SmartStart Developmental Learning Center

Hooray for Smart Smart! They should get 6 stars because 5 is not enough! On second thought, 16, would be more appropriateA perfect 10 plus the 6… Pleas, I always felt so protective of the school because I knew if the word got out … There would be lines around the corner and waiting lists… et cetera!!! That is not what Smartstart is about anyway. (shrug) Smart Start School is a breathtaking, beacon of light in a world where it seems, quite dismal and dark, for schools, at this time this day and age and during this electronic climate of ever changing new gadgets and ingenuity and must have learning toolThis is SCHOOL the way we dreamed and wished it could be!!! You really have to remember back when you were a kid… the way you wished it could have been different, when you were socializing and learning! Perhaps, you wanted more interesting activities, more kind staff, more integration in sensory activities or simply to be more safe from the class bully… safe from systems that do not honor our hearts and souls! That school did not exist then… But it does now!!! SS Is a sensational school! If you think this is good news, then keep reading!!! There is a teacher there that actually teaches-​with an open compassionate, heart and her brain!!! Really !!! She actually speaks to the students with a respectful, kind, understanding way of being consistently!!! Ha! Perhaps, you are thinkig… NAAAHHHHH…Not real… Ok … I can prove it… The teacher’s name is Melisa and she is a treasure! There is MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, more than this and BETTER than that!!! Could you imagine that? Well… it exists!!! It took me 8 years to build the courage to write this because I really thought it was, «too good» to be true! Indeed, I have been proved wrong, yet again! My child has leaned so many wonderful things at SS! The curriculum and teacher teams are carefully orchestrated by the gifted Dana Kae Boonaham and even –keeled, beautifully natured Sharon Lowry who steers the admin side with the utmost elegance and integrity. This school really should be called Heart Start or Heartsmartstart… but as I start to craft it, it is evident why it is not… and I can identify why they settled on the name and the same holds true with their curriculum! Our child was taught both grace and empathy with people who understand these dynamics! This is quite brilliant in fact!!! As I go on and on I realize that there are a plethora of facts that I leave out so… Check it out if you love your kid and want a school that will love them and you right back! This staff is sublime! There are teachers that imbue all the character, value and virtues of the greatest scholars and most gifted beings that serve in this field. The gals that run the program are divine and are there,” for all the right reasons !!! «Seriously … Not a «Bachelor» jib only! This is a sacred space … A little heaven on earth! What can I say to give you the insight? Hmmm, let me think, ahh, yes… I feel like a kid at a candy store when I go there… So many innovative ways to teach the children. I used to feel like putting my nose against the window in utter delight… wondering what all that glorious, colorful, delicious looking candy tasted like? My mother would not allow me to eat the candy because it would rot my teeth … Much like this school… She sent me to the Curtis, Harvards, …country day schools… I still wondered what it would be like at a school like this and it was taste like… Very compelling… could the candy and this school be as delectable as it seemed? The candy not always, but Smartstart is a resounding YES!!! Yes!!! Yes!!! Yes!!! It tastes great, digests easily and is 100% good for you and all concerned!!! Although Smartstart is not for everyone… Only those who want their children to SEE 4 life™ as joyful and healthy little people that will turn into joyful and healthy bigger kids and eventually people. I am not trying to be arcane or overzealous! I am trying to really give you the scoop from one parent to another! I was absolutely beside myself when searched for a good fit for my child in regards to a school! The school employs the most effective staff and they train these teachers up to be more than mere educators… They very well could be called facilitators or life coaches! Smartstart is a safe, secure, and a sensational sanctuary! (*4 s’s) huh … See how I did that? Kinda Robin Williamsish or Gary Bushyish?) my attempt to reframe my Magoo, super silliness into more social fodder… anyway, I digressed, the 4 E’s are that your cherub children will be sure to be educated, enlightened, empowered and entertained while, you too, if you care to, may grow on up… right beside them… if you choose! This is bar none, the best kept secret in the Los Angeles Area!!! The shame of it all is… Every kid should be able to go to Smart Start!

wow, wow, wow, wow!!! what an amazing place!!! super friendly, knowledgeable & accomodating staff. my son who has delayed speech and sensory issues is being transformed right before our eyes. he’s made such positive progress in a very short amount of time due to the creative and fun ways that the staff interacts and teaches the children in thier care. two thumbs way, way up to smart start!!!