A Preschool on Providence Road
Christ Lutheran Children's Center sits at 4519 Providence Road in south Charlotte, a preschool tucked onto the campus of Christ Lutheran Church. The center, known around the neighborhood simply as CLCC, has served families with young children since 1989 and now educates children from infancy through Transitional Kindergarten. It is the working arm of a congregation that, three decades ago, decided to become as busy on weekdays as it had long been on Sunday mornings.
From a Sunday Church to an Every-Day Church
In 1989 the members of Christ Lutheran Church made an unusual commitment: to open a licensed childcare program offering full-day and half-day care. Charlotte at the time lacked quality, faith-based childcare centers, and the congregation on Providence Road had an idea of transforming itself from a Sunday church into an every-day-of-the-week church. From that vision Christ Lutheran Children's Center was born.
Today CLCC, while still connected to the ministry of the church, operates as a stand-alone organization with full- and part-time staff under the leadership of Director Meg Semm. Members of Christ Lutheran Church continue to receive priority status on the center's waitlist, a small but telling reminder of where the school came from.
Full-Day Care, Year Round
The Full-Day Program runs all year, Monday through Friday from 7:15 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., serving infants through Transitional Kindergarten. Children attend Music, Chapel, and Enrichment classes each week as part of their school day, and enrollment includes a light morning snack, a hot lunch, and an afternoon snack, with milk served at meals. The program serves children from birth through age six and is structured to support working families whose children need consistent care across the calendar year.
Classes are grouped by age: Young Infants, Older Infants, Toddlers, Twos, Threes, Fours, and Transitional Kindergarten. Each room follows its own age-appropriate curriculum, while every classroom across the building shares the same weekly theme, so siblings in different rooms end up talking about the same Bible story at dinner.
Half-Day on the School Calendar
For families who do not need full-day care, the Half-Day Program follows a traditional school-year calendar, meeting Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. It serves children ages one through five, with several weekly attendance options: two, three, four, or five days per week, depending on the age group. Children in the half-day program also participate in Music, Chapel, and Enrichment each week, and parents send a full lunch from home, including a drink.
A Curriculum Shaped by Christian Values
CLCC does not buy a pre-packaged curriculum. Instead, a team of curriculum-educated teachers researches the most successful teaching techniques and combines them with their own classroom experience to build what the school calls a truly exceptional educational program. The result is a curriculum that weaves together academic readiness, vocabulary, social skills, gross motor development, art, and music with Bible stories and an understanding of the Christian faith.
The school's philosophy is simple: introduce lessons and skills so that when children are ready, they know how to apply what they have absorbed. Learning is built around songs, finger plays, repetition, books, and plenty of play, with each teacher recognizing that children learn in different ways and at different rates. Classrooms are arranged with centers for art, science and sensory exploration, fine motor and manipulatives, books, music, dramatic play, and blocks. The Threes, Fours, and TK classrooms also have a writing center.
All classes from Infants through TK follow the same school-wide theme of the week, beginning with "All About Me" in August and ending with "Fun and Games" in June. A Bible Story of the Week runs across every classroom through readings, music, puppets, and discussion, and prayers of thanksgiving are said before snack and lunch. Summer brings CLCC's Summer Camp, with themed weeks of water days, special treats, crafts, games, and activities.
Music, Chapel, and Enrichment Each Week
Three weekly special classes support the regular classroom curriculum. Music is held daily in the classroom with the lead teachers and weekly with a dedicated music teacher. Chapel gathers children in the church sanctuary, where a pastor reinforces the Bible stories of the week. Enrichment provides age-appropriate, theme-related activities that extend what the children are learning in their rooms.
Infants and toddlers also spend time in the Rumpus Room, a dedicated indoor space where they can move freely and play with one another. An outdoor learning environment with a garden, picnic area, and music area is available to classrooms throughout the week, and the science room is open to older classrooms for hands-on discovery.
Character Critters and the Monthly Themes
Character education sits at the heart of what CLCC calls its social and emotional program. The school has adopted Character Critters, a program developed at a Louisiana university, in which stuffed animals help teach a monthly character trait through story cards, activities, role-playing, and short video clips. The trait of the month shows up in Chapel, story time, and music, while classroom teachers continue to address character moments as they arise throughout the day.
The cast of critters rotates through the school year. Fran the Fair Frog in January focuses on following rules and sharing; Cindy the Citizen Crab in February on cooperation and respect; Stanley the Standing Tall Giraffe in March on doing the right thing; Polly the Problem Solving Parrot in April on working through frustration; Sally the Self-Esteem Seal in May on believing in oneself; Rusty the Respectful Raccoon in September on kindness and good manners; Roy the Responsible Rabbit in October on perseverance; Tommy the Trustworthy Turtle in November on honesty and keeping promises; and Carrie the Caring Cat in December on kindness and gratitude.
From Infants Through Transitional Kindergarten
The youngest classrooms, Young Infants and Older Infants, focus on nurturing and language. Teachers rock, hold, talk, sing, and read to babies, who spend time on their tummies, in the Rumpus Room, on the playground, and in the gym. Each baby's day is recorded on a daily sheet, including feeding times and amounts, and babies are checked every fifteen minutes while sleeping. Sleep practices follow state law: babies under twelve months are placed on their backs, and no swaddling or blankets are used.
The Toddler and Twos classrooms begin weaving in circle time, math skills, science and sensory exploration, and dramatic play. Threes add a Letter of the Week taught through Frog Street Press Letter Books, Fundations handwriting foundations, daily Show and Share, and assigned classroom jobs. Fours build on those skills with Alphatales Books, writing pages, sight-word introductions, journaling, and math work through one hundred. Transitional Kindergarten pulls it all together in a relaxed, structured environment that prepares children for kindergarten with balanced literacy, hands-on math, science exploration, art, social studies, and weekly Enrichment, Chapel, and Music classes with special instructors.
A Teaching Team with Deep Roots
CLCC's teachers are described as professional educators who feel called to serve as the first teachers, in partnership with parents, a child will have. Many have dedicated more than a decade to the school, with several lead teachers still in the classroom after twenty years and beyond.
The administrative team is led by Director Meg Semm, who came to CLCC after teaching elementary school, writing preschool curriculum, helping open a brand-new preschool, and raising her own two children. She holds a master's degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and oversees a leadership team that includes Assistant Director Jen Glankler, Curriculum Coordinator Megan O'Connor, and Program Event Coordinator Alex Kriek.
Meals, Snacks, and a Daily Rhythm
Full-day children receive a light morning snack, a hot lunch, and an afternoon snack, with milk served at meals. The weekly menu rotates through familiar preschool fare: mac and cheese, sweet and sour chicken with brown rice, cheeseburgers on whole-grain buns, chicken and rice casserole, and SunButter and jelly sandwiches, with fresh fruit, vegetables, and a variety of snacks throughout the week. Menus note common allergens and offer alternatives where possible, including allergy-friendly options at lunch.
Half-day families provide their child's lunch from home. Parents of infants supply diapers, wipes, and bottles or food until their child turns fifteen months, at which point the child joins the regular menu.
Getting Started
Families interested in CLCC are invited to schedule a group tour to see the classrooms, meet the faculty, and ask questions. Full-day enrollment uses a waitlist with a non-refundable fee and a clear process for being contacted when a spot opens. Half-day registration follows a priority calendar that gives currently enrolled families, siblings, and Christ Lutheran Church members first opportunity before opening to the community at large. Up-to-date immunizations are required for every child who attends, with no medical or religious exemptions accepted.