Unique features of the Center include:

• A ramp connecting the building’s two floors rather than an elevator. The ramp allows students of all abilities to easily circulate through the building, and it serves as a social space for interaction.
• A kitchen in the dining space. Because the school teaches life skills in addition to the traditional language, science and math curriculum, a kitchen are available for students to learn how to prepare simple meals.
• A U shape. The building is made up of small sections or modules that are strung together like a pearl necklace. A central courtyard provides a safe place for play and educational activities. The modules are similar in size and shape to other buildings in the northeast D.C. neighborhood, ensuring the school building fits well into the neighborhood.
• An outdoor classroom with amphitheater seating, an outdoor play area, garden, dining terrace and physical education space.

The nonpublic day school specializes in serving students, ages 6 to 22, with autism, intellectual differences, emotional differences, learning differences and traumatic brain injuries. It is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and the D.C. Office of the State Superintendent of Education.

The current building on the property was opened in 1958 as a high school. It will remain open until the education center is completed in late fall 2025.

Established in 1988, the Child Development Center provides affordable care for children of all abilities ages 6 weeks to 3 years.