Smart Start Creative Learning Center

Smart Start Creative Learning Center offers activities such as Spanish instruction, music and movement, physical education, gardening, creative art, daily writing, letter and number instruction, and age-appropriate science and math lessons. Children take part in activities to develop fine and gross motor skills, art, music, hands-on cooking experiences, science experiments, messy art, dramatic arts, organic gardening, and a Lunch Bunch program with wholesome homemade meals. The program includes Daily Spanish, Creative Art, Gardening, Academics, weekly art lessons, and weekly music instruction, with a curriculum that includes a mix of play and age-appropriate academics in a social and academic environment.

• Ages: 1–7 years old
• Schedule: Full-time hours 7:30am–5:30pm Monday–Friday, with options for full time (M–F), M/W/F full days, and T/Th full days; tours are offered in the morning Monday–Friday
• Price: Newark Preschool: Full time (M–F) $1390; M/W/F full days $890; T/Th full days $690. Livermore Preschool (effective Sept 1, 2026): Full time (M–F) $1450; M/W/F full days $990; T/Th full days $790.

Smart Start Creative Learning Center states that it offers a well-rounded curriculum that fosters the love of learning in young children in their first academic experience and emphasizes partnering with students’ families, positive relationships with parents, and open communication. The program describes its climate as fun, hands on, and creative, and states that it is an all inclusive preschool which provides all children the opportunity to participate in its programs and services, with a preschool program designed to meet the needs of the individual child and individualized education tailored to each child. It notes a focus on educating the whole child through extracurricular activities, pacing the curriculum according to children’s needs and development, and maintaining rigorous academic standards plus social activities and programs to support a well-rounded education of the whole child.

The program describes itself as a well-known, high quality preschool program with a fun, hands on, and creative curriculum, a full day of school compared to public school half day, and a low teacher/child ratio. All classes include Spanish instruction, with a Daily Spanish class, dramatic arts, organic gardening, weekly art lessons, weekly music instruction, and natural surroundings to create hands-on learning. Children have weekly hands-on cooking experiences, science experiments, gardening, messy art, and music, and the Lunch Bunch program offers wholesome homemade meals with classmates, with lunch available for purchase a month ahead of time or the same day.

Each teacher is described as having many years of experience working with young children and all the necessary child development education needed to be an excellent teacher. All staff are fingerprinted and are CPR and First Aid trained. The program states that all students are accepted on a first come first served basis, with priority given to current students and their siblings when new school registration begins.

Smart Start Creative Learning Center states that it is an all inclusive preschool which provides all children the opportunity to participate in its programs and services and that it will make any reasonable modification to accommodate and include all students. It also states that it reserves the right to deny acceptance to children who require individualized attention that fundamentally alters or places an undue burden on the program and/or poses a direct threat to other children. The leadership team lists Rebecca Hardesty as Executive Director and Site Director.

The program states that it feels honored to be serving the families in many communities.

Last updated April 23, 2026.