Jacqueline N. Rioux
Jackie Rioux has been in the child development field for over twenty-five years, most recently with Knight Hall School in West Hartford, Connecticut where their tradition of delivering a quality child-care experience, since 1929, is still in practice. Prior to joining Knight Hall, Jackie served as Assistant Director of the preschool at the former world-renowned Newington Children’s Hospital in Newington, Connecticut.
Her vast experience includes all phases of the child-care industry including starting daycare and pre-school programs from scratch. She has had much success in creating learning and cognitive development programs throughout her career and is widely recognized as a leader in her field.
Jackie holds a B.A. in Child Development from Central Connecticut State University.
Jo-Ann Parylak
Jo-Ann Parylak has over twenty years of experience in early childhood education, working most recently at Knight Hall School in West Hartford, Connecticut, where teachers such as Jo-Ann help foster learning in a non-competitive, loving environment. Prior to joining Knight Hall, Jo-Ann served as a preschool teacher at the Newington Children’s Hospital in Newington, Connecticut.
During her ten-year career at Newington, Jo-Ann fostered a reputation as a creative storyteller. She is a member of four storytelling organizations: The League for the Advancement of New England Storytelling, The Connecticut Storytelling Association, The National Storytelling Association, and the Healing Story Alliance. Today, Jo-Ann uses her passion for storytelling in her work as a reading tutor for children. She also spent over a decade teaching adults to read as a volunteer with Literacy Volunteers of Greater Hartford.
Jo-Ann received her A.S. in Early Childhood Education from Greater Hartford Community College, now known as Capital Community College, in Hartford, Connecticut.
About the Artwork & Design of the Book
We’d also like to give a big shout out to designer Heidi Graf who designed and created all of the artwork for the book. Heidi has a world-class resume of creative artwork including assignments with Disney, Weekly Reader, Pendant Publishing and a host of children’s educational magazines. Please visit wwww.mhgraf.com to learn more about her incredible talent.