The Foundation School of Montgomery County

Since 1991, Bright Eyes Early Learning Center has been part of Bright Eyes Inc., a family-run company led by President Diane Holzberger and Vice President Pete Holzberger, with locations across Montgomery, Frederick, and Washington Counties in Maryland. The Gaithersburg center is at 7305 Hadley Farms Dr. It offers full-time and part-time care for infants and toddlers, twos, preschool and pre-K, and school-age children, plus a school-age summer program. The center welcomes children of all abilities and supports each child's primary language through songs, activities, and learning key words and phrases used with the child and family. Curricula are approved by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). Infants and toddlers use the Teaching Strategies Creative Curriculum. Weekly lesson plans are built around each child's abilities and teacher observation, and they cover art, sensory play, circle time, sign language, music, and fine and gross motor development. Preschool and pre-K classrooms run the InvestiGators Club curriculum, one of five MSDE-approved curricula and one of two to earn a 5-star MSDE rating. Children move through 7 themed units across the year. Instruction is individualized for different kinds of learners, and teachers use observation checklists at the end of each unit. Preschool and pre-K rooms are organized into 13 learning centers, including dedicated Calming and Sensory areas alongside math, science, language arts, writing, dramatic play, technology, and blocks. Daily small-group work pairs a teacher with groups of 3 to 4 children for math, science, or language arts, and children age 2 and up take part in a weekly physical education enrichment activity. Teachers are trained in first aid and CPR and continue professional training. Families meet with teachers twice a year to review progress, and the centers serve healthy snacks and lunches following MSDE guidelines. Bright Eyes accepts all state and local child care vouchers and offers flexible scheduling. Local readers' polls have included Best of Gaithersburg 2019, for Best Child Care Center and Preschool, and the Frederick News-Post Best of the Best Child Care Center award. Families can tour the Gaithersburg center before enrolling.

We are an accredited nonpublic special education school in Gaithersburg, Maryland, with day and residential programs for students ages 11 to 21 who have autism, intellectual disabilities, or multiple disabilities. Montgomery County Public Schools and other Maryland local education agencies refer students to us. The referring agency decides whether a student needs day or residential placement. We can serve up to 25 students. Our program does not award diplomas or use grade levels; we align each student’s instruction with their IEP and build functional academics, communication, social skills, life skills, vocational training, and community participation. Our day program runs 211 days a year, eleven months, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Students learn in classrooms, recreation rooms, a gymnasium, kitchen, art room, music room, and media center. We use age-appropriate pre-vocational tools, computers, audio and video technology, functional life-skills materials, academic resources, and adapted manipulatives. We also teach in community settings such as libraries, recreation facilities, stores, and local internship sites. We arrange transportation by public transit, including Metro Access, or a CSS-owned minivan. We keep no more than seven students in each classroom. A certified special education teacher, an assistant teacher, and instructional associates staff each room. Our psychology team includes a licensed psychologist, BCBA professionals, and behavioral mentors. We include speech and language therapy in school services and add other therapies when a student’s IEP calls for them. Our residential program operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Students attend our day program and receive coordinated instruction and support after school, overnight, on weekends, and on days off. Two students share each townhouse, and each student has a private bedroom. We furnish each residence to create a homelike setting and equip it for instruction in daily living, social and behavioral skills, leisure, and recreation. Residential staff provide continuous supervision and instruction, including overnight teaching and support. Nursing and behavioral support serve students at home, and an on-call system handles emergencies. Maryland’s Office of Health Care Quality licenses each residence. We create an individual daily schedule for each student to practice independent living, take part in community activities, and explore interests and preferences. Families can visit through our open visitation policy. We work with each student and family to plan the move to adult services. We coordinate with Maryland Autism Waiver, DDA, and other supports a student already receives, and we help families with the administrative steps and person-centered planning.

Our Gaithersburg school provides year-round special education, therapeutic support and daily living instruction for students ages 12–21. We serve learners with autism, intellectual disability, multiple disabilities, other health impairments and specific learning disabilities. Our team includes licensed teachers, behavioral specialists, a vocational specialist, occupational and speech therapists, and trained assistants. A structured daily routine and individualized instruction guide academic and practical learning. Students work toward educational goals and preparation for life beyond the classroom, with support coordinated around their needs.