Lemay Child and Family Center

What Lemay Child and Family Center does

Lemay Child and Family Center (LCFC) is a Missouri-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates a single licensed early childhood education facility at 9828 South Broadway in St. Louis. Founded in 1975 by community citizens in response to a county-identified childcare gap, the center began operations in 1976 at First Baptist Church of Lemay before relocating to its current purpose-built site in 1980. The center is licensed by the State of Missouri for 121 children ages six weeks through five years and holds Missouri Accreditation (MOA). Programmatic delivery spans Infant-Toddler Care, Young Preschool, Preschool, and (historically) School Age Care, grouped by age in dedicated rooms with state-mandated teacher-child ratios ranging from 1:4 for infants to 1:10 for preschoolers.

The educational model is built on The Creative Curriculum, delivered through a constructivist, experiential learning approach, supplemented by Conscious Discipline as the social-emotional framework. Classroom planning emphasizes individualized pacing, hands-on activity, dramatic play, and teacher-built lesson plans derived from each child's interests. Specialized services — speech and hearing therapy, early intervention, and developmental support — are delivered on-site through a network of community partners including St. Louis Center for Hearing and Speech, P.S. Kids, Maryville University, First Steps, Special School District, Miriam, Provident Inc., and COMTREA. Head Start and Early Head Start services are delivered through a partnership with Youth In Need.

Revenue is generated from three streams: weekly parent tuition ($50 non-refundable registration fee for the first child, $75 for additional children; $1/day late penalty), state and federal childcare subsidies (Missouri state subsidies plus Head Start/Early Head Start reimbursement), and private donations and grants. The center distributed over $500,000 in scholarship assistance to families in 2016, indicating a structural gap between program cost and family ability to pay that is bridged through fundraising. Go-to-market is community-led: enrollment is handled by phone or via an online interest form, and demand is generated primarily through word-of-mouth, community partnerships, social media, and annual fundraising events. The organization is governed by an 11-member Board of Directors and led by Executive Director Denise Wiese.

Name

Lemay Child and Family Center

Legal name

Lemay Child & Family Center

Website

https://lemaychildandfamily.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lemay Child and Family Center is a St. Louis-based nonprofit (founded 1975) operating a single licensed early childhood education facility for 121 children ages six weeks through five years, serving working and income-eligible families via tuition, government subsidies, and donor-funded scholarships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood Education Services

NAICS

Child Care Services (624410), Child Care Services (62441)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Preschool Programs within Childcare Centers (EDACABAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Infant-Focused Childcare Centers (EDACAAAF), Toddler-Focused Childcare Centers (EDACAAAG)

Keywords

• Early childhood education
• Childcare services
• Family support services
• Head Start programs
• Preschool education

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Weekly Tuition Payments: Parents pay weekly tuition fees for childcare services. Weekly fees are due every Monday with a $1 per day late payment charge. The center offers scholarship programs to help reduce costs for eligible families.
2. Government Subsidy Programs: The center accepts Missouri state childcare subsidies and participates in Head Start and Early Head Start programs, which serve families meeting Federal income guidelines at no cost for standard program hours.
3. Private Donations and Grants: Donations help bridge the gap between the cost of high-quality early childhood education and what families can pay. Scholarship funding is supported through private donations, grants, and government funding. In 2016, more than $500,000 in scholarship assistance was provided to families.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Lemay Child and Family Center provides licensed early childhood education and childcare services for children ages 6 weeks through 12 years from a single St. Louis facility, operating Infant-Toddler Care, Young Preschool, Preschool, and (previously) School Age Care programs under MOA accreditation. It also delivers Head Start and Early Head Start services through a Youth In Need partnership and offers Family Support Services including an on-site social worker, parenting classes, and a scholarship program for income-eligible families.

Product overview

Lemay Child and Family Center (LCFC) is a non-profit early childhood education center offering a unified set of programs and services for children ages six weeks through 12 years. The organization operates as a single integrated service model consisting of Early Head Start/Head Start services (with Youth In Need Partnership), Infant-Toddler Care, Young Preschool, Preschool, and Family Support Services including scholarship programs. The center uses the Creative Curriculum with a constructivist/experiential learning approach and Conscious Discipline for social-emotional development. LCFC is accredited through MOA and licensed for 121 children.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Early Head Start and Head Start Services Federally-funded early childhood education programs serving families meeting Federal income guidelines, providing standard program hours at no cost with extended-day options available for a fee. Delivered through the center's partnership with Youth In Need.
• Infant-Toddler Care Nurturing childcare for infants and toddlers under two years old using a primary caregiver model and The Creative Curriculum, providing formula, cereal, and baby food for children under one year.
• Young Preschool Two classrooms serving children two and three years old, licensed for 13 and 20 children respectively, with a focus on individual needs, developmental goals, social-emotional development, early literacy, and potty training support.
• Preschool Two preschool classrooms for children ages four and five (licensed for 20 each), using The Creative Curriculum with an experiential learning approach aligned to Missouri Pre-K standards, emphasizing social-emotional development and early literacy.
• School Age Care School-age child care program for children beyond the preschool years, although the center notes this program is currently not in operation.
• Family Support Services On-site social worker support, parenting classes, parent resource library, discussion groups, holiday assistance, and family engagement activities including curriculum nights, art shows, movie nights, and potluck dinners.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50 years of impact serving families in the Lemay community
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Youth In Need PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLemay Child and Family Center partners with Youth In Need to provide Head Start and Early Head Start services to eligible families in the community.
• St. Anthony's Franciscan Outreach GroupminorOthersCollects and donates school supplies and holiday donations for all families attending Lemay Child and Family Center.
• CarMax AssociatesminorOthersCarMax associates provide volunteer groups that collect supplies and help with maintenance and upkeep of the building and KaBOOM!/CarMax playground.
• St. Louis Center for Hearing and SpeechcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides hearing and speech therapy services to children enrolled in the center's programs.
• P.S. KidscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides therapy services to children enrolled in the center's programs.
• Maryville UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides therapy services and educational support to children enrolled in the center's programs.
• First StepscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides early intervention therapy services to children with developmental delays.
• Special School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides educational services and support for children with special needs enrolled in the center.
• MiriamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides therapy and support services to children and families enrolled in the center's programs.
• Provident Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides social services and support to families enrolled in the center's programs.
• COMTREAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides comprehensive therapy and support services to children and families in the community.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• The Learning Experience: National franchise system of early childhood education centers with proprietary curriculum. Comparable on age range served and full-day care model, though delivered via franchise model rather than single-site non-profit.
• New Horizon Academy: Family-owned early childhood education provider with 100+ locations across multiple states. Comparable on licensed infant care through pre-K programming and quality curriculum approach, though operating as a for-profit multi-site chain.
• KinderCare Learning Companies: Large publicly-traded early childhood education provider operating thousands of centers nationwide. Comparable on licensed infant through pre-K programming, but at corporate scale with standardized curriculum across sites.
• Childcare Network: Large private early childhood education provider operating centers across the southern US. Comparable on licensed infant and preschool programming and state-subsidy acceptance, though at significantly larger portfolio scale.
• Cadence Education: One of the largest private early childhood education providers in the US, operating 200+ centers. Comparable on the full infant-through-pre-K age range and curriculum-driven differentiation, but at portfolio scale with multiple brand identities.
• Learning Care Group: Operator of multiple early childhood brands including La Petite Academy, Childtime, and Tutor Time. Comparable on licensed infant-toddler and preschool care and accreditation standards, but operates a multi-brand portfolio strategy.
• Bright Horizons Family Solutions: Largest US provider of high-quality early childhood education and care with employer-sponsored centers. Comparable on core service offering (licensed infant-toddler and preschool care, MOA-equivalent accreditation standards) but operates at vastly greater scale across hundreds of locations, including corporate-sponsored centers.
• Primrose Schools: National accredited early childhood education franchise system using a proprietary Balanced Learning curriculum. Comparable on accredited quality positioning and infant-through-pre-K age range, with similar emphasis on social-emotional development.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/LemayChildFC
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC2v1ThQzlF0KTrHuNB6tO6Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/lemaychildandfamily
• Instagraminstagram.com/lemaychildandfamilycenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lemay-child-and-family-center

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lemay Child and Family Center