All About Our Programs

              Our toddler program is geared toward children between the ages of twelve and twenty-four months. Toddlers at this age begin to develop a newfound freedom and sense of independence.   All of a sudden they are free to walk on their own and explore their surroundings with a little help from the grown-ups in their lives. They are quick to learn and grow. Children are constantly learning and require opportunities to follow their interests, explore, and experiment as they begin to make their own choices.  

By the time a child reaches the age of twenty-four months, they are walking well, rapidly developing expressive language, and becoming better able to relay their likes and dislikes to others.  They understand and use many words and may be able to put together two-word sentences.  We will be introducing new vocabulary words for their emotions, actions, objects, colors, shapes, animals, numbers as well as letters. Creativity is also promoted with weekly art and science exploration activities. 

We use the Frog Street Curriculum in our toddler and twos programs. Social and Emotional Development, Language Development, Physical Development, Creative Development, and Cognitive Development are the areas that are addressed throughout our curriculum.  Our curriculum is flexible and allows the teachers to work with the children at their individual development level.  Nurturing while teaching them the concepts of play helps the children to develop trust with each other and their own actions. When children enter our two-year-old program we will begin to introduce potty training. We work with families on potty training using a plan and schedule that works for both school and home. When teachers and families work together this can be a task that can be accomplished in our program!    

Our Toddler program consists of four classrooms for children ages twelve months to twenty-four months and our Twos program consists of three classrooms for children who are two and three years of age.  Although the children are grouped according to age, the specific ages for each classroom may vary depending on center enrollment. The curriculum will reflect both the developmental ages of the children in the room as well as the chronological ages.  

 Our Preschool program is the gateway to a child’s elementary education. We utilize the Frog Street Curriculum for Preschool. The curriculum is geared towards Kindergarten readiness.  Frog Street curriculum meets the needs of diverse learners and developmental learning domains. STEAM activities are also added to promote problem-solving skills.  We have enriched the curriculum by adding our own self-designed elements which we perfected through the last 30 years. The children will learn autonomy and social skills, reading and storytelling, mathematical reasoning, movement, work habits, emerging literacy, scientific reasoning, music and art, phonological awareness and orientation, and time and space.  

Character Education and conscious discipline are embedded into the curriculum and are just as important for children to learn as academics. The character education themes include  Citizenship, Compassion, Fairness, Honesty, Integrity and Trustworthiness, Perseverance, Responsibility, Respect and Self-Discipline.  The program is designed to inspire our students to become well-educated, responsible citizens. 

Our preschool program consists of four classrooms for children between the ages of three and five years of age.  Our classroom names are animal-themed and each classroom has its own name.  The preschool classrooms are the threes and fours classes which are the Tigers and Elephants and our pre-k classes the Giraffes, Jaguars, Geckos, and Frogs.  A child’s age, developmental level and the teaching style they will most respond to will determine their classroom placement.  The information you provide will better help us understand your child’s learning style and level.  Each year, we will continue to make sure that our curriculum rises to the level that challenges your children so that they are offered all opportunities to learn as much as their minds can absorb while loving to learn.

We are not just a daycare, we are a full-time preschool that prides itself on preparing children for school readiness!  Our Voluntary Prekindergarten or VPK gives children a jump start by preparing them for kindergarten and enhances their pre-reading, pre-math, language, and social skills. We also offer a part-time state-funded VPK program. Our program is designed to introduce formal education, and socialization as well as promote and develop kindergarten readiness. Our part-time program is three hours each day and runs from August to May.  If you have a child that will be four years of age by September 1st they are eligible for the current VPK year. By promoting and developing the skills children need to become strong readers and students at an early age, children are more likely to be successful in school. VPK classrooms offer high-quality programs that include high literacy standards, a developmentally appropriate curriculum, manageable class sizes, and qualified teachers. Smart Start Pre Prep is proud to provide one of the best VPK programs in the area
achieving high scores every year. 

 We understand that your main priority is keeping your child safe and in a secure environment.  While they may feel that they are growing old enough to make more choices on their own, we know that they still need guidance and supervision.  We also know that it is comforting for you that by the time you pick up your child from us, their homework has been started if not completed.  School-age children are typically high-energy learners and high-energy players. After a day in school, they need time to let off some steam. They need time to think and process their day, time to do that mental filing that needs to be done for all they learned and were exposed to throughout the day. Most importantly they need time to play.

At Smart Start Pre-Prep we provide structured homework time and time to play through an indoor and outdoor schedule which includes free play, organized play, and activities with choices. On days when their elementary school is closed, day camp activities with added field trips are a regular and enriching experience that the children look forward to.

School-agers love using their imaginations, organizing and leading others, researching special interests, making collections, playing board games, doing puzzles, working on crafts, using physical skills, and listening to music. Our School Age program offers a place to relax, have fun, be creative, make decisions, practice and master skills, and just have fun with their peers.

We are here to help achieve a calm transition between their school day and an evening at home with you that can be full of positive fun conversation.   

 With 30 years of experience, Smart Start’s Awesome Adventure Summer Camps offer our campers a program that is as diverse as it is stimulating.  Join us and make memories that last a lifetime!