Welcome!

After 30 years of service to the Richmond community, Lewis Children's Center closed on March 30, 2012.

When LCC was founded as the St. Joseph's Villa Child Development Center in 1982, it offered an innovative service: child care to allow mothers to enter the workforce. At the time, the idea of child care outside the home was in its early stages, and there was a great demand for the center's services.

Times have changed. At the time of its closing, LCC had more than 20 competitors within a two-mile radius of its Henrico County campus. And the economic downturn of 2008 forced many families to cut back on child care, as they could not afford the tuition and/or someone in the familiy had been laid off and could look after the child at home.

Since its founding in 1834, St. Joseph's Villa has dedicated itself to serving needs not being addressed by other programs in our community. In March 2012, the Villa was in the process of launching several new services, including parent education classes for parents going though divorce and a new Crisis Stabilization Unit to help children with extreme behaviors remain in their homes. We are optimistic that these and other new programs will continue to satisfy the Villa's mission of helping children with special needs acquire the tools to lead the fullest possible lives.

We are thankful that so many families were helped by Lewis Children's Center during its 30-year history. They will always remain an important part of our rich history.