The Movement's Beginning
Heed the Children (HTC) is a Leap Forward initiative led by the core value of Integrated Cooperation. Adapted from the non-profit Leap Forward community and founded by Ronit Herzfeld, Integrated Cooperation is a new way of caring for one another where individuals freely share their diverse resources, gifts and talents, in service of the highest good - our children’s healthy development. HTC began with parents pained by the reality of our children in harm's way due to the damaging impacts of social technology. We observed how parents, children, educators, communities, researchers and organizations are isolated, disconnected, overwhelmed, with inadequate resources to respond to the complex issues of navigating technology in an informed, coherent, and organized way.
Based on our experiences from past Leap Forward initiatives, we saw the need to create a diverse, caring community that can effectively address this crisis of disconnection. Like you, we come from all walks of life and deeply care about our children. Our intention is to bring together parents, educators, administrators, activists, artists and researchers to work together and address this issue that is larger than any single one of us. We're curating a coalition of experts to develop and deploy optimal resources to support our ongoing virtual and in-person events for districts, counties, individual schools, and local parent groups across the country to form responses unique to their needs. We’re passionate about empowering our communities and supporting our children to develop self-esteem, curiosity, critical thinking, healthy social and peer interactions, and a connection with nature.
Meet the Team
Driven by care for our children, curiosity, and the courage to believe in the power of community, we've embarked on this journey together!
HTC Baltimore, MD
Dazia Wallerson
Dazia Wallerson is a mother, artist, storyteller, and organizer with a passion for community in the city of Baltimore. When she isn’t exploring the city’s artscapes and fun-tivities with her 6-year old son, she’s supporting devoted parents, teens, and children in coming together to express themselves creatively and through care. Her work with HTC includes empowering parents to organize through discussion groups, volunteer service coordination and play groups. Her recent pursuits involve a focus on national media, sharing the HTC movement for widespread awareness of social tech harms along the core Leap Forward value of Integrated Cooperation. Dazia is energized to help build meaningful relationships, develop a deeper culture of care and cultivate a future of healthy, thriving children.
HTC Burlingame, CA
Sebastian Steinbach
Sebastian is a dedicated father of three t(w)eens, and has been engaged in the HTC movement since its inception in 2022. Creating a more wonder-full world for our kids to grow up in TOGETHER is the vision that fuels his passion to inspire parent groups, and to build coalitions of educators, administrators and activists. Outrageously fun and wild experiences that support authentic self-expression, creative play and adventurous exploration are his passion.
HTC New York City, NY
Katty Lau
Katty Lau is a mother of two kids ages 6 and 12, entrepreneur, and member of the global non-profit community called Leap Forward. She is passionate about bringing together parents, schools, educators, and researchers to support communities in fostering children's self-esteem, relationships, creativity, and curiosity. Katty is an active supporter of The Heed the Children (HTC) movement addressing the harmful impacts of social technology on children's health and wellbeing. She loves making art and admiring NYC's art exhibitions with her two children.
Leap Forward, New York City
Ronit Herzfeld
Ronit is a mother and a grandmother to a young granddaughter, who is devoted to a healthy and vibrant future for all children. She's also the founder of Leap Forward and vision leader for integrated cooperation for humanity - a world in which we each bring our unique gifts and discover solutions to problems such as protecting children from the harms of social media and smartphones. She is a social worker specializing in psychiatric crisis and trauma, and a key advisor to the HTC team. Ronit believes that much of the conflict and pain we experience in our lives is due to our feeling afraid and alone. She is determined to help people feel cared for and connected by helping us see that we all belong to one family - the human family.