lion academy

Lion Academy Childcare and Preschool is a ministry of Southeast Christian Church. Our goal is to provide a quality, caring, child-centered, and developmentally appropriate programs for infants to 6 years old. We strive to nurture each child’s emotional, social, physical, cognitive, and spiritual needs in a safe and loving Christian environment. We communicate God’s love and grace to children through words and actions by the teachers and leadership staff. We endeavor to instill in each child their capacity to show their love, respect, and compassion towards others. As a community our greatest hope is that our students grow on a foundation of God’s love and basic bible principles, that they develop a love of learning with an insatiable curiosity and build life-long friendships that begin in our program.


More Information on Childcare OR Preschool


More Information on Summer Camp

Meet the director!

Hello! My name is Julie Hessheimer and I am the Director at Lion Academy.


I was born and raised in Utah and grew up on a small family farm in West Jordan. I come from a blended family of 14 children. I’ve always been a teacher; in kindergarten I would come home from each day and teach my younger sister all that I learned. At age 12 I created a dance school for neighborhood children.


I served as a substitute in the Granite School District and worked in Granite School District’s Preschool Program. In 1986, I went onto own and operate my own childcare center for 10 years. Most recently I worked as the Director for Mount Olympus Christian Child Development Center before coming to Southeast Christian Church to start Lion Academy. I also work as an instructor for the Office of Child Care teaching career ladder classes to Child Care teachers.


Education: CDA (Child Development Associates) Credential as well as a NAC (National Administrator Credential) and CPR Certification

Some fun facts about me:

  • I love to learn, and I am continually attending continuing education classes to keep current in the early childhood arena.
  • I married my high school sweetheart.
  • I have two sons who are grown, with one granddaughter. And raised 7 foster children.
  • I love big dogs. We always have at least one dog in our home.
  • My hobbies include motorcycles, travel, cake decorating, all types of painting and art.