Best Special Needs Schools in Nottingham, Maryland (2026)

Active Minds Learning at 8848 Belair Rd in Nottingham (Perry Hall) is a small childcare and education provider built around experiential, hands-on learning rather than worksheet drills. It runs three programs out of this location: a preschool, a before-and-after school care program, and a summer camp. The programs were created and are facilitated by MSDE-certified veteran teachers from the Baltimore County Public School System. The founder, known as Mr. Mike, is a former BCPS educator dual-certified in Special Education and Science with 10 years in the classroom plus time in the PAR program mentoring first-year teachers. Active Minds also operates a Lutherville location, and registration runs through the Brightwheel app. The preschool focuses on kindergarten readiness, blending whole-language and phonics instruction across hands-on learning centers for letters, writing, early science, and math concepts. The day runs 9:00am to 3:00pm following the BCPS calendar, with extended care available. Class size is deliberately small (capped at 13 children, roughly half a typical preschool room) so educators can run small-group work and one-on-one pull-outs to support areas a child finds challenging. Preschoolers also get an eight-week winter swim unit through a partnership with Coppermine. Tuition runs $275 for 5 days, $200 for 3 days, and $150 for 2 days, with a BCPS half-day-with-transport option at $200 for 5 days. The program accepts the Child Care Scholarship (CCS). The before-and-after school program services pickup at elementary schools across Perry Hall, Parkville, Lutherville, and Bel Air, with a structured routine of snack, homework check and learning support from a certified educator, small-group activity (groups of up to 6 rotating every 15 to 20 minutes), and a themed whole-group activity such as STEM, art, movement, or music. On school holidays and closings the program runs educational and active field trips. The summer camp pairs weekly themes with field trips and a language-arts and math curriculum the staff developed in-house, tied to Common Core foundation skills. Children are grouped by grade band (K-1, 2-3, 4-5) for short 25 to 30 minute lessons so the focus stays on reinforcing prior-year skills. Standard camp hours are 8:30am to 4:30pm, with morning care from 7:00am and aftercare until 6:00pm. The stated focus areas of language-based learning differences and twice-exceptional learners fit the small-group, support-driven structure the provider emphasizes throughout its programs.

• Experiential preschool and before/after school care and summer camp
• Learning differences
• Twice-exceptional
• Financial aid