When did your organization launch and why?
I believe that children’s media today has a real problem in that there is almost no adult on-screen guidance–grownups being normal grownups, modeling compassion, empathy, critical thinking and maturity. The adults we do see on screen tend to be kid-like or character driven, almost clownish in their behavior. I like the sweet and silly stuff, but sincere and authentic adult guidance is getting hard to find at this point in our shared history when it has never been more needed. It’s hard for me to overstate the positive impact that live-action, adult-led children’s programming had on my social-emotional development as a child growing up with programs like Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop, Captain Kangaroo and the original Reading Rainbow. I knew, early on, that I wanted to follow in the footsteps of those classic hosts and find ways to offer the same positivity and support to kids that needed it in their own lives. That was the real beginning of Danny Joe’s Tree House. Season 01 was originally released in 2018, and it was the culmination of nearly two decades of exploration and discovery, making art, teaching kids, and furthering my own education. These pieces became the foundation for our series: me as Danny Joe, based on my real-life experience as a preschool teacher; the core storylines, and the puppets to embody them, drawn from years of deep conversations with young children, listening closely to what they have to say about what’s going on in their lives, and most importantly, how it makes them feel; and engagement with other mission-driven adults in my community–artists, activists, and educators–to bring diverse experiences and viewpoints to the Tree House and reflect that back to our audience. It’s very important to me that all of the young children on the other side of the screen feel both seen and respected when they’re at Danny Joe’s Tree House.
What does your organization do? What are its main goals? Main projects?
Danny Joe’s Tree House works to create healthy social-emotional habits in children at an early age by fostering age-appropriate conversations and play about complex topics. Our primary output is our series of full-length episodes, now in Season 04. All of our episodes explore complex, real-world experiences that are abstracted through creative storytelling. But we’re more than just a show. We engage our audience through live performances and with our original children’s books, as well as offering resources for adults.
Live performances of Danny Joe’s Tree House at local libraries, museums, and schools have been a core part of my work from the start. Then, in 2024, I began offering a media literacy-focused live program to Judy Center Early Learning Centers in Baltimore, made possible with the generous support of the Sherman Family Foundation, the Richman Foundation, and the M. Sigmund and Barbara K. Shapiro Philanthropic Fund. As a part of this program, students engage with me in a livestream from the Tree House, followed by an in-classroom visit where they also receive copies of my independently-published children’s books: I Like You More Than My Phone (2023), and Sticks, Stones, and Smartphones (2025). The books are also a bridge for the adults in those children’s lives who want to continue the conversation at home, exploring what it means to think critically for oneself, and with empathy for others, in our technology-driven world.
Workshops with teachers, parents, and other caregivers, designed to help adults practice engagement strategies, are a core component of the Judy Center program. We are very excited to start offering this media literacy program to a national audience in 2026. We also offer our “Danny Joe’s Tree House Grown-ups,” YouTube channel, where I share the behavioral science behind episodes of Danny Joe’s Tree House, discussions with my mentors from the early days of kids television, and conversations with my peers, including other present-day kid’s show hosts working in media and technology.
What makes your organization stand out? What would you say is the most unique thing about your organization?
My partner, Stefani, and I write, design, build, perform, film, edit and produce Danny Joe’s Tree House independently from our home studio in Baltimore. We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish over the years between the two of us, with our uniquely complimentary sets of skills, and with only a tiny fraction of the resources that industry shows rely on. But we are rich in community, and our friendships, built over a shared sense of mission, service, and artistic freedom, have produced some truly special collaborations and unique contributions of talent to our show. Families and schools don’t just watch the show, they are active participants in its creation. Like the sign says in our Tree House, “All Are Welcome Here.”
What are recent projects or new resources that your organization would like to share with other NAMLE members?
As part of our new partnership with NAMLE, we are donating copies of our latest Danny Joe’s Tree House children’s book, Sticks, Stones and Smartphones in both English and Spanish for an upcoming NAMLE raffle. This book is not yet available for purchase, so this is a NAMLE exclusive!
We would like to also offer the following resources:
-Our media literacy playlist on the Danny Joe’s Tree House YouTube channel
-Our Danny Joe’s Tree House Grown-ups YouTube channel
-And by mentioning that you are a “NAMLE member” in the subject line, a reduced rate for our interactive livestream and in-person Danny Joe’s Tree House in-school, library and community group mental health and media literacy programming. Contact us through our dannyjoestreehouse.com website to learn more!
-On the Danny Joe’s Tree House website you may also order copies of our first Danny Joe’s Tree House children’s book, I Like You More Than My Phone.
Be aware that with the exception of LinkedIn and YouTube/YouTube Kids, Danny Joe LaBrecque and Danny Joe’s Tree House do not use social media.
We are available to stream on a variety of safe-algorithm free platforms including: Epic For Kids, YippeeTV, Cricket Media’s sensicaltv and, in time, our own future platform, which we hope the NAMLE community will help to build and refine through a variety of collaborative opportunities.
What are the connections between the work of your organization and media literacy?
Over years of research and development in partnership with families and early childhood programs, we have come to the conclusion that the heart of media literacy, for young children, really isn’t about devices. Our media and technology is always changing. What is consistent is the child and their grownup. Helping them to refine their critical thinking skills for themselves and practice empathy for others through the language of play is the foundation of media literacy at Danny Joe’s Tree House. And the proof is in the pudding, like in our “Brought to you by…” episode in which commercials keep interrupting Danny Joe. He literally pushes back on commercialism and points out the tricks used to condition and sell. In our book, Sticks, Stones and Smartphones, we draw parallels between a bird family divided about allowing their child to play with sticks, and a human family figuring out how to manage phone use. Danny Joe has many advisors from the days of classic children’s television. The pioneers that found ways to empower families to navigate the complexities of traditional television. History repeats itself, and if we pay attention, we can predict the patterns and apply lessons learned from our predecessors to the challenges of today. I also work with a variety of leaders in present day children’s media and technology including NAMLE’s very own 3-term past president Sherri Hope Culver.
Why is media literacy important to your organization?
Today, we find ourselves meeting the challenges of an unprecedented moment in our society. Danny Joe’s Tree House has established that we can use the seemingly simple language of play to help children, and the grown-ups in their lives, practice and refine the foundational skills that will empower them as they navigate their futures. We provide tools and strategies for initiating conversations with children with empathy, employing critical-thinking skills, and modeling positive behaviors. Our approach to media literacy for young children is less about the use and functionality of devices, and more about developing the ability to self-regulate and navigate challenges, including subtle forms of misinformation, conditioning, manipulation, commercialism, and propaganda.
Anything else you want our readers to know about your organization, your mission, or your staff?
Danny Joe’s Tree House is recommended by trustworthy sources for parents and early educators, including Common Sense Media, which has given the series a 4-star review, stating: “Meant for young children, this show picks up where Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood left off”. Danny Joe’s Tree House was also honored by the Rainbow Project in late 2024 with a Velma Award, “Best Old World Show with New World Thinking.”
Our episodes have been selected twice for inclusion in the PRIX JEUNESSE INTERNATIONAL festival catalogue and Media Bar. The Prix Jeunesse is the oldest children’s and youth TV festival worldwide. Every two years, it honors the most outstanding and innovative children’s screen media. This year’s theme is Media Literacy in Times of Polarization, and the 10m version of our “Silly Billy” episode, released through Epic for Kids, will be featured. Our “Oxenfree Family Roundup” episode was featured in 2024.
The views and opinions expressed in the Organizational Spotlight blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of NAMLE or its members. The purpose of the Organizational Spotlight blog is to highlight our Organizational Partners and give them a place to share their reflections, opinions, and ideas.