Early Care and Learning Council

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
112348051
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Albany, NY, USA
Phone
5186904217
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$5,054,951
Expenses
$4,874,962
Assets
$2,966,255
Liabilities
$322,477

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

24 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MEREDITH M CHIMENTO (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • MEREDITH M CHIMENTO (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $192,488 total reported compensation
  • ABBE HAHN-HOOK (ASSOCIATE EXECUTIVE DIRECT): $139,844 total reported compensation
  • TAMMY PARSONS (DIRECTOR OF FINANCE & ADMI): $123,491 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Early care & learning council is the coordinating agency for the New York state child care resource & referral (ccr&r) network. We elevate the voices of the ccr&rs, and advocate for a quality, affordable, equitable early care and education system. Eclc offers training and professional development to ccr&rs and delivers innovative curricula that supports the building of sustainable child care systems throughout the state.

What it reported doing in 2025

The early care & learning council (eclc) serves as a statewide membership organization representing child care resource centers (ccr&rs). Through membership dues, ccr&rs support eclc's work in advocacy, coordination, and system-building efforts that strengthen the early care and learning infrastructure across New York state. These activities include policy advocacy, member support, and initiatives designed to improve access to and the quality of child care services. Eclc hosts an annual meeting to convene its members and key stakeholders, including ccr&rs, child care providers, and partners across the early care and learning system. The meeting provides opportunities to share updates, discuss policy and funding priorities, and exchange best practices to support the statewide child care network. Eclc also hosts an annual leadership summit focused on recognizing contributions within the child care sector and providing updates on policy, research, and system initiatives. The event brings together leaders and stakeholders to support collaboration, share information, and strengthen the overall early care and learning system in New York state.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 94% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
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.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 81
  • Transparency & Controls: 70
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 31
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 89.6%; rating input score 90
  • Program expense ratio: 92.8%; rating input score 93
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • 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: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 3.6%; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.61; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.11; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 18.3%; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 14.6% per year; rating input score 100; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 7.8% per year; rating input score 100; 57th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 16.4% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 89.6% of revenue deployed · 92.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 17 of 17 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $4.5M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $192K · 24 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $239K reported
  • Consistency: 30 of 31 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 7 filed money-flow records
  • 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.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 38/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 20/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 17/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 47/100.