The invasive impact of media on children became the impetus, in 1991, for Ranny Levy to create KIDS FIRST! / Coalition for Quality Children’s Media, dedicated to promoting quality children’s media as a vehicle for social change. A former educator, Levy has taught classical and modern dance, designed a PBS award-winning TV series, produced an ACE-nominated television show and managed an independent film distribution company. She is not GRAND Magazine ambassador for New Mexico.
Having dedicated the last 22 years to KIDS FIRST!, she makes sure that kids really do come first by giving them opportunities to participate as jurors, radio personalities, film critics and as film festival curators.
Ranny has written two books, “The New York Times / KIDS FIRST! Guide to The Best Children’s Videos” and “A Parent’s Guide to the Best Children’s Videos, DVDs and CD-ROMs,” is a frequent speaker at conferences, a judge for the National Parenting Publications Awards and writes for GRAND Magazine, Working Mother Magazine and several other publications. She will now also represent GRAND Magazine and all things grandparent as the the ambassador of New Mexico for GRAND.
Ranny is the mother of two grown children and grandmother to two wonderful grandchildren.