By Kim Mullaney. --New! Improved! Original! Those claims certainly are familiar to any family that has ever walked the aisle of a grocery store. Is the product genuinely new? Is the taste of the cereal really improved? Is the concept actually original?

By Kim Mullaney. --As the director of early and family literacy at Thirteen, my team works closely with families, childcare providers and early childhood educators. We spend our time working on the magic that happens when television is really used for learning -- and we help families navigate that special journey between discovery and exploration to participation and education. And sometimes, it means bringing what I learn at work directly to a very eager young fan in my own home.