{"url":"/santa-monica/smartstart","provider":{"id":"smartstart","name":"SmartStart","kind":"organization","about":"SmartStart is a fully inclusive preschool and elementary school in Santa Monica, founded in 1992 by Sharon Lowery, M.A., who started it in a converted garage in Culver City and still directs it. Children with developmental delays and typically developing children are educated together, ages 16 months to 12 years, using a Developmental Sensory Relationship-based model. Speech therapy, occupational therapy and developmental behavior therapy are offered alongside the school. It is on the California Department of Education certified nonpublic school list for 2026-27 and appears on the Lanterman Regional Center vendor list.","website":"https://smartstartschool.com/","phone":"(310) 452-5437","email":null,"instagram":null,"founded":1992,"credentials":["CDE-certified nonpublic school (2026-27)","Vendored with Lanterman Regional Center","Director trained in ABA under Ivar Lovaas and on Stanley Greenspan's DIR/Floortime faculty"],"languages":[],"image":null},"location":{"id":"main","name":null,"street":"2505 Lincoln Boulevard","unit":null,"city":"santa-monica","zip":"90405","neighborhood":null,"coords":[-118.47037,34.002587],"precision":"exact"},"serviceArea":[],"programs":[{"id":"school","type":"school","name":"Inclusive preschool and elementary school","summary":"Fully inclusive developmental preschool and elementary school in Santa Monica for children with delays and typical peers, with speech and OT on site.","description":"A fully inclusive school where children with developmental delays and typically developing peers learn in the same classrooms, ages 16 months to 12 years. Classes: Luminaries (16 months-3 years, lowest student-teacher ratio, led by an Early Intervention Teacher and 2 assistants, 8-11, 12-3 or 8-3, 3 to 5 days a week, naptime, no toilet training required), Gleamers (2-3), Radiators (3-4), Kinder, and grades 1-5. The model is relationship-based and developmental, grounded in literacy, language and sensory-motor development, with DIR/Floortime-trained staff, credentialed special education teachers, and on-site speech and occupational therapy. Regional center funding is available for ages 18-36 months (Regional Center children attend 8-11 or 12-3); nonpublic school funding may come through the child's IEP for ages 3-10. Tours and a free evaluation are offered, followed by a meeting with the Director.","categories":["private-school","special-education"],"ages":{"min":1,"max":12},"format":"in-person","school":{"sector":"private","enrollment":68,"calendar":"School year; 2026-27 tours open"},"grades":{"min":-1,"max":5},"traits":{"specialNeeds":"focused","conditions":["autism","developmental-delay","intellectual-disability","learning-disabilities","sensory-processing"],"insurance":["regional-center","school-district"],"methods":["developmental","hands-on","dir-floortime"],"admission":"application","staff":["credentialed-teachers","specialists"],"assessment":true,"feel":"A small inclusive school where children with and without delays share classrooms, with therapists working alongside teachers.","topics":["inclusive","dir-floortime","iep-placement","nonpublic-school","vendored-lanterman","early-intervention","sensory-integration"],"goals":["social"]}},{"id":"therapy","type":"health","name":"Speech, occupational and developmental behavior therapy","summary":"Speech and sensory integration occupational therapy at the school, plus in-home developmental behavior therapy, for children with delays.","description":"Speech-language therapy and occupational therapy delivered at the Santa Monica school, in individual or group settings, in 50-minute sessions. OT is sensory integration based, uses the gym and outdoor play equipment or the classroom, and sends families home with a Sensory Diet. Speech therapy is theme-based and coordinated with teachers and other therapists. Licensed speech pathologists and occupational therapists staff the services. Developmental Behavioral Therapy is a relationship-based model delivered by Developmental Interventionists in the home. Regional center funding is available for ages 18-36 months, and Kaiser insurance is accepted for speech and OT. Families can schedule a free evaluation and tour.","categories":["speech-therapy","occupational-therapy","early-intervention"],"ages":{"min":1,"max":12},"format":"in-person","health":{"specialties":["Speech-language therapy","Sensory integration occupational therapy","Developmental behavior therapy","Early intervention"]},"traits":{"specialNeeds":"focused","conditions":["speech-language","sensory-processing","developmental-delay","feeding"],"delivery":["clinic","in-home","school"],"insurance":["regional-center","school-district","hmo"],"groupSize":["one-on-one"],"assessment":true,"staff":["specialists"],"topics":["sensory-diet","dir-floortime","vendored-lanterman","parent-collaboration","kaiser"],"methods":["sensory-integration"]}}],"source":{"url":"https://smartstartschool.com/","name":"California Department of Education certified nonpublic schools list, August 2026","fetched":"2026-10-12"},"updated":"2026-10-12","checked":null,"closed":null,"sample":false}