Connie Jo Smith, EdD, Instructional Designer, Early Childhood Education Specialist, and CCR&R Director
connie.smith@wku.edu

Dr. Smith’s professional passions include encouraging curiosity and problem solving in children and adults; supporting integration of curriculum in developmentally appropriate ways; advocating for personal and professional excellence; facilitating and delivering distance learning opportunities for professional development; designing training programs for local programs and national organizations; and writing for the practitioner.

Her most recent publications include “Growing, Growing Strong: A Whole Health Curriculum for Young Children” and “Behavioral Challenges in Early Childhood Settings,” both published by Redleaf Press. She is a coauthor of “Caring for the Children, Caring for Yourself: A Guide to Promoting Social and Emotional Health” published by the Devereux Foundation and sold through Kaplan.

Dr. Smith has contributed to the early care and education field as an author; teacher of young children in various settings; director of for-profit and non-profit child care, and Head Start program; administrator of state and foundation programs; and child studies faculty member teaching undergraduate and graduate classes in curriculum, child assessment, parent and community partnerships, early childhood program administration, child development, child and family research, and presentation techniques.  She has presented workshops for local programs, state agencies, and national associations on a wide range of topics related to early childhood education and management, as well as distance education and instructional design.

Dr. Smith has served as an instructional designer, creating curriculum and training materials, for groups such as the Devereux Foundation, the American School Health Association, Sun Safety Alliance, Health Media Lab, National Center for Family Literacy, and the Head Start Bureau, as well as local Head Start programs and health departments. She has taught instructional design graduate course in training materials, performance and task analysis, management of instructional systems, and distance education.

Her formal academic background combined with her field experience allows Dr. Smith to provide research based and meaningful services. She holds an Ed.D. in the area of Instructional Technology and Distance Education, an Ed. S. in Elementary and Early Curriculum and Instruction, an M.A. in Elementary Education with an area of concentration in early childhood, birth to eight.
Dr. Connie Jo Smith has been a member of the T/TAS team since 1977. At WKU, she serves as an Instructional Designer, Early Childhood Education Specialist, Child Care Resource and Referral Director for a ten county area; and Instructor of graduate Instructional Design courses. Visit her blog, Top Presentations.