Our Mission
At Just North Christian Childcare—formerly Olentangy Church Child Care—we celebrate each child as a unique and cherished creation of God. Our mission is to help every child experience God’s love and care through a nurturing environment that supports their intellectual, physical, emotional, social, and spiritual growth.
Who are we?
Just North Christian Childcare is a nonprofit childcare center committed to providing high-quality early childhood care and education for children 18 months through 5 years of age. Since opening in 1983 as a community outreach of Olentangy Christian Reformed Church, our center has proudly served generations of children and families. Today, we are housed at and spiritually supported by North Congregational United Church of Christ.
Experienced Teachers Who Truly Care
One of the greatest strengths of our childcare is our caring, experienced, and dedicated teaching staff. Many of our teachers have been with our childcare for years, bringing consistency, experience, and a true commitment to the children and families we serve. This teacher longevity is something we are especially proud of—it allows children to be surrounded by familiar, trusted adults who know our program and understand the importance of creating a safe, loving environment.
Our teaching team includes both degreed and experienced early childhood professionals who are carefully selected for their knowledge, dedication, and ability to connect with young children. Our teachers provide developmentally appropriate learning experiences while recognizing that every child grows, learns, and develops at their own pace.
With small class sizes and low teacher-to-child ratios, our teachers are able to give children the individual attention, encouragement, and support they need. Through hands-on learning, creative play, exploration, and meaningful relationships, we help children build the social, emotional, physical, and academic skills that prepare them for kindergarten and beyond.
Healthy Meals for Growing Children
We know that nutritious meals are an important part of a child's day. Our childcare provides a morning snack, nutritious lunch, and afternoon snack each day. Meals are thoughtfully planned to provide children with a variety of foods and the nutrition they need to grow, learn, and stay active throughout their busy day.
Safety & Professional Training
The safety and well-being of every child is always a priority. Our staff members complete required professional training, including CPR, First Aid, Child Abuse Recognition and Prevention, and Management of Communicable Diseases, along with ongoing early childhood education and professional development.
At Just North Christian Childcare, we want families to feel confident knowing their child is spending each day with teachers who are not only qualified and experienced, but who genuinely care about the children they teach. When you become part of Just North, you become part of our childcare family.
Curriculum Philosophy
At Just North Christian Childcare, we understand that every child grows and develops at their own pace. Our curriculum is based on a developmentally appropriate, whole-child approach that supports each child's social, emotional, physical, cognitive, and spiritual growth.
We believe young children learn best by doing, exploring, creating, and playing. Play is an important part of a child's work and provides meaningful opportunities to develop language, problem-solving skills, creativity, independence, friendships, and confidence.
Our teachers thoughtfully plan classroom experiences that encourage children to explore and try new things while providing the guidance and support they need to be successful. Through hands-on activities, learning centers, art, music, stories, outdoor experiences, group activities, and plenty of opportunities for imaginative play, children are encouraged to ask questions, make discoveries, solve problems, and develop a lifelong love of learning.
Just as importantly, we recognize that young children need to feel safe, loved, and valued before meaningful learning can take place. Our teachers build strong, caring relationships with each child and create an environment where children know they belong.
As a Christian childcare, we also nurture children's spiritual development through age-appropriate experiences that encourage kindness, compassion, gratitude, respect for others, and an understanding of God's love.
Just North Christian Childcare participates in programs and community partnerships that enhance our children's learning experiences and support the continued education and professional development of our teachers.
Explore some of the wonderful programs and partnerships that help make learning at Just North even more meaningful by clicking the icons below.