Yes, we contact an applicant’s listed references. Two supportive character reference checks are required to attend the program. Listed references may include neighbors, friends, former or current co-workers and others. We will contact local or long distance references.
Yes, we contact an applicant’s listed references. Two supportive character reference checks are required to attend the program. Listed references may include neighbors, friends, former or current co-workers and others. We will contact local or long distance references.
Graduates of the program receive a certificate with 18 hours approved by Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning, and a CPR and First Aid card.
No, we are not an employment service. We provide our graduates with employment search tips and childcare resource information that will help them develop a personal job search plan. Each graduate is an independent substitute teacher and has the ability to work in one or multiple childcare facilities in Georgia. Graduates may be offered and may choose to take a part-time or full-time teaching position.
You can review our website’s training calendar for a city near you. We also find that some participants choose to apply for a location where they have friends and family. They will take the class in the convenient city and after graduation they will be listed for work in their home county and nearby counties.
Complete the program’s application – either on the website or a paper version. Online applications must be fully completed on the website, printed and signed when completed. Applications are then mailed or faxed to our office for processing on or prior to the application deadline listed on the website. Signed background consent forms must accompany the application for complete processing. Only completed applications are processed.
As of 2007, more than 1,200 substitute teachers have graduated from the program. A number of graduates have written testimonials that you can review on our website.
Currently, Smart Start is made up of 8 programs directly related to improving the quality of child care centers, group homes, and family care settings. Six of the programs are dedicated to serving the Metropolitan Atlanta area, two are statewide programs, and all support Georgia’s youngest citizens, birth to five years old.
We recommend that graduates contact a number of childcare programs to ensure that they have the opportunity to be called for teaching assignments as often as they want employment. Graduates who are flexible and list more ages of children with whom they would like to work will usually have greater opportunities for teaching assignments.
Eligible participants must be at least 18 years old, have a minimum of a high school or GED diploma, be able to receive a clear background check (no convictions), commit to substitute teach a minimum of 4 days a month and complete the five-day course.
All child care programs have their own salary ranges and are usually based on the applicant’s education and work experience. Throughout the state of Georgia, the hourly rates will differ according to the local market. As employers, childcare owners or directors will interview and hire the substitute teachers, and negotiate hours and salary. All employment arrangements are determined by the childcare owner or director and the substitute teacher.
If the application falls into any of the above categories, we are unable to complete the processing of your application. We recommend that you read the application to comply with all requirements and if you cannot provide the necessary information in time, consider having your application processed for a future class.
The graduates share a common interest and passion for early learning for young children. The graduates have a desire to positively support young children in their growth and development and to help children successfully transition to kindergarten. They understand that quality early care and education have a long-lasting impact on children, their well-being and their ability to learn.
The course is entirely free! Our professional program is funded through an Atlanta-based foundation. Funding provides the cost of the participant’s background check, a daily lunch, training materials, certificates and a high-quality educational experience.
• A quality educational experience
• training content notebook and resource material
• certificate for 18 state approved hours of credit (BFTS)
• CPR and First Aid card
• employment search tips and childcare resource information to develop a personal job search plan
• free link between potential employers and employees
You will be listed as an available and active substitute teacher on our website. Childcare center directors and home based program owners, pre-approved for access to our website’s database of graduates, will be able to view your name and other pertinent data you provided in your application. This information will help them to consider you as a potential substitute teacher or another position for their program.
Our office also prepares a graduate list (with names and contact information). This list is sent to your local Child Care and Resource Referral Agency (there are 14 in Georgia) and these non-profit agencies share the list with their network of child care programs.
Smart Start is the Early Learning Division of the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta. It was established to develop and implement a long-term plan to increase school readiness in Georgia with the aim of having all children ready to succeed in school by the time they enter kindergarten.
Smart Start is the Early Learning Division of the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta. It was established to develop and implement a long-term plan to increase school readiness in Georgia with the aim of having all children ready to succeed in school by the time they enter kindergarten.
Smart Start strives to foster quality early learning experiences so that children are ready to succeed by the time they enter kindergarten. Smart Start’s focus is to improve the quality of early care and education for all children ages birth through five by:
• educating parents, caregivers, and the public on the critical need for quality early learning for all children; and
• promoting lifetime learning for children, the early learning community, and professionals to ensure greater achievement throughout a child's education and beyond.
The Smart Start Early Education Substitute Teacher Program provides professional development to those who want to substitute teach in early care and learning facilities where children range in age from six weeks to five years. The program serves as a resource for directors of early care and learning facilities to help locate knowledgeable substitute teachers for their classrooms.
At the heart of the program is a five-day, interactive course that provides participants with the basic foundation of knowledge to support the developmental and learning needs of young children, birth to five years old.
The Smart Start Early Care and Education Substitute Teacher Program was introduced to Georgia in November 2002, and it is in its 6th year of operation. The program was modeled after an innovative 3 ½ day training program developed for the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta Inc. (MJCCA). The MJCCA’s NAEYC accredited school sought to ensure high quality and consistency in their classrooms when their regular staff were out.
The team of instructors, who provide an effective and fun adult learning educational environment, include university educators, doctoral candidates in the field of education, and well-respected Georgia early childhood education trainers and consultants.
The substitute teacher graduates represent a wide cross-section of educational backgrounds. Minimally, they have a GED or high school diploma, although many bring college credit hours, college or post-college degrees. Others may be part-time college or graduate students in early childhood education or in related or unrelated fields of study. Some graduates are retired professionals or seeking a career change. Some have experience with young children: a parent or grandparent who is raising or has raised or nurtured children, a former nanny, camp counselor, Sunday school teacher, a former teacher or caregiver, or even a parent returning to the work force. They may have extensive experience with children or very little.
For more information call toll-free at 1.877.STARTGA, Monique Baldwin, Program Assistant at (404) 527-3632, Hollie Pavloff, Program Director at (404) 614-1020 or email us at mbalwdin@unitedwayatlanta.org or hpavloff@unitedwayatlanta.org.
Every year 40% of child care workers leave their jobs. This turnover has an incredibly detrimental effect on children during the critical, formative years of birth to three. Additionally, those teachers and child care workers who remain in the field will periodically leave their classrooms for professional development classes or be out for a variety of reasons.
The Smart Start Early Education Substitute Teacher Program was designed to provide qualified, caring teachers to work with children, six weeks to five years of age, when their regular teachers are out of the classroom.
The training provides a solid foundation of education about young children to support the role of a substitute teacher. It can open a door to working with young children and positively impacting their lives. It gives individuals an excellent opportunity to see if teaching is their field of choice and provides an alternative pathway into the teaching profession.
The credit hours graduates receive for the course enable them the opportunity to work in any Bright from the Start: Georgia Department Early Care and Learning state-licensed childcare center or registered home daycare program. The program’s credit hours are almost double the minimum state requirement, and graduates of the program have reported success in both finding substitute teaching assignments and more permanent job offers. For more information about Bright from the Start visit www.decal.state.ga.us.
No, the credit hours do not transfer into college credit.