Submit to KIDS FIRST!

 

Online Submission Form

What is the KIDS FIRST! Endorsement

Application Fees for CQCM Members* Credit Card Charge Form First Title: $100 Subsequent Title: $50 (submitted within 12 mos of original) Third and More Series Titles: $35 (when submitted at the same time) Screenplay: $55 APPS: $35 Late Deadline Fee: $20 Rush Fee: $50 (contact our office first for approval) Application Fees for Non-Members First Title: $200 Subsequent Title: $100 (submitted within 12 mos of original) Screenplay: $75 APPS: $70 Late Deadline Fee: $20 Rush Fee: $50 (contact our office first for approval) Online Submission Form   Screenplays ONLY May Also Submit Through Withoutabox Producer Comments "Our sponsorship of KIDS FIRST! is a crucial part of our grassroots outreach efforts for our family friendly projects." Dorrit Ragosine, Vice President, Public Relations, MGM/20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Public Relations "I have worked with KIDS FIRST! for nearly three years. They have done a fantastic job of leveraging our sponsorship dollars and tremendously over-delivering. We find the exposure garnered from this program to be a valuable piece of our marketing plan." Kim Leibowitz, Marketing Director for Animal Planet Media and Discovery Kids Media   "KIDS FIRST! not only performs a critical role in providing parents and families with wholesome and trusted entertainment for young children, but is also an invaluable grass-roots marketing resource in creating wide-spread consumer awareness of these films. It is a great cost-effective way to screen films in a targeted environment. We have been working with KIDS FIRST! for years and they have always over-delivered in all aspects," Suzanne Faber, Vice President of Brand Marketing, Starz! Home Entertainment (Anchor Bay) "I have worked with KIDS FIRST! for several years and they have done a wonderful job in promoting and supporting our family DVD releases. They are an integral part of our marketing plans and we look forward to many more opportunities to partner with them in the future" Cara Grossman, Assistant Project Manager - Family Brand Marketing, Universal Studios Home Entertainment KIDS FIRST! plays a crucial role in assisting parents seeking quality entertainment for the entire family. We're thrilled to use their extensive reach and trusted reputation to build awareness for the must own fall family feature, "The Adventures Of Food Boy". Sam Toles VP Content Acquisitions Gaiam "It has been a pleasure working with Ranny over the past six years. Ranny is reliable, trustworthy, dedicated to her work and an absolute pleasure to work with. Ranny continues to provide a great service and I look forward to continuing to work with her in the future." Year first hired: 2002 (hired more than once) Christine Lewison, Genius Products "We recommend KIDS FIRST! to all of our clients who are producing or  distributing children's entertainment content. I can't think of a better value, especially for newly launching TV and DVD properties. KIDS FIRST!  generates impactful, meaningful visibility on a grassroots level and beyond  - and it's totally turn key!" - Alan Winnikoff, Sayles & Winnikoff Communications

KIDS FIRST! evaluates, rates and endorses films, DVDs, TV shows, CDs, video games, web series and apps designed for ages 0 to 18 using community based juries of adults and children. To qualify for an endorsement, a title must meet or exceed the KIDS FIRST! criteria and be approved by child as well as adult jurors. Endorsed titles are given a one-, two- or three-star rating indicating good, better and best.

KIDS FIRST! Endorsed Titles Receive

 

• The right to use the KIDS FIRST! endorsement seal and rating on all marketing materials

• Consideration for screening in the KIDS FIRST!® Film Festival

• Consideration for KIDS FIRST! Best Award

• Review posted on the KIDS FIRST! website and other KIDS FIRST! media partners' publications and websites

Evaluation Details

KIDS FIRST! evaluates, endorses and rates films, DVDs, CDs, TV shows/series, video games, web series, screenplays and apps using specially trained volunteer community-based juries from a pool of more than 300 adults and 3,000 children.

To receive a KIDS FIRST! endorsement, the producer or distributor of the program must submit it to KIDS FIRST! using the online application. The application fee may be paid online via credit card, by phone, or a check or money order mailed to our office. Non-returnable copies of the program are shipped to our office once the form is submitted. Screenplays are required to be submitted via pdf format. Your application is not complete until the application form is submitted, payment is received and copies of the program arrive at our office.   

KIDS FIRST! adult jurors are vested with determining whether the title meets the KIDS FIRST! baseline criteria. Every title that is endorsed is reviewed by at least three adult jurors as well as children from their children's jury. The jurors use standardized evaluation tools that have eleven key questions and more than 50 specific assets.  A program must meet the baseline criteria before it is shown to the children's jury. If it does not meet the baseline criteria, it is not screened by the children's jury.

KIDS FIRST! provides a quantitative and a qualitative evaluation of the program by both its adult and child juries. In the case of screenplays, KIDS FIRST! will provide full written coverage by it adult jurors only.

KIDS FIRST! jurors are vastly diverse. There is no other single review authority that has a comparable representation of so many cultures. Since many juries are conducted at schools or day care facilities where the populations represent many different ethnic groups, KIDS FIRST! is able to obtain feedback from many cultural groups. Jurors represent multiple geographic regions from urban, sub-urban and rural areas. The adult jurors are educators, child development specialists, children’s librarians, Girl Scout Leaders and other interested adults and parents. These adults receive training from KIDS FIRST! to become certified as an adult jurors and children's jury facilitators. Each adult juror facilitates a group of children who serve on their children's jury.

Evaluated titles appear on the KIDS FIRST! website and in our media partners publications, which reach 2-4 million readers every month. Including:

Working Mother
Macaroni Kids
Macaroni Kids Sweeps
LA Parent
Boston Parent
Bay Area Parent
Colorado Parent
KIDS FIRST! Newsletter
KIDS FIRST! Website
KIDS FIRST! Facebook

Mail to:

KIDS FIRST! / Coalition for Quality Children's Media
112 W. San Francisco Street, Suite 305A
Santa Fe, NM 87501 USA
505-989-8076
fax: 505-986-8477
For questions about your submission, speak with Lauren Longworth, Jury Manager

FAQs for Producers

Answers to frequently asked questions from producers.

More about the Coalition for Quality Children's Media

KIDS FIRST! and KIDS FIRST! Film Festival are projects of the Coalition for Quality Children's Media, a nonprofit organization supporting quality children's media since 1991.