Building Brighter Horizons
An inclusive preschool born from two mothers' shared vision
When Infinite Horizons Center opens its doors to students in September, it will be a dream come true for its co-founders — two moms who saw their own children struggle in school and now want to help others succeed. Infinite Horizons will be the first nonprofit preschool and therapeutic center in Billings where neurotypical children learn alongside children who are neurodiverse, including those with autism, ADHD and dyslexia.
“Children with autism often struggle with the social aspect of development,” says center co-founder, Lynea Gerbasi Wallace. “They need to be around kids who don’t struggle with that, so they know what’s expected.”
Lynea will never forget the difficulties her son, Will, faced when he entered kindergarten. Will has autism and had learned important skills in a self-contained preschool for children with special needs. But entering a general education classroom in kindergarten was a real challenge.
“Will was devastated in the first couple of weeks of school,” Lynea says. “Just not knowing how to raise your hand and ask to go to the bathroom or how to interact with peers who were not autistic or didn’t have a disability.”
Center co-founder Lidy Kerr also struggled to help her son, Cody, thrive when he started school several years ago. Cody is 14. He was diagnosed with ADHD at age 6.
“When he was 5, I knew there was something he needed, but I couldn’t get him diagnosed,” Lidy says. “He jumped from preschool to preschool.”
Their children’s struggles were different, but when Lidy and Lynea met for coffee one day in early 2025, they realized they had a common goal: to open a non-profit center that offered inclusive preschool classes as well as behavioral, occupational and speech therapy.
“It was one of those things where you sit down and you’re like, ‘Oh, my gosh, her idea is exactly my idea,’” says Lynea. “The two of us want the same thing. How do we make it happen?”
After a year-and-a-half of planning, Lidy and Lynea are excited to welcome the first students to Infinite Horizons Center, at 1643 Lewis Avenue. They’re in the process of hiring speech and occupational therapists who will work with students who qualify for therapeutic services.
“We want a place where a parent can drop their child off and not have to stress about going to and from therapies multiple times a week,” Lynea says.
These two moms are made for this mission: Lynea is a special education teacher and worked as the program manager for the Montana Developmental Assessment Clinic. Lidy is an applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapist, who owns and operates a local clinic. ABA therapy is an evidence-based behavioral therapy designed to replace challenging and sometimes unsafe behaviors with socially appropriate ones. It uses strategies, like positive reinforcement, and prompts and teaches communication and self-regulation skills.
At the new center, Lynea will manage and supervise the preschool and pre-K programs, while Lidy will manage clinical services and provide ABA therapy to students who qualify. ABA training typically requires 20 to 40 hours of intensive therapy each week, but Lidy believes children can still learn a great deal with a less-intense ABA therapy schedule. The reduced therapy hours will give students more time to attend school.
“I think it’s important for them to go to preschool so they will have those interactions and connections and develop social skills,” Lidy says. “There are certain skills they don’t learn just by observing. The more time they have with each other, they will learn those.”
Infinite Horizons will enroll up to 48 students, and tuition will be based on a sliding scale depending on family income. With the help of fundraising and community support for Infinite Horizons Center, the moms hope they can also offer scholarships to students whose families who need extra financial help.
“We really want our community to step up and help because these children are the future,” Lynea says.
Three-year-old Lucas Latray’s mom, Barbara Satrom, can’t wait for him to start classes at Infinite Horizons. Lucas is on the autism spectrum and needs extra help to succeed in school. Barbara knows Lynea and Lidy and trusts them to teach her son skills that will help him thrive.
“I’m really, really excited about the pre-K program because he’s going to be able to learn to socialize in an environment with people who understand him and can get his quirks and can help him maneuver through all of these different things before he starts school,” Barbara says.
Barbara thinks the new center will teach important lessons to both children who don’t learn typically, and those who do.
“I think that the neurotypical kiddos are going to be more sensitive to neurodivergent children, and my son is also going to learn, ‘Hey, everybody is different,’” Barbara says.
Lynea says in inclusive classes, neurotypical children learn that everyone has different strengths, needs and ways of communicating. That helps them develop compassion and respect for others at an early age.
“Neurotypical children naturally become role models by demonstrating play skills, communication and classroom routines,” says Lynea. “Teaching and encouraging peers also strengthens their own confidence and independence.”
While the young students learn important educational building blocks at Infinite Horizons Center, their parents will also find a helping hand. Lidy and Lynea intend to build a community to support students and their families.
“My vision for this center is a place where children and their families can have people walk alongside them,” Lynea says. “We want to do life with them. To know they’re in a place where most people in the building are going through similar things can be so rewarding and community-building.”
As Lidy and Lynea developed plans for the center, they developed a strong friendship. They’re grateful they can turn to each other when their children are struggling, and they want other families to find that type of support.
“Who can you trust to tell your kids are driving you absolutely crazy, but that doesn’t mean you don’t love them and don’t want to fight for them every day?” Lynea says. “And to say, ‘I don’t know what to do — do you know?’”
Infinite Horizons’ preschool program is a half-day program that will serve 3- and 4-year-olds four days a week. The pre-K program is open to 5- and 6-year-olds and will include four half-days plus one full day of instruction.
“That full day will mirror a kindergarten classroom, with rotations and transitions and all of the things that come with kindergarten, so they can practice,” Lynea says.
While the school focuses on early education, family support programs at the center will serve kids between the ages of 2 and 18. Lynea’s and Lidy’s children are now too old for the preschool programs, but the center can still be a resource as they age. Lynea’s 11-year-old daughter, Alexandra, has autism and can access support at the center.
“My hope and my vision for Alexandra and kids like her is that it’s a space where she can develop the skills to be whoever she wants to be,” Lynea says. “Our goal is to be a hub for all our community, but specifically the autism community all the way through adulthood. We want to support them through teenage friendships and jobs and help them learn skills in a place where they can develop them and fail without being fired or without being ridiculed for their difficulties.”
This has been a hectic season for Lidy and Lynea, with lots of long hours as they prepare to open Infinite Horizons Center. But they’re excited about the future and think they can teach students tools they’ll need to succeed in school and in life.
“I think if we can make a difference one kid at a time, we’re doing what we want to do,” says Lidy.
“This thing is out of a dream,” says Lynea. “I still pinch myself, because it’s like, ‘how did this happen? We started chatting in early 2025 and now it’s going to happen. It’s just crazy!’”
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON INFINITE HORIZONS CENTER, visit infinitehorizonscenter.org.
