Smarter Toddler

We used to send our daughter to Bright Horizons but until she’s about 8 months old, we placed her at Smarter Toddler. We are very impressed by the quality of care and education that Smarter Toddler provides and would highly recommend parents to go check it out. Firstly, the venue is bright and invigorating – it’s full of children’s artwork and educational displays for kids to explore visually. Our daughter LOVES being at the space, she is all smiles and gets very excited whenever we walk through the school. The indoor playground is a nice space for kids to play in when the weather is not conducive for outdoor time. Secondly, the kids are involved in lots of thoughtfully-planned, meaningful activities each week to learn about history and different cultures through stories, music, play, artwork and dressing up etc Thirdly, the staff and teachers, especially the education director Lisa who btw, knows the kids and parents by name! are amazing. They genuinely care for the children and their family. Lastly, the teacher of ‘infant 3’ class keeps the kids on a structured schedule a very good thing! where everyone eats, naps and plays around the same time, so everything feels more orderly and the children experience stronger sense of community. Most important measure of all, our daughter is loving her time there and she is developing very well every single day.

My daughter has been attending since she was 5 months old, and now 20 months. Every morning she looks forward to seeing her friends and teachers greeting each one by their names. We love the friendly atmosphere and lovely staff that greets us every morning. The facilities are always clean and impeccable from the classrooms, play areas, toilet, kitchen and communal areas. My daughter's teachers in both the infant and young toddler rooms are very experienced, approachable and organized. Everyday we get daily updates both in-person and on their app Tadpoles with photos. My daughter has developed many new skills, which we credit to Smarter Toddler.  We know our daughter is in good hands here and that her teachers are deeply invested in her health and development.

My son has been a Smarter Toddler student from the age of 2 to 4, and he loves it there. It is an inviting, safe, beautiful, and warm space filled with a loving community of teachers and parents. We researched and tried several other daycare programs in the neighborhood, and Smarter Toddler was definitely the right decision. There have been some minor administrative hiccups during our tenure, which is to be expected in a relatively new program establishing its footing, but I feel that the management genuinely cares and is constantly improving. My son has formed strong bonds with his teachers and students, many of whom are now his best friends in the community.

My son had the most wonderful experience going to Smarter Toddler from 5 months to 18 months. I would recommend highly. We moved to Chicago, otherwise I probably would have kept my son there until pre-K! I had a long mat leave and was so stressed about finding a place a could feel good leaving my son so I could transition back to work. The teachers were so engaged and I felt genuinely comfortable knowing that they truly cared about my son. He would run every morning into Miss Shirley’s arms and seemed to have the BEST time every day. They always did so much art, music, yoga and little neighborhood field trips when it was nice outside. My only real problem was that he would throw a fit when I took him home towards the end because he never wanted to leave! You always have to trust your gut with these types of decisions but I’m so glad I went with mine to go to ST.

Smarter Toddler is one of the premiere daycare and preschools in Manhattan. Smarter Toddler promotes social and emotional learning for children. Each age group has developmentally appropriate curriculum that consists of free play, project-based learning, thematic learning, and student-centered instruction. Sight words and beginning sounds are posted next to artwork and images in each classroom to promote beginning literacy skills. I highly recommend this school to families in the Financial District and throughout Manhattan.

Smarter Toddler is a great place to be!! The installations are amazing and every detail is on point, but what makes this preschool so special is the enthusiasm and the dedication that all the staff members have for the children. They know all about children and they are so loving with them!

I love the space here. It's huge and open and the décor is so robust and tastefully arranged. I know your not supposed to judge a book by it's cover but I'm inclined to think that this type of insight in creating a warm and inviting environment, is a reflection of the care and thought that will be provided by the owners and staff.

The space is amazing -- and so convenient for work