SmartStart successfully combines play-based teaching strategies with highly academic, developmentally appropriate activities. Since most of the SmartStart kiddos graduate into the public school system, SmartStart prepares them for kindergarten while offering a developmentally-appropriate curriculum that integrates the traditional learning system along with the more forward-thinking early education approaches such as Reggio-Emilia and Montessori. This combination approach focuses on social-emotional, physical and cognitive development and helps kids "hit the ground running" as soon as they enter Kindergarten.