Glenn Zetsch spoke about the closure of Life Church Academy with a heavy heart.
“It really is heartbreaking … my children came through here and my grandchildren came through here,” said Zetsch, LCA’s assistant director.
LCA recently announced its final day of operation will be on July 31, 45 years after its inception. Zetsch said the decision to close came down to financial realities and that LCA leadership spent more than a year studying enrollment trends and discussing alternatives with the hope of keeping the daycare open.
Ultimately, he said the desire to continue was strong, but rising operating expenses made it not viable to do so.
“It was an extremely hard decision for the church board to make,” Zetsch said. “One of our board members actually went to BCA. Another is related to an administrator for 25 years. My signature is on the loan papers for the two buildings we bought in 1982 – that’s how long I’ve been around. We’ve been struggling over the past year … what can we do to make it work? What can we do to go on? It wasn’t a decision made overnight or made lightly.”
Formerly known as Boutte Christian Academy, LCA began as a Mother’s Day Out daycare program in 1980. Its founding came with its sponsoring church, Boutte Assembly of God – today known as Life Church Assembly of God. A Mother’s Day Out is a part-time childcare service, usually lasting just a few hours a day and allowing parents to run errands, attend appointments, or take a break while toddlers enjoy structured play, socializing, and early learning.
Faced with the desire to make more choices available for students, it began operating as an elementary school in the 1980s. The school grew into a Type III childcare center for ages 1 to 3 and a state-approved elementary and junior high school (pre-K to eighth grade).
The elementary school officially began in 1983, going from first to third grade.
In 1985, the elementary advanced to the 6th grade. A decade later, it extended services through 8th grade.
By 2005, Boutte Christian had an enrollment of approximately 300 students. But Hurricane Katrina’s impact led to that number declining in ensuing years. In 2017, the school scaled back its grade levels, with 5th grade the final year for students. In 2019, BCA changed its name to Life Church Academy to coincide with the church.
The COVID 19 pandemic led to the school closing for a period of one year. Enrollment pre-COVID was down to approximately 150 students. COVID ultimately led to the closing of LCA as an elementary school, with it transitioning to a daycare. Over its final years, the center served students from infant to 4-years-old. Hurricane Ida added more obstacles.
Zetsch has been part of school leadership since its early years. He believes LCA’s lasting legacy will be that it provided a Christian educational foundation for generations of children.
“We began as a simple Mother’s Day Out,” said Zetsch. “But our pastor had a vision, and collectively our vision grew. We had a lot of people come through our school. We laid a Christian foundation for a lot of people.”
He said that the growth from a daycare to a full Pre-K to elementary and middle school was made possible through a bit of perfect timing.
“You had a pastor who had a vision for it, and a church that was behind it,” Zetsch said. “Katrina took a big toll. Ida took a big toll, as well as the pandemic. It kind of became the final nail.”
He said a point of pride for LCA was that its students that moved on into the public school system consistently performed well academically, something Zetsch said was made possible in part by a very dedicated faculty and staff.
“The people in the building did an excellent job,” Zetsch said. “One of our teachers was with us for 26 years. We have a core of teachers who have been with us for 10 years and up. And they wanted to make a difference. We had longtime teachers who looked at it as a calling and not just a job. They created a nurturing environment.
“We went from a Mother’s Day Out to a daycare to an elementary school and to a school that went up to the 8th grade … every time it was a milestone,” said Zetsch.
