Meet Dr. Paula Connolly
Discover the passion and expertise behind Ask Dr. Paula Connolly. Learn about her journey, her commitment to early childhood education, and how she empowers parents and teachers to prepare children for kindergarten success.
A lifelong passion for education
My journey in education has been a lifelong passion, culminating in the creation of Ask Dr. Paula Connolly. I founded this program to bridge a significant gap: the disparity between what educators know and what parents understand about essential kindergarten readiness skills.
Bridging the knowledge gap
For teachers, resources on readiness skills are abundant—books, studies, conferences, and workshops cover everything from child development to reading instruction. However, parents often lack access to comparable, digestible information. While many books and online resources exist, it's challenging to sift through it all to find truly useful and relevant content. My goal is to simplify this for you.
Empowering parents and teachers
I empower both parents and teachers by providing clear, actionable information about preschool skills and practical strategies to help children develop them. My approach focuses on making expert knowledge accessible, ensuring every child has the best possible start.
Experience and qualifications
I hold a Bachelor of Education (BS) from St. Patrick, Drumcondra, Dublin, Ireland, a Master of Science (MS) in Early Childhood Education from Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven, CT, and a Certificate in Early Education Leadership from Harvard Graduate School of Education. I also earned an EdD. in educational leaderhip from Western Connecticut State University. My practical experience includes teaching in an early primary school in Ireland for five years (Irish Department of Education), serving as a preschool teacher at Quaker Farms School, Oxford, CT, where I co-created a language-development program for language-delayed preschoolers and typical peers. Additionally, I have taught various grade levels, including grades 1, 2, 4, and 7 (CT certificate pre-K - 8). Now I am working on completing my book Success in kindergarten and beyond: The Ultimate Guide for parents and teachers of preschoolers.