Learning Care Group News: August 29, 2022
Sean Sondreal Appointed Chief Business Development Officer; Joanna Cline Promoted to Chief Marketing Officer
NOVI, Mich., Aug. 30, 2022 – Learning Care Group, Inc., the second-largest for-profit early education and child care provider in North America, announced today the appointment of Sean Sondreal as Chief Business Development Officer and the promotion of Joanna Cline to Chief Marketing Officer, effective Sept. 1, 2022.
“Learning Care Group is committed to inspiring a love of learning in the communities we serve across the U.S.,” said Learning Care Group CEO Mark Bierley. “To support this goal, it is imperative that we place experienced and talented leaders in impactful roles to drive our highest priority initiatives to grow, evolve, and enhance the child care experience for all of our families. Both Sean and Joanna have played key roles in LCG’s success to date, and their continued leadership will help to advance our mission and leadership position in child care and early childhood education.”
Sondreal will serve in the newly created role of Chief Business Development Officer, where he will lead the company’s Employer Solutions and Sales business. Learning Care Group’s employer-sponsored child care offerings are gaining momentum as employers recognize the need to be innovative and dynamic with the solutions they provide, and this trend is expected to continue gaining traction as work-from-home arrangements evolve and employees increasingly seek companies that maximize their total employee benefits.
In his prior role as Chief Marketing Officer, Sondreal was instrumental in the development and early growth of the Employer Solutions and Sales business, as well as the overall advancement of the company’s marketing organization. Sondreal will now be fully dedicated to executing the growth strategy for this highly attractive, rapidly growing business focused on leveraging Learning Care Group’s network of community-based child care centers for employees working from home or on-site in corporate offices.
“Building on his experience as an outstanding leader on our executive team, in his new role as Chief Business Development Officer, Sean will further accelerate the expansion of our employer-sponsored business,” said Bierley. “Sean’s team is well positioned to address rapidly evolving needs for innovative and flexible child care solutions, which include both creating additional dedicated onsite centers and helping employers and their employees connect with our vast network of community schools.”
In her new role as Chief Marketing Officer, Cline will oversee marketing and communications, and will be responsible for the full customer experience, from acquisition through retention. Previously, as Senior Vice President, Customer Experience, Cline played a critical role in the creation of the company’s custom-built marketing platform, which combines innovative technology, data analytics, and lead generation processes guided by empirical data to optimize student acquisition marketing expenditure and classroom utilization. Cline also led the development and recent launch of the company’s innovative technology platform, SproutAbout®, which offers an all-in-one, custom-built app with integrated communications and livestreaming functionality to connect families with their children’s classrooms.
“Joanna has demonstrated exceptional leadership throughout her tenure at LCG, especially in her role to advance our digital journey, making her the natural successor to the Chief Marketing Officer role,” noted Bierley. “Integrating our product design, marketing, and customer experience functions under her leadership strengthens our ability to deliver on our enrollment and customer retention goals over the long term.”
Both executives will report directly to Bierley.
“I am so proud of the work we have done to build a best-in-class marketing organization that has helped establish Learning Care Group as a leader in early childhood education,” said Sondreal. “I look forward to working with our team to build on this success and enhance our ability to serve both the family and employer markets to provide the ultimate flexibility for our school families, which is what we are dedicated to doing every day.”
“I am beyond excited to lead LCG’s marketing efforts as we continue to evolve and enhance the full customer experience for our families,” said Cline. “The strong foundation established in partnership with Sean, along with the early success of SproutAbout, put us in an excellent position to extend our reach, grow our enrollment, and continue to have a positive impact on every child we serve, their families, our teachers, and our communities.”
Sondreal has served as LCG’s Chief Marketing Officer since July 2015. His career encompasses more than 20 years of leadership experience in marketing, e-commerce, and sales. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business management with an emphasis in marketing from the University of Minnesota.
Cline joined LCG in July 2016 as Vice President of Customer Experience, and she has served as Senior Vice President of Customer Experience since May 2020. Prior to joining LCG, Cline served as the Chief Marketing Officer for Fathead, an e-commerce brand specializing in licensed products. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
About Learning Care Group, Inc.
Learning Care Group is a leader in early childhood education, with more than 50 years of experience in inspiring children to love learning. Headquartered in Novi, Mich., the company is the second-largest for-profit early education and care provider in North America. Learning Care Group provides early education and care for children ages 6 weeks to 12 years through 11 unique brands: AppleTree & Gilden Woods, Childtime Learning Centers, The Children’s Courtyard, Creative Kids Learning Centers, Everbrook Academy, La Petite Academy, Montessori Unlimited, Pathways Learning Academy, Tutor Time Child Care/Learning Centers, U-GRO Learning Centres and Young School. It operates more than 1,050 schools (corporate and franchise) across 39 states, the District of Columbia and internationally, and has a capacity to serve more than 156,000 children. Learning Care Group supports child development for infants to school-agers through a comprehensive, research-based curriculum in a safe, nurturing, and fun school environment. It empowers children to be ready for school, instills a lifelong love of learning, and provides a foundation for the future. Learning Care Group also offers early education and childcare programs for organizations, including at on-site locations, as well as corporate partnerships and backup care programs in its community-based schools. For more information, please visit www.learningcaregroup.com
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Contact: Lydia Cisaruk – Director of Communications, Learning Care Group | 248.697.9140 | lcisaruk@learningcaregroup.com
