Here is where there Internet can be a powerful connecting tool. The Alliance for Childhood used it to gather the expertise of early childhood experts from around the country to issue a Joint Statement from Early Childhood Health and Educational Professionals on the Common Core Standards Initiative. CCFC is using the Internet to share their side of the Disney story, refusing to be silenced, and gaining support through a growing membership and financial donations. Facebook and  Twitter help connect like-minded activists and agencies and help the grass-roots movements gain traction.

For me, one vital way to feel empowered is to surround myself with others who are fighting for children. This weekend, I will be connecting with folks at the City College of New York conference In Defense of Childhood – Play and Active Learning in Urban Schools. The conference is held  “in honor of the 20th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and in memory of Professor Emeritus Lillian Weber, whose work honored the active nature of learning and furthered the cause of equity in education.”

Later this month, I’ll be joining a colleague from TRUCE (Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Children’s Entertainment) to share our new Infant – Toddler Play, Toys and Media  Action Guide with early childhood professionals at the MassAEYC (Massachusetts Association of the Education of Young Children) Annual Spring Conference.  I look forward to hearing the words and ideas of  the keynote speaker, Dr. David Elkind, author of  numerous books including The Hurried Child and The Power of Play.

In about a month I will join hundreds of others at CCFC’s 7th Consuming Kids Summit in Boston. The theme is Market Values, Human Values and the Lives of Children.   From their website: “The values children learn in the marketplace – excessive consumption, impulsive buying, and unthinking brand loyalty – are antithetical to healthy development, independent thinking, spirituality, community, and democracy. What happens to childhood — and society — when market values trump human values? How can we make a difference? What role can parents, educators, public health professionals, faith communities, and policymakers play in stopping the proliferation of market values, and in nurturing positive values, in a commercialized world?”

Today, I work hard to stave off the feelings of doom and gloom. I am trying to rise above feelings that the job of protecting the best interests of the youngest members of our society is damn near impossible.  The powerful wheels of corporate greed and the one-size-fits all educational movement are bearing down harder than ever. Today, I look forward to the personal connections I will form and deepen at  these upcoming conferences. I trust these connections will help energize and empower me and others in the pursuit of protecting young children and preserving childhood. As my friend and colleague Diane Levin says, “Onward!”

Last week, I heard from a mom whose daughter loves to read, but is now getting called a “dweeb” at school. Mom and daughter are struggling with how to handle the teasing. Does she try to ignore the teasing and find new friends? Does she hide the fact that she likes to read? It is a problem that many kids in the United States face. Kids who like to study and learn are often the butt of the joke. “Dweeb”. “Nerd”. “Geek”. This affects kids of many races, in the suburbs and the cities. This mom is convinced that the influence of the Disney Channel – which many of her daughter’s friends watch – is at the root of her problem.

In July of 2008, in response to growing concerns about childhood obesity and health, the FTC released a report about the marketing of foods to children and adolescents. One of the recommendations was that, “all companies that market food and beverage products to children should adopt and adhere to meaningful nutrition-based standards for marketing their products to children under 12.” http://www.ftc.gov/os/2008/07/P064504foodmktingreport.pdf

So now we have Disney apples, eggs and avocados. Some folks feel that at least it is better than McDonald’s Happy Meals, sugary snacks and junk food. I’m not so sure. I’m not happy about media-linked products aimed at children. Kids are just too vulnerable. It becomes a popularity contest in the cafeteria and another parent-child area of struggle. It is another way to create brand loyalty, infiltrate our lives and literally eat away at our creativity and independent thinking.

That is why I reminded my friend about Trader Joe’s http://www.traderjoes.com/index.html. Trader Joe’s is a chain of grocery stores that carries almost exclusively its own products (not General Mills or Kellog’s, etc…) From cereal, to yogurt, to snacks and more, you will NOT FIND media-linked food at Trader Joe’s. I go out of my way to shop there. My children read the packaging of our food, and I’m happy because they are reading the nutritional values, not an ad for the latest block-buster movie or television show. I’ve been a fan of Trader Joe’s for a long time because of the good prices and good products, but only after I had children did I truly appreciate the independent nature of this unique grocery store. If you have a Trader Joe’s in your area, I recommend it highly as an antidote to Dora the Explorer yogurt, Finding Nemo fruit snacks, Elmo juice boxes and High School Musical everything!