Riverfront Childrens Center Inc

Overview

Mission

Riverfront Children's Center provides affordable, high-quality early childhood education and family support services that enable parents to work and children to thrive. The center fosters lifelong learning and family stability through inclusive programming, developmental curricula aligned with the Connecticut Early Learning and Development Standards (CT ELDS), nutritious meals, and community partnerships that address barriers such as food insecurity and access to care.

What it reported doing in 2024

Early Learning Program: Delivered full-day, year-round early childhood education for approximately 70 children ages 3 months to 5 years, aligned with CT ELDS and Teaching Strategies curriculum. Improved school readiness, social-emotional growth, and family stability.Family Support & Food Pantry: Distributed approximately 25,000 lbs of food and household goods to families, removing financial stressors that interfere with consistent child care attendance.Community Partnerships & Scholarships: Collaborated with United Way, Chelsea Groton Bank, and Social Impact Partners to secure grants and scholarships ensuring access for low-income families.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
060732017
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Headquarters
Groton, CT, USA
Phone
8604458151
Rating
83
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Child Day Care

Official website

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 75
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 36
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 79.9%; rating input score 80
  • Program expense ratio: 75%; rating input score 75
  • Fundraising efficiency: $14.61 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -6.1%; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.26; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.06; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 4.9%; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 6.4% per year; rating input score 100; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 5.7% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 9.8% per year; rating input score 100; 57th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 79.9% of revenue deployed · 75% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $110K · 13 people listed
  • Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 14 annual filings from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • JENNIFER SMITH (EXECUTIVE DIR): $109,569 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: FY2024.