Appletree Institute for Education Innovation

What it reported doing in 2024

Ati is a Washington, dc-based nonprofit committed to providing young children with the social, emotional, and cognitive foundations they need to thrive in kindergarten and beyond. Ati is achieving its mission in three related ways: research and innovation. Ati is a research organization that seeks to understand and address the teaching and learning challenges facing young children. As part of its ongoing research activities, ati in 2010 began development of a proprietary, comprehensive, and evidence-based instructional model, called every child ready, for three- and four-year-old children. Every child ready was developed with support from a us department of education reading first grant, a five-year investing in innovation grant (also from the us department of education), as well as with funding from numerous major philanthropies. Approximately 183 non-appletree classrooms in the district of columbia, Connecticut, Missouri, New York city, and Texas now use every child ready or its related products and services. Ati is constantly improving and refining every child ready based upon its real-world use in these schools as well as its own ongoing research and evolving best practices in the field of early education. In addition, ati is a thought leader in its field, working with federal, state, and local policymakers and advocates to understand the conditions required to improve earlyeducation outcomes. Direct education of children. In school year 2024-2025, ati provided full-school management for approximately 495 three- and four-year-old students in Washington, dc, at achievement prep charter school, learn dc public charter school, rocketship rise public charter school, rocketship legacy public charter school, and rocketship infinity community public charter school. In addition, appletree managed the early-education program at harmony dc public charter school. All these schools use atis every child ready instructional model. Support for other early-education schools. Ati provided the every child ready instructional model to the eight campuses of appletree early learning public charter school (aelpcs) in school year 2024-2025. Ati also provided certain administrative services and grants and shared wrap around services and consulting services to aelpcs, and, in addition, leases and subleases facilities to aelpcs. Ati and aelpcs are related parties as they share common board members. Atis expert staff of educators also supported other charter schools and community service organizations in Washington, dc, as well as charter schools in Missouri, New York city, and Texas. Ati provided these schools with every child ready curriculum and related products and services.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 93.8%; rating input score 94
• Program expense ratio: 87.1%; rating input score 87
• Fundraising efficiency: $14.1 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
  • Compensation committee: Pass
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 92.3%; rating input score 92; 25th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • 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: -7.5%; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.8; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.4; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 11.3%; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 10.9% per year; rating input score 100; 74th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 11.1% per year; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 7% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings