By partnering with Learning Care to establish a Pathways Learning Academy, Northview Church transformed underused weekday space into a full-day early education and childcare facility — expanding its community reach, generating revenue for ministry, and keeping church staff focused on what they do best.
By RaeAnn Slaybaugh
“Our mission is ‘making Jesus known,’ and it’s what brought me to Northview in the first place,” says Pongratz, who joined the church’s staff about 12 years ago and now serves as multisite lead pastor.
So, when an opportunity emerged to open a full-day early education and childcare facility on Northview’s campus, church leaders evaluated it through that lens. Could the model meet a practical community need, invite families onto the property and support the church’s ministry — without requiring church staff to become school childcare operators?
The answer was yes.
Today, Pathways Learning Academy at Northview Church, developed and operated through Learning Care, provides full-day childcare and early education programs childcare from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Backed by nearly 60 years of education experience, Learning Care gives Northview access to proven operations, top safety and security protocols and a strong curriculum, all while leaving any ministry-led programming in the hands of church staff. For Northview, the partnership has created a meaningful weekday presence in the community while preserving the church’s ministry priorities.
Recognizing the built-in opportunity
The idea originated with William Cooper, then president and CEO of SNB, a general contractor specializing in churches and a longtime Northview attender. Cooper had seen similar arrangements succeed at other churches and encouraged Northview’s senior pastor to consider the model as a way to better use existing space.
Pongratz was asked to lead the exploratory process. After interviewing potential partners, the church selected Learning Care.
Unlike Northview’s previous Mother’s Morning Out program, which primarily served a smaller group of church families, Pathways Learning Academy was designed to meet the broader community’s need for full-day early education and childcare.
The transition was manageable in large part because Northview didn’t need to construct a separate facility. Some architectural modifications were necessary to satisfy childcare requirements, but the academy uses the same classrooms the church uses on weekends.
That distinction matters. A church interested in launching full-day early education and childcare might assume it needs to develop a new building, hire teachers, manage licensing and market the program. Northview’s experience demonstrates another option: leveraging existing space and partnering with an experienced operator like Learning Care.
“We kept doing what we do, and Learning Care kept doing what it does,” Pongratz explains. “Ultimately, it has been a win-win for everyone.”
Keeping the main thing the main thing
Under the partnership, Learning Care hires, manages and oversees the academy’s daily operations and employees. These teachers and school staff aren’t Northview employees, which frees the church’s staff to remain focused on ministry.
“We’re a church first, and the school is a separate operation,” Pongratz says. “That allows our own staff to focus fully on ministry while their staff focuses fully on operating the school.”
Clear roles, however, don’t mean the two organizations operate without coordination. Northview designated a liaison to work closely with Learning Care and ensure that the arrangement reflects the church’s values.
Establishing those boundaries required some early course correction. Initially, proposed classroom changes threatened to make the shared spaces feel more like a school than a church. Some modifications weren’t required for licensing, so Northview clarified its expectations.
“Kurt Brodbeck, who oversaw family ministries at the time and is now an executive pastor at Northview, became involved in the process,” Pongratz explains. “He did an incredible job of discerning what truly needed to be done to operate a school without compromising the values or visual identity of the church.”
Measure more than revenue
The financial benefits of offering full-day early education and childcare at Northview are meaningful. Through a revenue-sharing arrangement, the church receives income that helps fund ministries it might not otherwise be able to support.
But Pongratz is quick to point out that the most important return isn’t financial.
“Through the academy, families we’re trying to reach are entrusting us with their children and walking into our building five or 10 times a week when they otherwise might never have stepped foot inside a church,” he points out. “We’re meeting a practical community need and inviting families onto our property in a meaningful way — all of which helps us advance our mission of reaching people and making Jesus known.”
For other pastors who might consider offering full-day childcare, Pongratz offers this advice:
“Keep the main thing the main thing. Let the church be the church, let the school be the school, and find a partner like Learning Care you can work with while keeping those roles in the proper order.”
