A Child Care Mission on Montrose Avenue
The Center for Children sits on the campus of La Crescenta Presbyterian Church at 2902 Montrose Avenue in the La Crescenta neighborhood of unincorporated Los Angeles County. For more than half a century it has welcomed children from six weeks old through sixth grade into a program that pairs early-childhood education with a Christian climate of warmth, respect and play. As one of the church's mission outreaches, the Center for Children (often shortened to CFC) operates as a self-supporting child care center open Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
The motto on the front page captures the intent: "Our mission is to provide quality child care that is nurturing, respectful and educational reflecting Christ's love to the children and their families." Families who walk through the entrance find not a Sunday-only program but a year-round school, preschool and after-school program serving La Crescenta, Montrose and the broader Glendale Unified School District.
From Morning Preschool to a Full-Day Program
The Center for Children opened in 1969 as a morning preschool. Over the decades it grew into a full-day program serving infants through sixth graders. Today it runs from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and provides care on many of the days when Glendale Unified schools are closed. The Center also covers school-district holidays, in-service days and intercessions, which is one of its more defining draws for working parents in the foothills.
Although its budget is separate from the church's (the CFC is charged with meeting its own financial needs and is not charged with supporting LCPC), a committee of church members helps guide its direction, policies and philosophies, and the church's Session acts as the governing board of the Center.
Programs by Age
Caring for children from 6 weeks through 6th grade means the Center runs several distinct programs under one roof, each with its own classroom, schedule and teacher team.
Infants and Toddlers (6 weeks through 1 year)
The youngest children are cared for in a primary-caregiver relationship that emphasizes trust, rhythm and sensory play. Caregivers talk, sing and read with babies, follow their cues, support self-soothing and introduce them to books with text and illustrations. Spiritual formation at this age is woven into the day: infants hear prayer as the adults around them talk to God, and they grow used to the church environment as a safe and welcoming place. Staff members are trained in basic first aid and certified in CPR.
Preschool (2 year olds through Pre-Kindergarten)
The preschool day is built around play-based discovery, process art and the fundamentals of language, literacy and numeracy. Teachers help children refine fine and gross motor skills, work with manipulatives to build pre-math concepts, scribble their names, recognize letter sounds and join in group discussions. Social-emotional goals sit alongside the academic ones: sharing toys, expressing empathy, showing kindness and learning to handle conflict with words. Spiritually, children come to understand that God is loving, that Jesus is God's Son, that the Bible is God's Word and that prayer is a way of talking with God.
Half-Day Program (2's through Transitional Kindergarten)
Families who want a shorter day choose the Half-Day option, offered 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. The same curriculum is followed, condensed into a morning block that introduces young children to the routines and rhythms of preschool before they move on to full-day programs.
School Age (Kindergarten through 6th grade)
For elementary-age children, the Center is an after-school program with built-in transportation. CFC vans pick up students from seven Glendale Unified elementary schools in the La Crescenta area: Dunsmore, Fremont, La Crescenta, Lincoln, Monte Vista, Mountain Avenue and Valley View. Drop-off is available from 7:00 to 7:30 a.m. on school days, with van drivers taking students to their campuses at 7:30 a.m. Afternoon pick-ups happen at each school's regular dismissal time and also on Minimum Days and Banking Days. Children under 8 ride in booster seats provided by the Center.
Once back at the Center, students settle into age-grouped classrooms - typically 1st through 3rd grade together and 4th through 6th together - for free-time activities, group time, a 45-minute outdoor play period after snack, and an optional Study Hall from 3:30 to 4:30 every weekday except Friday. An afternoon snack is served around 3:00 p.m.
Summer Day Camp
During the eight-week stretch from late June to mid-August, the Center runs a full-day Summer Day Camp for students entering Kindergarten through 7th grade. A separate Kinder Camp is offered for incoming Kindergartners. The week is built around age-appropriate field trips - zoos, beaches, parks, museums, amusement parks, hikes, pools, movies, performances and sporting events - planned by the Center's own Day Camp Director. Parents register by the week, with a non-refundable registration fee that drops for continuing families. In the second week of July the whole camp joins the church's Vacation Bible School; LCPC volunteers run the curriculum portion while CFC staff stay with the children from 9 a.m. to noon.
The Center also coordinates with Glendale Unified summer school sites in the La Crescenta area, providing free transportation for children enrolled in both programs, and offers flexible pick-and-choose registration so families can sign up only for the weeks they need.
A Christian Climate
The Center's "About Us" page describes its goals in five lines: developmentally appropriate activities, a physical environment that challenges both mind and body, a Christian climate that teaches God's love and forgiveness, warm and trained staff, and a partnership with parents through conferences, education, family events and newsletters. That Christian climate is practical rather than dogmatic. Children pray before meals, hear Bible stories as part of the day, learn that God created the world and that their bodies are created by God and worth caring for, and grow familiar with the rhythms of a church community.
All are welcome at the Center regardless of race, nationality, religion, ambulatory ability or gender. The families served include single parents, married parents, parents sharing custody, grandparents raising children, foster parents, step-parents, siblings raising siblings, and children whose families attend this church, other churches, temples, mosques, home Bible studies or none at all. "What we have at the Center for Children," reads the About page, "are God's children - each one of equal value, each one worthy of His love and of our quality care."
Inclusion and Special Needs Support
The Center tries to accommodate children with special needs within the limits of its license. When placing a child with diagnosed disabilities, medical conditions, developmental delays or dietary restrictions, staff consider licensing restrictions, classroom ratios and size, staff capabilities, the number of other special-needs children in the group and parents' willingness to work with the Center to create the best possible experience for everyone.
CFC partners with regional centers including CCRC and the Lanterman Center, along with public school districts, to help families access one-on-one program assistants and on-campus therapy such as speech, language and behavioral services. The Center will work with, but is not able to provide, one-on-one care.
Daily Life: From the Kitchen to the Play Yards
Meals at CFC are prepared on site by a chef in a professional kitchen and follow USDA-approved menus. The Center provides a morning supplement, a full lunch and an afternoon snack; lunch includes a protein, a grain, a vegetable, a fruit and milk. Children are supported in serving themselves, eating healthy portions and clearing their own place settings to build independence and cooperation. Dietary needs and food allergies are accommodated where they can be.
Outside the kitchen, three large gated outdoor play yards, a central courtyard, two indoor group spaces and an Imagination Playground give children room to move. Enrichment Programs layer in extras: weekly Music with Max for children from birth through age 5, and dance classes for ages 2 and up taught by Plaza Production 1, covering jazz, ballet, tap, creative movement and hip hop.
During the school year the Center follows the Glendale Unified calendar and is closed on the holidays and breaks the school district observes.
Staff with Deep Roots
The Center's workforce is unusually stable. The majority of staff members have been with CFC for 12 years or more, and several teachers have been on the team for close to three decades. Continuing education workshops and college courses are encouraged, and scholarships for Child Development (ECE) classes are offered. The Center accepts applications for preschool teachers, infant/toddler teachers, school-age teachers, assistants and van drivers, with a benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, chiropractic and life insurance, paid time off, bi-weekly pay, direct deposit and the opportunity to participate in a 401(k) plan.
Named on the staff roster are Armineh Ohanian (preschool teacher), Ruth Jahn (toddler teacher), Regina Fong (preschool assistant) and Candice Bautista (school-age coordinator and driver), each of whom speaks warmly of the Center's environment and the families it serves.
Practical Details for Families
The Center's office is open Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Tours are given by appointment only between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. on weekdays. The address is 2902 Montrose Avenue, La Crescenta, CA 91214; the phone number is 818-249-8124 (fax 818-249-8946). Parents can reach the office at officeatcfc@gmail.com or the Center's administrator at arpy@lcpc.net. Applications are downloaded from the Forms & Policies page and submitted by attachment to officeatcfc@gmail.com.
Enrollment is rolling: families can join the wait list at any time during the year, and an administrator contacts them when an opening matches their child's age group. Tuition is due the first day of the week a child attends and is considered late on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. A non-refundable annual enrollment and insurance fee of $150 is charged for each new student. Tuition covers breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack, diaper changing and toilet training, medicine administration, materials, most day-camp trip fees and transportation to and from elementary schools; there is no required fundraising. A one-week vacation credit is given to preschool students who have been enrolled for a full year, and a temporary financial-relief scholarship program is available to currently enrolled families. Subsidized child care arrangements through public and private sources are accepted.