Best Special Needs Schools in Takoma Park, Maryland (2026)

Estrellitas Montessori Takoma is a private Spanish-immersion preschool at 117 Elm Avenue in Takoma Park, MD. It is an expansion of Estrellitas Montessori School of DC, which has more than 15 years of experience in early childhood education using the Montessori method. The school works with children from 6 months to 6 years old and runs everything in a Spanish-language immersion setting, so children build both their first and second language while becoming bilingual in English and Spanish. The site is clear that this is a school, not a daycare, with a curriculum drawn from Maria Montessori's philosophy alongside the Spanish immersion program. Classrooms are organized by age into mixed Spanish-named communities: the Infant Community "Nido" (6 to 18 months), Young Toddlers "Orugas" (15 to 24 months), Toddlers "Mariposas" (18 to 36 months), and the Primary preschool and kindergarten "Libelulas" (30 months to 5 years). Programs are offered only as a 5-days-per-week option. Infant and toddler communities run a full day from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm, while the Primary program runs 8:30 am to 3:00 pm with optional before care from 7:30 to 8:30 am and a Reggio Emilia inspired after-school program from 3:00 to 5:30 pm. Morning drop-off is 8:30 to 9:00 am and pickup is 5:30 pm, with late pickups billed at an extended care rate of $25.00 per hour. The school adds a Reggio Emilia summer camp built on its Brillando DC program for children ages 3 to 8, structured as four two-week sessions in a Spanish-immersion environment. Camp days center on open-ended art, where children choose when to start, pause, or return to a project, plus themes covering continents and countries, artists, historic figures, nature, animals, and food, along with yoga, dance, and grace-and-courtesy lessons. Registration involves an application fee of $100.00 (paid once), a one-time registration fee of $600.00, an optional lunch fee of $100.00, and a returning-students material fee of $250.00. Students enroll for the full school year, and tuition is owed for the entire year regardless of withdrawal date except for documented service, diplomatic, or out-of-state job transfers. Admission is open to children regardless of race, color, creed, or national or ethnic origin. The school can be reached at 301-302-8331 or info@estrellitastakoma.com.

• Montessori preschool (Spanish immersion)
• Montessori
• Private school

Takoma Park Child Development Center (TPCDC) is a year-round, full-time early childhood program at 310 Tulip Ave in Takoma Park, MD, located two blocks from the Takoma Metro. It is open Monday through Friday, 7 AM to 6 PM. The preschool serves children from 18 months to 5 years, grouped into a Toddler program (18 months to 2 years), a Preschool program (2 to 5 years), and PreK. Alongside the preschool, TPCDC runs before-care, after-care, and a summer camp for school-age children. Nutritious meals and snacks are included, and the center accepts children receiving scholarships through the Maryland State Department of Education Child Care Scholarship Program. The preschool follows a developmentally appropriate, play-based curriculum organized around social-emotional growth, gross and fine motor skills, language and literacy, cognitive development, math, science, social studies, and the arts. Classrooms are arranged by age band (Teddy Bears 18 months to 2 years, Munchkins 2 to 3, Rainbows 3 to 4, and Explorers 4 to 5). Teachers complete written progress reports and hold parent/teacher conferences twice a year, in January and June. The center's stated values include a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community that welcomes families of any race, national origin, religion, economic circumstance, gender identity, family composition, and sexual orientation. For elementary-age children (roughly K through 5th grade), the before-care and after-care program runs board games, arts and crafts, reading, outdoor play, and optional homework help, with breakfast offered until 8:30 AM and an afternoon snack after school. TPCDC contracts with Montgomery County Public Schools for bus transportation to and from Takoma Park, Piney Branch, East Silver Spring, Sligo Creek, and Rock Creek Forest elementary schools. The center follows federal government weather closings, so it often stays open on days the public schools close, offering full-day care on teacher work days and school holidays. The summer Travel Camp serves campers entering 1st through 6th grade (no rising kindergarteners) and runs roughly eight weeks from late June through mid-August, 7 AM to 6 PM with no extra charge for before or after care. Camp registration is week-by-week with themed weeks and field trips, including swimming at Long Branch Pool and trips up to two hours from Takoma Park. Weekly camp tuition is $575 (the July 4 holiday week is lower), breakfast and twice-daily snacks are included, and the camp enrolls about 50 campers per week. The camper-to-teacher ratio is usually 6 to 7 campers per teacher and never exceeds 15 to 1. The center notes the camp involves extended bus travel and is not recommended for children who get significant car or motion sickness.

• Play-based preschool and child development center (with before/after care and summer camp)
• Financial aid
• Private school