Best Special Needs Schools in Damascus, Maryland (2026)

Bright Eyes Early Learning Center is one location of a family-run Maryland child care company (Bright Eyes Inc., led by Diane and Pete Holzberger) that has operated since 1991 and serves families across Montgomery, Frederick, and Washington Counties. The Damascus center at 9625 Main St offers early learning programs grouped by age: Infants and Toddlers, Twos, Preschool and Pre-K, plus School Age and a School Age Summer program. Families can choose full-time or part-time enrollment, and the center markets flexible scheduling meant to fit most family work schedules. The curriculum is drawn from the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) approved list. Infants, toddlers, and twos follow Teaching Strategies Creative Curriculum, with weekly lesson plans built around each child's observed abilities and play-based activities like art, sensory work, circle time, sign language, songs, and multicultural music. Preschool and Pre-K classrooms use the InvestiGators Club curriculum, which holds a 5 Star rating from MSDE. That program rotates children through 7 themed units across the year and 13 classroom learning centers (math, science, social studies, language arts, writing, arts and crafts, dramatic play, music, technology, library, calming, sensory, and blocks). Daily small groups of 3 to 4 children work with a teacher on math, science, or language arts, and children practice phonological awareness, sight word reading, shared writing, and think-pair-share. Classrooms work on coping skills, conflict resolution, teamwork, and expressing emotions, and staff support each child's primary language through songs, activities, and learning words and phrases to communicate with the child and family. Teachers run observation checklists at the end of each unit and meet with parents twice a year to review progress, and the program welcomes individuals of all abilities and treats parents as active participants. On cost and access, Bright Eyes accepts all state and local vouchers and serves healthy snacks and lunches following MSDE guidelines at several locations. Teachers are trained in first aid and CPR. The company has been recognized in local Best of the Best and family-choice awards in Frederick, Montgomery County, Hagerstown, and Gaithersburg.

• Early learning center and preschool (child care)
• Learning differences
• Private school

KidsCo Jr. runs a year-round early learning center at 24555 Cutsail Drive in Damascus, MD, one of three KidsCo Jr. locations in Montgomery County alongside Gaithersburg and Rockville. The center cares for children from 6 weeks through 5 years old and splits its enrollment into two age groups: the Jr. Babies program for infants and toddlers (6 weeks to 24 months) and the Preschool program for children 2 to 5 years old. Scheduling is built around working families. The Jr. Babies program runs as a Full Day Plan from 6:30am to 6:30pm, Monday through Friday. Preschoolers can choose a Full Day Plan (6:30am to 6:30pm), a School Day Plan (9am to 3pm), or a Half Day Plan (9am to 1pm), and they can attend 5 days a week (Monday through Friday), 3 days a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday), or 2 days a week (Tuesday and Thursday). Enrollment is handled online through an EZChildTrack parent portal, with registration open for the 2026 to 2027 school year. The classrooms use The Creative Curriculum, which aligns with the Maryland Model for School Readiness (MMSR). The program is organized around the core areas of literacy, mathematics, science, social studies, and the arts, and the staff build a learning plan around each child based on social, emotional, physical, and academic goals. Learning is child-directed, with an emphasis on self-reliance, self-esteem, and the development of fine and gross motor skills, problem solving, and listening and speaking. The center prepares children for kindergarten and works closely with families to tailor each child's experience.

• Early learning center / preschool and daycare
• Learning differences
• Twice-exceptional
• Private school

Little Hands Preschool (LHP) has run a part-time preschool program in northern Montgomery County since 2007, serving families across upper Montgomery and Frederick Counties from its location at 24800 Kings Valley Rd in Damascus, MD. The school follows a part-time model built around child-led play, daily routines, and thematic units of exploration. The core school day runs from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm, and every class is capped at 10 students. A 9:00 am early drop-off is available for $5 per day. Programs are organized by age, and each step adds a day to the week. The Two Days a Week class (ages 2.5 to 3) meets Tuesday/Thursday or Wednesday/Friday at $395 a month. The Three Days a Week class (ages 3 to 4) runs Monday/Wednesday/Friday or Tuesday/Thursday/Friday at $495 a month, where children begin practicing letters and numbers alongside play and relationship building. The Four Days a Week class (ages 4 to 5) at $595 a month and the Five Days a Week class (Monday to Friday) at $695 a month focus on a daily routine designed to prepare students for kindergarten, with academic preparation balanced against cooperation, problem solving, and creativity. Each program has date-of-birth cutoffs for placement. Students in the three, four, and five day classes can add after-school enrichment from 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm, with seasonal fall, winter, and spring sessions covering STEM, cooking, and physical education. The monthly curriculum is consistent across programs with developmentally appropriate differentiation at each level, organized into seasonal themes that build skills progressively through the year. Daily art class is part of the routine, and the program emphasizes unstructured Discovery Play Time for socialization. Teachers are certified and bring decades of classroom experience. Registration is handled online, and families can book a tour.

• Part-time play-based preschool
• Learning differences
• Private school