Our experience with this preschool, was absolutely amazing and exceeded all our expectations! We saw ,firsthand, the positive impact it had on my nephew. From the first weeks, the teachers made a genuine effort to support his adjustment, keeping us , thoroughly informed and ensuring he felt secure and always included. That level of communication and Genuine care made a big difference for our family. Their classroom environment is very structured, organized, and welcoming. It is a setup, where the students, are not overly stimulated and they keep it simple, but, yet, very relaxed and productive! Smart Starts Academy has a curriculum , in which, encourages learning through, play while building important social and academic skills. Over time, we noticed improvements in his confidence, language skills, and enthusiasm for learning, which speaks volumes about the quality of instruction and Attentiveness to each student in their classroom! Emotions that each child may carry ,throughout their day, was Never ignored , but rather, very respected and handled with Extreme care and Genuine Understanding! The staff is beyond,professional, attentive, and Deeply committed to each child's development and learning journey! This preschool sets a HIGH standard for early education, and we would confidently recommend it to any family seeking a program that combines strong academics with Genuine care. Furthermore, the fact that, the students are to wear a uniform, distinctively separates, from other schools,especially because, the students are grasping the idea that, "we are going to school" and it clearly shows the difference between all other schools in the area. I absolutely RECOMMEND Smart Starts Academy and it will Not disappoint! The Smart Start Academy is a Great School for each child's first major steps in Learning and socially engaging in Healthy and Sustainable Growth and Development! read more

Our 3year old has attended Smart Start Academy (SSA Lumbar House) in Jersey City for almost a year. We are so happy with the facility, staff and overall program. 1) Love the mandatory uniform. She associates her uniform with "going to school", which is a great visual prompt to get us ready & out the door each day. 2) The administration and staff are so helpful & have been extra accommodating to her special needs. There is a great curriculum including an introduction to Spanish language skills & preschool preparation (tracing letters, using glue sticks & scissors, etc) . It's truly like a school rather than just a daycare facility. She loves her teachers Mrs Ruth & Miss Justine :) 3) The tech used by the facility is great. The app lets us check her in & out for the day with ease. We get information and photo updates throughout the day. 3) Food is healthy and our picky eater never goes hungry. read more

I want to provide an update on this review. The original horrible experience was from 4yrs ago. Since then our 2nd toddler went to the same location and had great experience. She made lots of friends, learnt a lot and potty trained before turning 3. The new staff and kids made a huge difference read more

Our son has been going to SSA here since he was four months old, and it's been about five months that he's been here. He's doing well and likes his teachers and classmates and doesn't mind going to daycare. I was really nervous he wouldn't like it or would cry at dropoff but so far so good. The teachers and administrators are friendly and give good tips when asked. The teachers do all sorts of activities with the kids during the day (like finger and foot paintings) that frankly I wouldn't at home, so I'm convinced he's having a more varied experience at daycare than he would at home. They also bring him out for walks in a little six seater trolley, have a musician coming in on a weekly basis, had an animal petting zoo once etc. Pretty cool. I look forward to seeing what other activities they do with older kids since my son is still an immobile young one. Lastly, SSA uses an app so parents get updates on the kids' diapers, bottles, food intake, photos etc. It's so helpful to be able to see how our little one is doing throughout the day. The only con of daycare (not SSA specifically) is the germs and illnesses our son brings back, but from what I've heard from other parents, that's a general daycare thing for young kids unfortunately. Otherwise we really like this spot, thank you SSA for taking such good care of our son! read more

Our 3year old attends Smart Start Academy (SSA Lumbar House). She has had a great experience this year with her favorite teachers Mrs Ruth and Miss Justine. The program is well run. Facilities are clean. Staff is friendly and supportive. read more

Smart Start Academy has been the most amazing place for my baby and my family for almost a year. We were so worried to find a place for our child in which he could be safe and loved. And SSA is definitely like a home for him. Since he started he's been happy, his motor skills have been improved by the time, he is learning about social interaction and friendship, he loves circle time... SSA made me feel less guilty in the hardest transition for a mom: get back to work. I want to thank all the lovely teachers for their attention, kindness and love. Thanks Ms. Rosmery , Ms. Daneli, Ms. Leany, Ms. Vanessa for your commitment and engagement doing your job. Susan, Andres and Dante. read more

I feel obligated to leave this updated review given what happened to us at Smart Start Academy Central Avenue from February to April 2024 since we posted our first review. First of all, I am a parent and not a former employee; additionally, I met with and discussed these concerns in person with the curriculum coordinator and the center director at their request. But I feel it's important to let other parents know our experience and hopefully, it will lead to improvements and more honesty, clarity and transparency at SSA Central Avenue. Unfortunately, our son was bitten four times over a period of less than two months while in the toddler room. Two of the bites we were never informed about, we just saw the marks on his body and confirmed with the staff the next day that biting had occurred. SSA's handbook, and the regulations dictated by the state, are that written incident reports must be provided for injuries such as these, but when we brought these issues up with the staff, we received mixed answers - once, they told us they had put a notification in the app and it didn't save, or that they told my spouse (they didn't). Sometimes it took weeks to get answers. We tried really hard to address this with the center administrators, but we were repeatedly told biting was a normal developmental behavior and they were addressing it with the other family (we later learned from the other family they hadn't even been told this was an issue). We repeatedly stated that our concerns were not about the behavior of the children, our concerns were about having adequate supervision and communication by the adults in a prompt and professional manner, per their own handbook. Unfortunately, we felt dismissed and unheard, and the biting kept happening. We finally decided to pull our child after the fourth bite because it was becoming so traumatizing for our son and our entire family. I dreaded dropping him off and wasn't able to focus at work because I was concerned about what was happening at the center. We ended up taking him out of the center permanently in the middle of the week because we were so worried about his health and safety, feeling it was better to scramble to make other arrangements than have him stay there. We did really enjoy having Miss Tyla, Miss Mery and Miss Mary, who clearly care for the children and are doing their best. But the teacher turnover seemed very fast, and we would often drop off to a teacher we hadn't met before or have teachers just no longer be there one day. There also seemed to be staffing ratio issues -- there were multiple times I dropped off in the morning and there were nine children with one adult, far more than the state ratio. I will say that when I finally met with the curriculum coordinator and center director after we had decided to pull our child from SSA, they listened attentively and seemed very concerned, and said they would be making changes. But I think it's important to share my experience because I would not want another family to go through what mine has. It's very upsetting to have your child be repeatedly injured and then be dismissed when you try to ensure it won't happen again. I hope SSA Central will use this situation as an opportunity to further train and develop their staff, add additional teachers where needed and ensure protocols are being followed about health and safety. In the meantime, I hope this review is helpful to other parents as they choose childcare providers in the neighborhood. read more

Our son (and previously his older sister at Lumber House) has been going to the JC (the Heights) Palisades location since he is 5 months old. Everyone - from admin (shout out to the very best Mrs Joselyn, but also Ms Sarahi and Karina among others) to the caring teachers (special thoughts to our son's current teachers Ms Brianna and Ms Melanie, also Ms Nahema at LH but there are so many other wonderful teachers/assistants in both locations I'm missing) have been amazing and above anything, trusting, reliable and professional. We also love the location just in front of Riverview Park as the kids go on daily walk(s) and the facilities are pristine. Organic food is catered and we're lucky our toddler is a good eater, and seems to enjoy everything served to him :) SSA feels like a second family for us and we are so grateful we found this daycare and always had/have peace of mind when dropping off our little one(s). Highly recommended! read more

We send our youngest to the SSA Palisade square location and we've been so happy with our experience so far. The facility is bright, clean and very welcoming. Every time we walk in the children seem very active and the staff is always attentive. They're all delightful but special shoutouts to Karina, Sarah, Jenny and Gennaris. Communication is really clear and delivered in a timely fashion, and we get regular updates throughout the day on our child. The food menu is also . Our son seems super happy while he's there, as do the other kids. Highly recommend this spot. read more

The teachers and staff at SSA Heights location are amazing, they go above and beyond for our daughter. I highly recommend SSA Heights location for anyone looking for value and quality daycare. read more

Teachers & Support staff at SSA Palisade are helpful & perform their duties in a professional manner. I highly recommend this location.

our experience with the SSA lumber house team has been nothing short of fantastic. My daughter eagerly looks forward to daycare every morning, thanks to the wonderful service, excellent food, and engaging teaching methods. We love all the teachers especially Ms. Jessica and Ms. Samira who have become her favorites, and in just a few months, they've managed to teach her numbers, letters, manners, and more. We couldn't be happier with the positive impact they've had on our little one's learning journey! read more

Lovely staff at Lumber House in the Heights! This was our son's first experience with daycare, and it went extremely smoothly due to the help from his teachers and the wonderful front desk staff. read more

Our son is excited to go to Smart Start Academy on central Ave every morning. In the beginning, it was difficult for him since he was only 1 1/2 years old, but the teachers accommodated all his needs so he could be comfortable. He's now 2 1/2 years old and enjoys the company of his teachers and friends. In addition, he has learned so much, including spelling his name, numbers, the alphabet, days of the week, and so much more. A special thank you to Ms. Tyla, Ms. Mary, Ms. Kiki, Ms. Emily, Ms. Rosmery, and Ms. Vanessa for always taking great care of our son! read more

My son has attended both SSA Palisades Square and now SSA Lumber House. My son started SSA Palisades Square when he was 4 months old at the height of the pandemic and we have been with SSA since. Both SSA Palisades Square and Lumber House have always provided exceptional care and I have been able to easily get into contact with the directors, administrators, and teachers. Joselyn and Sarah have always been great to communicate with and always provided swift resolutions to any concerns I have had. Both always have the children's best interests in mind and always go above and beyond. Since we have been with SSA for three years we have had the opportunity to engage with caring, excellent teachers such as: Ms. Jessica, Ms. Samira, Ms. Ruth, Ms. Atiana, Ms. Nahema, Ms. Keishla, Ms. Jennifer and Ms. Smidta, along with Paulina and Nada the curriculum coordinators. All of these wonderful teachers have helped guide my son and have taught him so much. He has really come out of his shell and has learned so much at SSA. All of the teachers listed, along with Joselyn have always taken the time at pick up and drop off to give me updates about the day and answer any questions or concerns. I recommend both locations to any families interested. read more

Our daughter began attending SmartStart in December of 2022 and we could not be happier. She absolutely loves her teachers and we're amazed at how much she's learning. The progress over the past year+ has been stunning to watch. No doubt due to the people working there . Ms Jess, Ms Genesis, and the rest of the staff are rock stars and I can't stress enough how good we feel leaving our daughter with them every day. Highly recommend SmartStart! read more

Smart start academy in jersey Ave is the best. My child is so happy and enjoying it.

Our both kids have been at the Lumber House Smart Start location and they loved it! They always speak fondly of their teachers Miss Ruth and Miss Justine ; but also Miss Nahema, and Miss Jessica who are not longer their teachers :) The center atmosphere is very loving, and there is a strong accent on education, my kids can identify letters and numbers which is a great start before kindergarden. Highly recommend Lumber House!!! read more

Our daughter (3.5yo) attends Smart Start Academy at Newark Av. and Jersey Av. since she was 18 months old. She also goes to Express location at Brunswick St. for back up care occasionally. We like the school for many reasons, but what's most important is that our daughter likes it very much. She enjoys the teachers and staff as well as her fellow students. the curriculum is great, and she is learning a lot - spelling names, alphabet, counting, animals, planets and many more things. additionally, the school is very accommodating and flexible in case of any special requests or needs. I recommend the 3 locations read more

Our son started at SSA at 15 months at the Hoboken campus and he loved it. in July of 2023 he moved to the LH location and he loves it even more! The staff have been wonderful. he's really taken to his teachers and is learning so much. Every day he comes home saying new words or citing new shapes - it ceases to amaze us. We are so grateful that our son has such loving people to help teach him, play with him, and ultimately help raise him. It truly takes a village, and we feel we've found ours at SSA Lumber House. read more

We have been sending our older daughter to the SSA Palisade Square/Lumber House locations for 2 years and recently started sending our younger daughter as well. The SSA Lumber House team is incredible--they are so patient with our daughter, even through challenging times such as potty training. She talks about her classmates and teachers all the time, and comes home singing songs, counting and saying her ABCs. It is so nice to have a daycare team that encourages our daughter to be herself and allows us to feel comfortable sending her to daycare. The classrooms are also beautiful, clean and educational. Our daughter loves going to the "market" they have set up in one of the classrooms! read more

Our son goes to 180 Newark location in JC. Everyone from administrators (Ms Darling and Ms Vanessa) and teachers (Ms Iris), are all friendly and professional. My son learned a lot of new things from school, and he looks forward to seeing his friends there r everyday! read more

Honest review: Feel like this is a campaign to increase SSA ratings after Dramatic online backlash that happened in 2023 specially regarding the JC Heights location on Central Av. Anyway, we have been customers of the Central av location for many years. It is convenient for our family because the cost is affordable and it closes late. However so many team turn over and short staffing during the past 2 years along with an awful management from previous shady and deceitful director Ms Cynthia (who thankfully left in Dec 23) degraded the quality of the service over the years and many parents we know left in 2023/2022 because of that. Hopefully with the change of management things will improve. Thank you Ms Rosemery & Ms Vanessa for trying to have things improve! Heartfelt appreciation to some teachers who have been here for so many years: Ms Mary, Ms Kiki and kuddos to miss Rosemery for her beautiful SMILE read more

This daycare is great! Very convenient and close to my job which is a plus. Both my kids love it! I definitely recommend Smart Start!

My daughter has been apart of the smart start family since January, best choice ever also, they accept urban league for low income families, which I truly appreciate. read more

Poorest choice as a daycare. Location: poor and hazardous. Located in flood zone! Safety standards: poor Alerts in emergency situations such as fire evacuation: non existent Teacher and staff turn around: pretty much bi-weekly Food: pathetic Tablet/ iPad use: all the time Age appropriate: nope! all ages mixed. No intimation to when child moves up in a class education quality: non existent This is an update to my review, in response to the business owner's pathetic attempt at discrediting my review; an actual review from a parent who made the mistake of sending not one but both kids to this "daycare". The fact that, the owner resorted to lying rather than addressing the issues our children experienced, speaks volumes! We had no recourse but to pull out our kids from this "daycare", but we do have the right to share our experience. This is a platform where a person can share their experiences, good or bad. WOW! Ok! update to the update! Your scare tactics will not work ! What are you scared of hiding ? I have every right to express my experience on this platform. Think rationally, for a minute, what is important to you, really? Improving your business or disproving me as a customer ???? I am absolutely convinced that it is the latter... It is amply clear to me and everyone, from your comments about establishing my comments as "fake review". I will be happy to show you my receipts, that I was in fact an ex-customer and, prove I am not a disgruntled employee, with a knife to sharpen. A customer who actually left without even bothering to get back the deposit, because it got that bad for our kids! To complete....I agree with you, let people decide for themselves. read more

Ms. Darling is great at making sure babies are cared for.

First off, this is not a fake account, like the owner has claimed trying to discredit past reviewers. I have proof that my child attended SSA infant and waddlers classes on Central for over a year. Second, most of the teachers did a fantastic job taking care of my son despite the issues I'm about to list. But this is a review of everything, the ownership and how they decided to run things. It is my opinion that SSA is a money making sham of a business where the well-being of your child is only a fortunate byproduct of the teachers' commitment to childcare, and has nothing to do with the values of the owners as they strive to rip parents off by any means possible. One thing they repeatedly get cited for is having too many children on site. Look up the NJ inspection reports for SSA online, all locations. We've heard these citations are AFTER they sneak kids out the back to dodge inspectors, regardless of weather, often in extreme heat or without jackets in the cold. One report notes that they were hiding kids in the hallway (March 2018). When the same infraction keeps occurring over and over, it looks like they're not doing anything to fix this issue and just continue to try and cover it up. We were told that the food they serve was all fresh, made on site, and organic, when that was far from the truth. We've seen with our own eyes that most of it is canned, frozen, or instant. To make matters worse, they lied to our faces multiple times when we confronted them about the food quality. We were told that the presence of lower quality items must mean that teachers steal the food and replace it. The absurdity of that accusation is mind blowing. The serving of mixed vegetables they give is about 6 tiny pieces. Our son came home daily clamoring for more food, even after they said he ate his whole plate. I initially shrugged it off as a growth spurt, only to realize it wasn't just my kid. The teacher turnover rate is very high, much higher than comparable schools in the area. This was very disruptive for my son who would scream if he was handed off to a new teacher, which seemed to be the case every week. The draconian rules the owners have for their employees I'm sure are contributing factors. For example, they have an abnormal amount of days off compared to other daycares (e.g. full week in June and Aug), which is not only a huge inconvenience, but tuition isn't prorated. Yet, the teachers aren't paid for those days off either, even though some are mandatory training days. They've been cited multiple times for not having teacher certifications and background checks for all their employees. This is after they're given a grace period. We were told that all teachers have a BA, but we spoke with many teachers who were still in undergrad at the time. It's great that they're working while continuing their education, but don't lie to us and say that the premium tuition is because all teachers have a BA when that's a lie. In terms of safety, I realized how infrequently they filed incident reports when a child is injured and how that practice is not up to par with other daycares. We'd sometimes receive a picture if an injury left a mark, but rarely had to sign an incident report. I'd also often find bruises on my son but never receive any notification that he'd fallen or been hurt. The tuition is handedly the most expensive in the Heights, and will only continue to increase. We asked what the latest bump would cover, teacher raises, improvements to the school, etc. They told us point blank it was because they could find people who'll pay it because the neighborhood is "up and coming." And the 2 month cancellation policy is ridiculous, most are 2 week notices. It's my opinion that they were constantly trying to hide information from parents. The teachers have strict rules about not being able to communicate with parents outside of classrooms, and all babysitting has to be organized through the school, of which the owners get a cut. Teachers sign a 5-year NDA, and the application makes parents agree to not talk with teachers outside of school or post anything negative about SSA online. Why all the cloak and daggers? They may be the only daycare in the Heights that has an app, but it just provides a false sense of security. They only post the nice pictures of the kids and it doesn't give you an indication about what happens other times. They were rarely accurate with updates on what food they ate, but that was also deceiving because their portion sizes were so skewed. Take your money elsewhere. SSA talked a good game and made me feel comfortable initially, but experience showed that a lot of it was lies. When we initially came to management with our list of issues (not just tuition), we were dismissed and the owner refused to meet with us or do anything to accommodate our concerns. We tried to work with them but once they showed their true colors, we made the decision to switch in May and couldn't be happier. read more

Smart Start Academy - Asked for a pic of the servings, this was sent through the app. Apples, frozen veggies, meatballs, and a heap of instant mashed potatoes. - Preschools Near Me - Jersey City, New Jersey

We love SSA Lumber House We've been with SSA for 2.5yrs now, and we're grateful everyday to have miraculously found this new location which had a small class and intimate but new vibe which was important in postpandemic world. My son started at 20 months and Ms Jennifer was the first teacher that my son felt comfortable with and she really helped him adjust. later Ms Ruth gave him confidence in learning and now Ms.Nahema is a bed of love and support while making science and math fun. I now have two kids enrolled at SSA (my son is now 4, my daughter is 2), and Joselyn, the director has been nothing short of Godsend, guiding with compassion and emphathy while running a tight ship. We've been to other locations and other daycares, summer camps, and I can say that the care, attention, LOVE of children and teaching makes a huge difference. When your 2yr old says "I love Tina! I love Elena" and constantly talks about Ms Claudette, and gives her teachers multiple hugs before going home - you know you've made the right choice. Every teacher, assistant teacher and staff at Lumber House display the same love and compassion that comes from the top and when you leave your child with strangers for 8hrs, you need that assurance that theyre in safe hands. read more

Our son started attending at 2 years old. He has been in 3 classrooms so far and we have really felt the warmth and love from the teachers (especially Ms Juanita, Ms. Meena, Ms Jasmin, Ms Cierra, and Ms Pam). The curriculum is beyond what I could have expected. He does science experiments, letters, numbers, songs, books, etc. The admin team communicates effectively with the parents, and the director was even present for the parent teacher conferences. My son loves the food there and the chef, Ms. Carmen, is super sweet to him and the kids as well. They get outdoor time and jungle gym time. We plan on sending our second kid there! read more

my daughter goes to the lumber house location she's special needs and has a lot of triggers . there's an employee there with black hair and glasses . she yells at the kids and tells them she can't stand them. I'm tired of my daughter telling asking me why "no one likes her" she's 4 like come on shouldn't teacher handle children with kindness?! i have mentioned my concerns serval times and see no change. im considering unenrolling. I spoke to other parents and our children are called "brats " and bad kids come on read more

My daughter's first school environment experience has been at SSA Jersey Avenue during the ongoing school year. Not only was her introduction smooth, she developed an instant liking to the environment. Day 1 she was overwhelmed and cried, day 2 felt like routine, by day 3, she seemed excited to go to class. Ms Juanita helped a lot through her initial phase. The food must be healthy and yum, she graduated from home food to school food very quickly under Ms Juanita's care. read more

The staff is great, everyone is very cheerful and helpful..our son has been going for close to 1.5 years now..we are happy with the school. Ms. Darling is great when it comes to handling any issues and con read more

This is our twin girls' second year at the Lumberhouse location and we couldn't be happier. Everyone has been caring, friendly and loving to our girls since day one. We have watched our girls flourish socially and developmentally since starting at Smart Start Lumberhouse and it's all credit to the teachers, staff and administration who work tirelessly. It's because of all of them that the girls are excited to go to school each morning...which makes dropping them off that much easier read more

180 Newark Ave location is amazing. The staff is amazing. My girl speaks multiple languages and has essential social skills. Love!

we are so happy at SSA Jersey Ave location, it's hard to name our fave staff at this facility because they are all so great. my 2 yr. old loves her teacher Ms. Junita, and loves to go to school because of her. they are always very careful to accommodate our every request whether it be diaper rash, food allergies. Ms. Pam, Ms. Kyra , Ms. Kimberley everyone is just so wonderful. read more

We've been at SSA for about 6 months now and we love it there and so does our 2yo. Joselyn, the director, is the absolute best. She always takes questions and concerns very seriously and address them timely. Our son love his teacher Ms Tina, Claudette and Elena and won't stop talking about them at home! We are thankful to be part of the SSA lumberhouse family. read more

Have sent both of my kids to Smart Starr and they have thrives under their care. Attentive, caring and educational at the youngest of ages.

My baby goes here and he is the happiest baby!! The infant team rocks & his teachers are always happy!

Can't say enough about the quality and care Smart Start Academy provides. Amazing staff!