The New England Center for Children Inc
Overview
Mission
The necc exists to improve the lives of children with autism in the commonwealth of Massachusetts, across new england and around the world. Through direct-care services, education, parent training, research, professional development, and a patented technology, necc is helping tens of thousands of children learn and thrive, while also preparing the next generation of special education teachers and board certified behavior analysts.
What it reported doing in 2024
The residential school serves children age 3-22 from around the country who require a highly structured, 24-hour setting to make educational progress. Students live in group homes with other students of the same gender and age range. They participate in small group instruction for academics, social skills, communication, vocational training and physical education. While in the residence, students focus on independent living skills, leisure, recreation and community activities.necc operates a limited adult program for former necc students who have graduated the program but are not able to live independently. The adult program provides supports to help these individuals with autism and developmental disorders develop skills to help them integrate into the community and workforce.necc operates a vast consulting practice, including professional trainings and workshops (an online platform called abaplus), classroom evaluations and consultations, and individual student evaluations and consultations. Necc has consulting practices in 8 countries. In addition, necc runs private programs for individual families, offering applied behavior analysis programming, including a full range of educational services to children with autism.through public school services (pss), necc operates partner classrooms in dozens of public schools throughout new england. This model takes the experience of necc research and uses the methodology of applied behavior analysis in public schools so that students with autism can remain in their district with their peers, while receiving the best education possible. Through this model, skills are addressed in 1:1 instruction, small group sessions and inclusion periods to ensure the acquisition, generalization and maintenance of new skills.necc developed a patented technology, the ace aba software system, to deliver the curriculum used at the center through any device with an internet connection. The app contains more than 2,200 skills and is currently being used by more than 13,000 learners with autism around the world.necc runs an intensive instruction program (iip) for children with autism, age 3-22. The school is open year-round and students in the iip receive a continuum of intensive 1:1 instruction. Communication skills, social skills, pre-academic and academic skills, physical therapy, occupational therapy, leisure, art, music and vocational training are all part of the program that is designed to prepare each child for inclusion whenever possible. The iip strives to treat each student with a tailored program to address their needs, strengths and abilities to bring them to their fullest potential.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Earned-program. 97% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The nonprofit carried out 100% of its reported program work directly.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 042708762
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Headquarters
- Southborough, MA, USA
- Rating
- 78
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
The verdict
SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and the filing does not identify recipients for some grant dollars.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 81
- Transparency & Controls: 67
- Accountability: 92
- Sustainability: 38
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 90.2%; rating input score 90
- Program expense ratio: 91%; rating input score 91
- Fundraising efficiency: $2.71 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 71st percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 6 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 100
- Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
- Grant itemization coverage: Scored; rating input score 0
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
- Public monitoring controls: Limited
- Public policy transparency: Limited
- Public financial transparency: Limited
- Impact reporting controls: Limited
- Public relationship transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 85.7%; rating input score 86; 30th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
- Public governance controls: Limited
- Zakat policy transparency: Limited
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 0.6%; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
- Operating reserve ratio: 0.7; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.16; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 2.4%; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 5.5% per year; rating input score 100; 45th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 6.1% per year; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 5.3% per year; rating input score 100; 39th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 90.2% of revenue deployed · 91% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 12 of 14 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $122.1M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $551K · 22 people listed · 6 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
- Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, and executive pay
- Filing history: 15 annual filings from 2009 to 2024
- Money network: 9 filed money-flow records