The early years of a child's education -- ages birth through five -- are the most critical in a child's development. In fact, the brain triples in size in the first year alone and is virtually its full size by the time a child enters kindergarten.  By the age of 2 years old, the brain is about 80% of the adult size and studies consistently show that children who experience high-quality, stable child care, demonstrate better language and math skills, form secure attachments with adults and other children, and develop better cognitive and social skills.

Despite the importance of early education, a significant number of Georgia's more than 642,552 pre-school-aged children do not have access to quality early care and education. The Georgia Early Learning Initiative, now Smart Start Georgia (Smart Start), the Early Learning Division of the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta, was created in May 1999 to address this pressing need.

Smart Start focuses on the READY CHILD EQUATION = Ready families + Ready communities + Ready Services + Ready Schools = CHILDREN READY FOR SCHOOL, and as a result, fosters quality early learning experiences for Georgia's pre-school generation and promotes lifetime learning to ensure greater achievement throughout the child’s education and life.  With its reputation of authority, the organization is seen as a critical early childhood organization, thus enabling Smart Start to leverage millions of dollars to better prepare children for kindergarten. 

With innovative state and local programs and outreach initiatives, Smart Start has developed and maintains strong commitments and partnerships with Bright from the Start: Georgia’s Department of Early Care & Learning, child care providers, parents,  training and technical assistance organizations, and government and business leaders to improve the quality of early care and education for all children ages birth through five.