Barbara Sorrels, EdD is a child development specialist, educator and consultant with a heart for “children from hard places.” As the founder of Connected Kids, she provides educators, parents and advocates with compassionate, evidence-based strategies for guiding children through trauma and other challenges. Her approach is based on the belief that when children feel connected to themselves, their families and the world around them, they can overcome even the darkest of circumstances and reach their fullest potential.
Dr. Sorrels’ passion for helping children began at the age of 14 in Washington, D.C., when she volunteered at a hospital caring for abandoned babies. In the decades since, she has used that passion to raise awareness about the needs of our society’s most vulnerable children. Prior to founding Connected Kids, Dr. Sorrels spent more than 20 years in education as a classroom teacher, a founder/director of early childhood centers, and a professor of graduate and undergraduate students in the Early Childhood Education program at Oklahoma State University.
In 2004, Dr. Sorrels founded The Institute for Childhood Education to provide consulting and professional development training for educators, professionals from state agencies, and other child advocacy organizations. After recognizing the extent of need, she expanded her work to provide educational workshops through Connected Kids.
