S.M.A.R.T. Program
Stimulating Maturity through Accelerated Readiness Training
Stimulating Maturity through Accelerated Readiness Training (S.M.A.R.T.) is a program that helps children's brains and bodies get ready to learn by building the foundation required for basic readiness skills, critical for successful learners.
The program consists of fun, physical activities for developing and/or enhancing large and fine motor skills, balance and coordination, visual efficiency, eye-hand coordination, attention and much more. Once these readiness skills are in place, children have the necessary tools to be able to attend and learn, making them ready for school and prepared to become life-long learners.

​We have two applications of the S.M.A.R.T. program:
  • S.M.A.R.T. Pre-K for early childhood educators working with 3, 4 and 5-year-olds
  • S.M.A.R.T. for elementary educators working with Kindergarten through third graders.
By attending a 3-day S.M.A.R.T. workshop, you will:
  • Learn a multi-sensory approach to teaching
  • Learn to enhance the critical readiness skills students need to succeed in school
  • Understand how to look at children developmentally and apply activities for developing and/or enhancing students’ visual perception, eye-hand coordination, auditory skills and large and fine motor skills, all necessary tools for learning to read and achieving academic success ​​

​S.M.A.R.T. is an easy program to implement and activities can be performed with little or no equipment. The physically active and brain stimulating S.M.A.R.T. activities can be incorporated in the daily schedule, both in the classroom and on the playground. S.M.A.R.T. takes the latest brain research, applies it to the classroom, and helps teachers integrate it with what they are teaching.

​For more information about workshop registration, or to learn how to host a workshop, please contact A Chance To Grow's Minnesota Learning Resource Center by calling (612) 789-1236 or emailing mlrc@actg.org.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Do Students Need S.M.A.R.T.? 
Too many children are arriving at kindergarten and grade school unprepared to learn and lacking skills needed in order to learn to read, such as listening and vocabulary skills, visual perception, eye-hand coordination, social interaction patterns, following directions, pencil-paper skills, gross and fine motor skills, and self-confidence in the face of challenges.
What are "symptoms" that students are not ready to learn?
Students that have any of the following "symptoms" are showing signs their brain and/or body is not ready to learn:
  • Skip or reverse letters and words
  • Struggle with phonetic approach to reading
  • Have poor listening skills and/or comprehension
  • Have difficulty writing, cutting or coloring
  • Have a short attention span and difficulty following directions
  • Seem to move constantly, or even fall out of their chair
What is the goal of S.M.A.R.T.?
The goal of S.M.A.R.T. is to help children who are at-risk for failing in school to develop strong learning skills and early literacy skills through age-appropriate activities that are fun and engaging. These "Learning Readiness" skills are concerned with the brain and bodies ability to handle learning, and is achieved through brain stimulation, which matures critical sensory systems. ACTG believes S.M.A.R.T. to be an important compensatory strategy that addresses brain and body deficits to improve learning readiness - a prerequisite for more complex cognitive learning to follow.
What accommodations do teachers need to provide for S.M.A.R.T.?
What is important to realize about this program is that it can be flexibly applied to a variety of situations - space, time, and special needs. And, because the program has been shown to help ALL children in the early years, it can be applied systemically in Pre-K through 3rd grade.

Students can do S.M.A.R.T. in the designated S.M.A.R.T. room, the gymnasium, on the playground, in the classroom, hallway or cafeteria. Any space you can find to use for 30 minutes a day can become your S.M.A.R.T. space!
What staff should attend a Workshop?
While we suggest educators use S.M.A.R.T. systemically, S.M.A.R.T. can be used as a pull-out intervention for students still struggling as they enter third grade and beyond. In addition to classroom teachers, assistants and paras, the workshop is also recommended for OTs, PTs and other support staff. ​
What's the difference between S.M.A.R.T. and S.M.A.R.T. Pre-K Workshops?
Because the workshops are based on development of the vestibular, vision and auditory systems, the activities in S.M.A.R.T. Pre-K and S.M.A.R.T. are also based on development. Therefore, some of the activities in S.M.A.R.T. Pre-K are considered MORE and in S.M.A.R.T. the same activities are considered CORE.
​What educators say about our program
​“Our experience with S.M.A.R.T. has been a very positive one! We have implemented the program into the daily routine in the Wagner Early Learning Center. Students get the benefits of the movement exercises with specific purpose from the start of the year through the end and classroom achievements show the difference!" 
- Lori Bouza, Principal at Wagner Early Learning Center in Wagner, SD

Has S.M.A.R.T. worked for you? 
Share your story! Or, visit our Success Stories page and see what else our educators say about the S.M.A.R.T. approach!
Join us for our  S.M.A.R.T. Workshops! ​
Click the button below to view our full workshop schedule! For questions, please call (612) 789-1236.