# Smart Start Montessori (Grange Rd) Pre-School
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- Type: Education & Care Service
- Location: Mount Eden, Auckland
- Address: 99 Grange Road
- Rating: 5.0 / 5 from 5 reviews
- 20 Hours ECE: Eligible
- Pricing: Available on request
- Availability: Waitlist likely
## Overview
Smart Start Montessori (Grange Rd) Pre-School is a education & care service located in Mount Eden, Auckland. Privately owned governed. 20 Hours ECE eligible. Montessori.
## Key facts
- Age range: 2-5 years
- Teacher ratio: 1:5
- Licensed capacity: 40 children
- Ownership type: Privately owned
## Philosophy
Montessori
## Reviews
### null review (5/5)

Smart Start is THE BEST childcare and Montessori we could have hoped for — we highly recommend it.

Our daughter spent over two years (age 3-5) here and graduated last week, and saying goodbye was emotional for all the right reasons. Smart Start has truly been the best place outside our home that she could have been looked after. One of the best decisions we’ve made for our child!

The teachers genuinely honour the Montessori philosophy, nurturing each child as an individual and encouraging independence, confidence, and a love of learning at their own pace. The environment is calm, respectful, and thoughtfully prepared, allowing children to feel safe, capable, and curious every day.

Our daughter grew so much during her time here — socially, emotionally, and academically — and she leaves with beautiful memories and strong foundations. We will always be deeply thankful for the role this Montessori played in her early years

### null review (5/5)

My daughter Kayla is now 4 years old and has been at Smart Start for almost 2 years. I had personal experience at Montessori growing up and was ideally looking for a Montessori style center when looking for places to start her education journey because I loved Montessori so much myself - I visited a few centers in Central Auckland and Smart Start was the stand out by far.

Rebecca and the teachers (Ms Jenny, Mrs Anulani and Ms Shayal!) were incredibly warm and welcoming, and the classrooms are well set up, well run and always calm. Kayla starting at 2.5years old was a big transition, and the teachers really handle that early transition with so much care. Kayla settled in so well, and I'm very grateful that she's had such a wonderful start to life in "school", she loves the environment, made lovely friends, and her development has been excellently supported by Smart Start. There's lots of play, learning, structure/routines, a gradual progression towards writing and reading, and truly a lot of joy in the classroom which is exactly what I was hoping for as we get closer to "big school" age.

The teachers are consistent, thoughtful, kind and warm and manage their rooms well, there's very low turnover - thank you all again so much for everything you've done for Kayla, I really couldn't recommend Smart Start enough and we would have loved to stay on if we hadn't moved out of the area!

### null review (5/5)

We couldn’t be happier with our experience at Smart Start. The teachers are truly incredible, they make learning fun, engaging, and meaningful. What stands out most is how they take the time to really understand each child, not only in terms of their learning style but also their social relationships and emotional needs. There’s a wonderful balance between structured learning and outdoor play, and it’s clear that every part of the day is designed to nurture curiosity and growth.

We’ve seen such a remarkable transformation in our daughter- physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially. We are beyond proud of the confident, kind, and capable little girl she’s become, and we know that Smart Start has played a huge part in shaping this foundation during such a pivotal stage in her life.

A very special mention to Jenny, Shayal, Anulani, and Anne — you’ve been instrumental in Kaira's academic and personal growth. Your encouragement, patience, and positivity have helped her believe in herself and embrace challenges with confidence.

And a heartfelt shoutout to Rebecca, the wonderful director of the centre. She goes above and beyond to connect with every child and family. No question is ever too small, she’s always approachable, warm, and genuinely invested in every child’s journey. It’s been such an honour to be part of your Smart Start family, Rebecca.

Thank you to the entire team for everything you’ve done. We miss you all so much, but we’ll be back very soon with our twins! 💛