Pros
I learned truly wonderful skills for working with children that I still use today. It has changed the way I approach play with kids and how I instruct. During my 9 months with SmartStart, I worked 7-3 as a teacher's assistant and then 3:30-8 as a developmental play therapist, with two different pay checks. Then I became a co-preschool teacher. They have truly remarkable skills and methods to offer and I value what I learned during my time there.
Cons
You are micromanaged every single moment. If you cross your arms, you are brought into management's office and told that your body language is unwelcoming. If you are not smiling, you are brought into the office. Every single word you say is monitored. They are very, very Christian, and while I was there, they fired an unwed pregnant woman, resulting in a lawsuit. I was unjustly fired as well. They cycled through many people because most of worked "two" jobs, 7-3 in the school, and then 3:30-8, and on Saturdays, but it wasn't considered overtime, one role was salaried, and the other was hourly. Both jobs gave me about $52,000 a year in 2014-15 for about 70 hour work weeks. They also were supposed to provide me health care but there was a "paperwork" issue for 5 months. They have an EXCELLENT program for the kids, but it is 100% at the expense of the adults. If you follow every single thing they say, you will still be doing something wrong, and be shamed for it. Please avoid at all costs. When one of us was sick, they told us to pray, and come in, because demons were trying to keep us from work. Keep in mind, our students range from neurotypical to high support needs, including medically fragile kids who have been recently hospitalized and could potentially die from exposure to an illness.