Smart Start Georgia (Smart Start) is a public/private partnership among the State of Georgia, the Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation, United Ways of Georgia, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, and more than 40 additional supporting organizations. It was established in 1999 as the Georgia Early Learning Initiative (GELI) to develop and implement a long-term plan to increase school readiness in Georgia with the aim of having every child in Georgia ready to succeed in school by the time they enter kindergarten.