Lionheart Children's Academy

At Lionheart, we love to celebrate - especially when it comes to our amazing staff! This month, we are excited to celebrate F I V E years of service by Angela Rentie, our Academy Director at Lionheart Children's Academy at FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF CELINA and Kai Gronholz, a substitute teacher at our location at Springcreek Church. We are also excited to welcome Heidi VanderWoude and Asiret Harvey in their roles of Academy Director and Academy Ministry Leader and to celebrate Pamela Kennedy's promotion to Regional Director of Safety and Compliance. Congratulations to all these fabulous leaders. Lionheart is lucky and proud to have you as part of our family, and we look forward to watching the Lord continue to work through each of you!

Happy anniversary to Page Sheffield! Page has served as the Cook at Lionheart Children's Academy at Central Church in Plano for the past five years! We are grateful for her heart to serve (delicious food) and tenacity in preparing so many meals and snacks to keep little bellies full so our little learners can be at their best! Congratulations, Page!

There is still time to make a financial gift to impact families for generations to come this North Texas Giving Day! Lionheart is passionate about reaching children and families for Christ through excellent child care. Donations for North Texas Giving Day end at midnight tonight: https://lnkd.in/grffNMdb

Take a moment to hear some of the incredible ways God has worked through the ministry of Lionheart Children’s Academy over the past 10 years. We have grown to 20 academies across five states and daily witness countless hearts being transformed by the power of the Gospel. Your North Texas Giving Day gift will go toward helping us open academies in new locations and reach even more with God’s Good News. We invite you to Give Today: https://lnkd.in/grffNMdb

Don't forget, the Safeguards 4 Kids event is in Dallas THIS WEEKEND! We are excited to sponsor this Evangelical Council for Abuse Prevention event featuring counselor and author, Julie E. Lowe! If you haven't already, you can register here: https://lnkd.in/gFKXxJtH Be sure to use promo code LIONHEART to get in for free! You won't want to miss it!

Happy TENTH anniversary to Dana Davis! As a "floater" teacher, Dana has had the opportunity to love on almost all of the children that have come through the doors at Lionheart Children's Academy at Lake Church! We are so thankful for her decade of dedicated service and tenacity! Congratulations, and thank you!

We are excited to welcome Becki Jones as our new Academy Director at Lionheart Children's Academy at FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH VAN ALSTYNE. Becki has worked in numerous roles in early childhood education over the past 25 years, 17 of which she spent in the classroom. Becki and her husband have four grown children. They moved to Texas in 2020 at the prompting of their 3-year-old granddaughter. When not at work, Becki loves spending time with her family, both near and far, exploring Texas, and chasing after her two Aussie Doodles! Here's a little more about Becki in her own words: "I’m so excited to be joining Lionheart and working in God-centered learning environments that inspire children to grow spiritually, academically, socially, emotionally, and physically as a whole child. It’s such a joy to come along side families and encourage children to be lifelong learners and foster their love for Jesus." We are so glad Becki said "Yes!" to Lionheart and are looking forward to seeing God work through her in this new role!

We are excited to introduce our new Workforce Planning Specialist, Christina Riesco. With a rich background in ministry and a passion for strategic planning, Christina brings a unique blend of experience and dedication to this new role. She holds a B.A. in Biblical Studies from SUM Bible College and Theological Seminary, where she deepened her commitment to service and leadership. Over the past decade, Christina has been deeply involved in various facets of ministry, from hands-on children’s programs to administrative roles and strategic planning. Her extensive experience in non-profit planning and scheduling, combined with her natural talent for sales, positions her as an invaluable asset to the Lionheart team. Outside of her professional endeavors, Christina is a devoted wife to her husband, Jose, and a loving mother to their five children. Her commitment to faith and family fuels her drive to serve the families at Lionheart with compassion and excellence. Christina is excited to contribute her skills and passion to creating a positive impact in her new role.

At Lionheart, we’re more than early childhood education—we’re part of a Kingdom mission to transform the child care industry for Christ. By partnering with local churches, we offer quality care for working families and share the Gospel at a critical stage of children’s spiritual growth. Research shows that if a child doesn’t come to Christ by age 13, they may never do so—this fuels our passion, and we need your help to help us grow this ministry! Join us this North Texas Giving Day and help us reach more children with God’s love. Every gift counts! Give today: https://lnkd.in/gCnGhV8T #NorthTexasGivingDay

Don't forget that the Safeguards 4 Kids tour will be at Dallas Baptist University on September 21! This important event will feature counselor and author, Julie E. Lowe, who will help parents and care givers have wisdom and discernment in parenting and teach them to have age-appropriate conversations with their kids about abuse and threats. There will also be mini-talks about human trafficking and internet safety for kids. Learn more about this important event at https://lnkd.in/ge5PFDrC. And don't forget, as a sponsor of this event, Lionheart families attend for free when you use the code LIONHEART when you register! Hope to see you there!