School Age Before and After School Care

We offer before and after school care for students attending Portage Central Elementary, Lake Center Elementary, and our preschool program.  Our before school care begins at 6:30 each morning.  Students have their choice of activities including art projects, games, puzzles, reading, or group games in our gym.  We provide a light breakfast each day at 7:15 that begins with a devotion and a prayer. Our Lake Center students depart the center by Portage Public Schools bus at 8:00.  Our Portage Central students depart by foot (*or church bus) at 8:10 each day. 

After school care begins when students attending Portage Central Elementary are dismissed at 3:40pm.  Our staff meets the students outside the main doors and then walks the children back the Pathfinder Church as a group.  Our Lake Center students return on the PPS bus at 4:10pm each day.  As students arrive back at the center they are offered an afternoon snack before engaging in outdoor or indoor play.  These activities will range from physical activities, arts and crafts, board games, puzzles, Bible lessons,  etc.  The children will also be involved in a weekly Chapel time where they can learn more about God and strengthen their faith walk.
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Preschool

Our preschool program is specifically designed to help your 3, 4, or 5 year old learn and prepare before heading off to Kindergarten.  We use the HighScope Curriculum and we have weekly Bible themes that are designed to help your child grow academically, socially, and emotionally. The preschool day runs from 9:00am-3:30pm each day and we offer before and after school care from 6:30-9:00am and 3:30-6:00pm.  We offer half day morning preschool from 9:00am-12:00pm and afternoon preschool from 12:30-3:30pm.  If you are interested in a part time option for your preschooler we may be able to accommodate for that as well.

Care During Holiday/School Breaks

Our program follows the Portage Public Schools District calendar.  During holiday breaks, snow days, and no school days, we will not hold preschool class.  We will offer care to families for preschool and school age children for an additional charge.
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  Over spring break our staff and students volunteered at the Kalamazoo SPCA of South West Michigan for a few hours by reading to dogs, playing with cats and helping out where ever we could. -Spring Break 2018

Summer Fun!          

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Our students learning how to make art work out of things found in nature.
-​Summer 2017
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Our students learning about the Gospel in a fun, hands on, creative way.
​-Summer 2017
How could you reuse an old pizza box? To make a solar oven of course! -Summer 2017
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Teaching our students about how to respect the world God has created by having our students till, sow, plant and tend to our community garden during the summer.
- Summer 2017
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 Field trips are a must in the summer! Celebrating the end of the summer at Airway Lanes was a blast! ​-Summer 2016
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Summer is all about fun! and what's more fun than having a water day?!
​-Summer 2016