
About the Course
The KIDS FIRST! Juror Course is offered entirely online. It is presented in two one-hour sessions. There is a short homework assignment that must be completed after each session. The entire course, including the homework, will take about four hours to complete and can be done within a week's time and on your own schedule.
Join the KIDS FIRST! Jury
Once you complete the course, you are invited to join the nationwide, community-based KIDS FIRST! jury. Together, with more than 200 adults and 3,000 kids, you become part of the nucleus for the KIDS FIRST! endorsement program.
As a juror, you will be notified via email, usually once or twice a month, of the opportunity to evaluate a children's product. You will be given a deadline for completing the evaluations. You choose whether or not to accept the invitation to do an evaluation. If you are too busy or going on vacation, you can wait for the next invitation to arrive. It's up to you.
As the leader of the children's jury, you will have the opportunity to:
- Teach children to view media critically.
- Teach children how media can affect us.
- Teach children how to evaluate media using specific criteria.
- Teach children how to write reviews and critique media verbally, alone or as part of a group.
- Teach children how to identify and use great media.
One of the big benefits of evaluating programs for KIDS FIRST! is that you get to keep anything that you recommend. Many of our Jurors have built a hefty media library for themselves. Though these products cannot be sold, you may keep them for yourself or donate them to your favorite school, library, church, community center or other charitable organization. Materials sent to you may NEVER BE SOLD.
There is no time commitment with this volunteer position. Some Jurors do reviews once per month, others once a quarter, or only in summer. Products will never be sent to you without your prior approval and guarantee that you are available to review them. However, once accepted, it is important that you comply with the turnaround time for completion or contact us immediately if you are experiencing delays.
Get Started
Thank you KIDS FIRST! for all that you do! It has been a wonderful journey being a juror with you. Our family does not have TV; we just watch videos. This experience has enabled us to watch some videos that we would have never been exposed to. We are not just sitting back and watching, we are communicating about the shows we watch. Now watching videos is a whole new experience with our children! Before picking up a video at the rental place I always look at the KIDS FIRST! endorsed title list to see what would be best for my children. Its great to know that I can always trust what videos are on your site to be safe for my children's eyes and ears!
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First, fill out the online application form.
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Once you apply, our Jury Manager will confirm your reservation in the next training session.
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Prior to your first webinar, you will be asked to read our Juror Manual which is available online. You will be given instructions on where to find it prior to starting your class.
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During session #1, your trainer will walk you through the basic process of an adult media evaluation.
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After session #1, you will be asked to view and evaluate a short online video.
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Prior to session #2, you will submit your evaluation to your trainer who will give you feedback. You will also receive instructions for joining session #2. You may be asked to make corrections before moving forward.
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During session #2 the trainer will guide you through the process of evaluating a program with a child or group of children.
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Next, you will evaluate the same online video with a child or group of children and submit your evaluation to the trainer who will give you feedback. You may be asked to make corrections before completing the program.
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That's it! Once you complete the course, you will be notified that you are an official KIDS FIRST! Juror and will be recieve emails regarding opportunities to evaluate new programs.
There is no time commitment with this volunteer position. Some Jurors do reviews once per month, others once per year, or only in summer. Products will never be sent to you without your prior approval and guarantee that you are available to review them. However, once accepted, it is important that you comply with the turnaround time for completion or contact us immediately if you are experiencing delays.
If you have any questions about any of this, please contact our Jury Manager, Lauren Longworth at 505-989-8076 or contact us via email.
Independent Producers Members who join the jury, benefit from one endorsement fee waiver for a film submission
after completing the course and evaluating six titles.
KIDS FIRST! is a project of the Coalition for Quality Children's Media, a national, 21-year-old, nonprofit (501-c-3) organization that is a voluntary collaboration between the media industry, educators and child advocacy organizations. The mission of the Coalition is: 1) To teach children to become critical media users and; 2) To increase the visibility and availability of quality children's media.
