FAQ’s

Why is a new school necessary?
Our school still occupies the building purchased by our founder, Jeanne M. Simons, in 1955, and its age and the limited capacity of the structure present many limitations today. With the number of children diagnosed with autism skyrocketing, we know it’s imperative that we expand our capacity and create more educational options for students in need of our services.

How many additional students will be served by the new school?
Our current capacity is 24 students. When the new building is complete, we’ll be able to accommodate 70 students.

How does this project impact Howard County?
Because Linwood Center is located in Howard County, we’re in a unique position to partner with the school system to provide a wide variety of inclusive educational opportunities for local students. Working with the Howard County Public School System, our goal is, when feasible, to help students transition back into their home schools after receiving an appropriate period of supports and interventions at Linwood.

How will this project affect the quality of each student’s educational experience?
Our new school will have dedicated, state-of-the-art areas for multisensory rooms, computer labs, occupational therapy, speech therapy and fine arts. Additionally, the larger facility will give us the ability to provide separate areas for elementary, middle and high school students.

Will this project only benefit people from Howard County?
Because Linwood Center is one of a very small handful comprehensive autism programs that includes residential services, we serve the entire state of Maryland. Increasing our capacity is vital so that no student in Maryland will need an out-of-state placement because no in-state slots are available.

What is the total cost of this project?
The original cost was $12 million. Due to the generous commitment of our contractor to build our school at cost, we will be able to complete the project for about $6.5 million.

When do you expect the project to be completed?
We broke ground in September. Our goal is to open our doors to new students in August 2013.