About Us

Our Mission

Empowering students with dyslexia and other language based learning differences to reach their full academic potential by providing our students with a solid foundation for their continued success.

     At the Legacy School, we are committed to teaching the whole child, using multi-sensory teaching methods, creative instruction, and a structured curriculum focused on building basic reading, writing and mathematical skills.

 

While we work at the child’s pace, we are challenging them systematically to advance. At the same time, we are exposing them to history, science, as well as specialty areas like art, music and physical education, through experiences, projects and visuals so they learn the same information as their peers do through traditional methods. With an expansive, 7-acre campus, we have the freedom to create activities and lessons for the smallest groups, utilizing all that our surroundings and the expertise of our specially trained faculty have to offer. We provide additional services, including one-on-one tutoring, speech and language therapy and counseling, to equip students with the tools they need for success. Students residing in the Baltimore metropolitan area and central and southern Maryland turn to the Legacy School for its unique approach to learning.

My daughter Soraya has attended Legacy since 4th grade, and the experience has been integral to
her academic success. There’s lots of laughter and joy, a homey and warm ambiance that permeates throughout the school, from faculty to students alike. Students are encouraged to be engaged and advocate for themselves while participating in a rigorous academic program. Because of her experience at Legacy, my daughter has transitioned into a more confident learner who is comfortable exploring how best she learns. As a family, we would not trade her Legacy education for the world!
Regine L.
A Letter from Our Founder
Jamie Caplan

Founder, Head of School

In the spring of 2011, I gathered with a group of concerned parents, experienced educators and child advocates to discuss the future of several talented and bright students struggling with dyslexia and other related language-based learning differences.

We shared a simple, unified vision: children with dyslexia deserve the opportunity to succeed and flourish. As a result of our collective efforts, we created a school where teachers have the freedom to tailor their instruction to serve the unique learning needs of each student. When Legacy opened its doors in 2011, it became evident that the results of our efforts were far greater than we had imagined.

 

Students with learning differences should not wonder why they aren’t learning. They shouldn’t feel inadequate when they can’t read like their peers. They don’t have to pretend to understand or fake their way through a traditional school so they aren’t laughed at or scolded or embarrassed. These students need a loving, caring, nurturing community that takes their hands and gives them the tools they need to thrive. They need a program that is tailored to the challenges they face individually with faculty dedicated to their understanding, their accomplishments, their successes. They need the Legacy School.

 

The hallmark of the Legacy School is our nurturing environment and individualized instruction from a large, specialized staff of 40 faculty members. Our unique program provides a teacher-student ratio of 1:3 and daily, personalized 1:1 tutoring for all students who read below grade level. Our tutors utilize the Orton-Gillingham methodology, teaching each student to effectively decode and encode the English Language. The tutors take their time to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each Legacy student, and also serve as advisor and advocate.

Whether they come to us in the primary grades or in middle school, these wonderful, bright children are finally in a place where their learning style is understood and respected.

Whether students remain enrolled at Legacy for three years or from primary levels up to eighth grade, they learn to merge their skills and content to master the tools they need to be successful at their local public school, private school or a specialized high school, depending on where they are in their journey, and continue to be lifelong learners.

 

Legacy is a special place for exceptional children and an exceptional faculty, the most dedicated, skilled and caring group of educators these students can ever hope to meet. We encourage you to come visit our campus. You can meet our pet turtles, observe a 1:1 Orton-Gillingham tutoring lesson, build a boat that floats in science class, and practice your math facts in shaving cream.

 

Come see for yourself how we foster a commitment to lifelong learning in each of our students.

Jamie Caplan
Founder

Welcome to Legacy
Jamie Caplan

Founder, Head of School

In the spring of 2011, I gathered with a group of concerned parents, experienced educators and child advocates to discuss the future of several talented and bright students struggling with dyslexia and other related language-based learning differences.

We shared a simple, unified vision: children with dyslexia deserve the opportunity to succeed and flourish. As a result of our collective efforts, we created a school where teachers have the freedom to tailor their instruction to serve the unique learning needs of each student. When Legacy opened its doors in 2011, it became evident that the results of our efforts were far greater than we had imagined.

 

Students with learning differences should not wonder why they aren’t learning. They shouldn’t feel inadequate when they can’t read like their peers. They don’t have to pretend to understand or fake their way through a traditional school so they aren’t laughed at or scolded or embarrassed. These students need a loving, caring, nurturing community that takes their hands and gives them the tools they need to thrive. They need a program that is tailored to the challenges they face individually with faculty dedicated to their understanding, their accomplishments, their successes. They need the Legacy School.

 

The hallmark of the Legacy School is our nurturing environment and individualized instruction from a large, specialized staff of 40 faculty members. Our unique program provides a teacher-student ratio of 1:3 and daily, personalized 1:1 tutoring for all students who read below grade level. Our tutors utilize the Orton-Gillingham methodology, teaching each student to effectively decode and encode the English Language. The tutors take their time to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each Legacy student, and also serve as advisor and advocate.

Whether they come to us in the primary grades or in middle school, these wonderful, bright children are finally in a place where their learning style is understood and respected.

Whether students remain enrolled at Legacy for three years or from primary levels up to eighth grade, they learn to merge their skills and content to master the tools they need to be successful at their local public school, private school or a specialized high school, depending on where they are in their journey, and continue to be lifelong learners.

 

Legacy is a special place for exceptional children and an exceptional faculty, the most dedicated, skilled and caring group of educators these students can ever hope to meet. We encourage you to come visit our campus. You can meet our pet turtles, observe a 1:1 Orton-Gillingham tutoring lesson, build a boat that floats in science class, and practice your math facts in shaving cream.

 

Come see for yourself how we foster a commitment to lifelong learning in each of our students.

Jamie Caplan
Founder

Welcome to Legacy

In the spring of 2011, I gathered with a group of concerned parents, experienced educators and child advocates to discuss the future of several talented and bright students struggling with dyslexia and other related language-based learning differences.

We shared a simple, unified vision: children with dyslexia deserve the opportunity to succeed and flourish. As a result of our collective efforts, we created a school where teachers have the freedom to tailor their instruction to serve the unique learning needs of each student. When Legacy opened its doors in 2011, it became evident that the results of our efforts were far greater than we had imagined.

 

Students with learning differences should not wonder why they aren’t learning. They shouldn’t feel inadequate when they can’t read like their peers. They don’t have to pretend to understand or fake their way through a traditional school so they aren’t laughed at or scolded or embarrassed. These students need a loving, caring, nurturing community that takes their hands and gives them the tools they need to thrive. They need a program that is tailored to the challenges they face individually with faculty dedicated to their understanding, their accomplishments, their successes. They need the Legacy School.

 

The hallmark of the Legacy School is our nurturing environment and individualized instruction from a large, specialized staff of 40 faculty members. Our unique program provides a teacher-student ratio of 1:3 and daily, personalized 1:1 tutoring for all students who read below grade level. Our tutors utilize the Orton-Gillingham methodology, teaching each student to effectively decode and encode the English Language. The tutors take their time to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each Legacy student, and also serve as advisor and advocate.

Whether they come to us in the primary grades or in middle school, these wonderful, bright children are finally in a place where their learning style is understood and respected.

Whether students remain enrolled at Legacy for three years or from primary levels up to eighth grade, they learn to merge their skills and content to master the tools they need to be successful at their local public school, private school or a specialized high school, depending on where they are in their journey, and continue to be lifelong learners.

 

Legacy is a special place for exceptional children and an exceptional faculty, the most dedicated, skilled and caring group of educators these students can ever hope to meet. We encourage you to come visit our campus. You can meet our pet turtles, observe a 1:1 Orton-Gillingham tutoring lesson, build a boat that floats in science class, and practice your math facts in shaving cream.

 

Come see for yourself how we foster a commitment to lifelong learning in each of our students.

Jamie Caplan
Founder

Faculty & Staff
From the moment you reach the Legacy School campus, you will encounter the many professionals who work diligently to ensure that your child grows and thrives, academically, socially and physically.
Our History

Jamie Caplan, Diane Simms, Kaye Saracino and a group of concerned parents and experienced educators met to discuss the future needs of several talented and bright students struggling with dyslexia and other related language-based learning differences. Recognizing the only way to tailor instruction to meet their unique needs, Jamie opened the Legacy School in Sykesville later in the year to serve 17 students.

An addition was built to add art space and offices to accommodate the growing student population, which had expanded to 50 students.

The Legacy School purchased the residential home next door to its school building. Administrative offices moved to the new space. Classroom spaces were expanded in the original building.

Another adjacent home was purchased to expand classroom space for a total of 80 students.

Construction begins for new primary and elementary facility. Once complete in September 2021, the school will accommodate growth to 110 students.

Our Campus

Tucked away off a tiny cul de sac in Sykesville, Maryland, delivering a quaint, neighborhood-like feel, the Legacy School sits on an expansive 7 acres that provide a welcoming setting for a school tailored to the individual needs of its students.

 

Modifications to two former residential homes, and a future additional independent school building, enable a unique, non-traditional approach to education. A large playground, outdoor dining spaces, and even a swimming pool, allow our teachers to take advantage of our expanse campus and put their creativity to work to customize instruction to ensure our students thrive.

Our Campus

Tucked away off a tiny cul de sac in Sykesville, Maryland, delivering a quaint, neighborhood-like feel, the Legacy School sits on an expansive 7 acres that provide a welcoming setting for a school tailored to the individual needs of its students.

 

Modifications to two former residential homes, and a future additional independent school building, enable a unique, non-traditional approach to education. A large playground, outdoor dining spaces, and even a swimming pool, allow our teachers to take advantage of our expanse campus and put their creativity to work to customize instruction to ensure our students thrive.

Learn at Legacy
The Legacy School offers an educational solution for students with language-based learning disabilities.
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