About Us
Ms. Sabine
My path began in the legal field, where deep research and clear strategy were daily work. While helping my mother at her church, I saw how one size fits all instruction can limit bright kids while working with the children. That experience encouraged me to research how top systems teach for understanding and joy, and built Smart Start To College on that foundation.
We personalize instruction to each child’s learning profile and focus on true mastery in early reading, elementary math, and executive functioning skills. In reading, we use science of reading routines so decoding, fluency, and comprehension stick.
In math, we move from concrete to visual to abstract models, including number bonds and bar models, so ideas make sense before symbols. We also cultivate the learning habits celebrated by the International Baccalaureate thinking, research, communication, self management, and social skills, so students learn how to learn, plan, and explain their thinking with clarity.
Results don’t depend on one tutor. I design each student’s learning map after a brief diagnostic, set SMART goals with clear checkpoints, train every coach in our playbooks across reading, math, and executive skills, and review plans and lesson artifacts weekly.
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We serve Pre-K through college.
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Sessions are one to one or small group, in person locally and virtual, with a service area that includes Valley Stream, Lynbrook, Queens, Elmont, and Floral Park.
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Getting started is simple: a short consult, a quick skills check, a one-hour first session, and a clear plan you can see.
Call 516 336 8777 or book a free consult.
Ms. Antonia
Antonia holds an LMSW and an M.S. Ed and leads our family engagement and student support work. She translates IEP goals into clear, measurable tutoring targets and weekly routines, turning complex plans into simple, practical steps tutors can follow. With deep knowledge of New York State education resources and parents’ rights (including IDEA and 504 processes), she helps families navigate school communication, request appropriate accommodations, and understand assessment results, always centering the child’s strengths and needs.
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Antonia partners directly with tutors to set progress markers, and review data. Because she combines clinical training, classroom expertise, and systems knowledge, Antonia is equally at home translating school documentation into tutoring plans, advocating for students when families need guidance, and designing family workshops on topics like understanding IEP goals.
Ms. Brittany
Brittany has been with us since the daycare days and brings real classroom experience and a thoughtful, research driven approach to every lesson. A former preschool teacher in NYC and currently pursuing a degree in Speech Language Pathology with a minor in Child Psychology, she applies a language development lens to early literacy, combining evidence based strategies with playful, age appropriate activities.
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Her strengths include building structured, predictable routines that reduce anxiety and boost engagement; designing scaffolded literacy experiences that move children from concrete play to symbolic understanding; and using gentle classroom practices that support social communication skills, turn taking, and self regulation. She partners closely with families to translate goals from IEPs and school reports into practical, individualized learning plans that accelerate progress while honoring each child’s pace.
Mr. Ariel
Ariel is a high school and college mathematics specialist with more than fifteen years of private instruction and five years in learning centers.
His university coursework encompasses Trigonometry, Statistics, Chemistry I, Business Calculus, Calculus I and II, Multivariable Calculus, Differential Equations, Physics I and II, and Discrete Mathematics. He helps students move from procedural memorization to conceptual command, so they can transfer knowledge to unfamiliar problems with precision and confidence.
His pedagogy reflects international best practices. He leads with concept first instruction and a carefully scaffolded progression from concrete to pictorial to abstract representations, making difficult ideas accessible and durable.
Lessons are calm and student centered, anchored in explicit modeling, coached practice, and targeted feedback that cultivates independence without stress. Sessions follow a consistent arc.
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