Imagination Station

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
770593658
IRS 990 coverage
2015–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Zeeland, MI, USA
Phone
6167725439
Rating
70
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Child Day Care

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,891,096
Expenses
$1,926,692
Assets
$1,238,113
Liabilities
$803,063

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

Leadership & pay

4 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SCOTT PRINCE (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • HOLLY DENISON (PROG. DIR.): $80,000 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Imagination station is an naeyc accredited child care facility that seeks to provide "world class" learning and childcare opportunities to the children and families of the greater holland & zeeland area and to positively impact the lives of the children, families, businesses and communities which we serve.

What it reported doing in 2025

The organization operates as a child care center for childern ranging from six weeks to eleven years old. The organization uses a thematic curriculum approach to early childhood learning, which emphasizes hands on experiences. The objective of the organization is to provide faith-based child care for a safe and nurturing environment. The organization also places a high importance on making high quality child learning opportunities available to all children through imagination station's tuition assistance program. The teachers believe and have a love for god and share that with the children. Prayers are said daily at the center including before every meal. Bible stories are shared with the children along with christian songs. The organization accepts all denominations and does not teach any particular denomination. The organization's hope is that the child will feel the love of god within the center and grow to better understand who he is and all that he provides for us. The organization meets or exceeds the state recommendation for teacher to child ratios which are as follows: 6 weeks up to 2 1/2; 1 teacher for every 4 children 2 1/2 up to 3; 1 teacher for every 8 children 3 up to 4; 1 teacher for every 10 children 4 up to 5; 1 teacher for every 12 children 5 and up; 1 teacher for every 18 children the organization has 28 full-time and 4 part-time employees as well as 6 regular volunteers. Imagination station provides the highest quality nutrition to the children. Breakfast, lunch, and snacks are prepared onsite, meeting nutritional recommendations. Only milk, water or 100% juice are served for beverages.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 100% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
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

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and a relatively small share of voting board members are independent.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 75
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 35
  • Sustainability: 28
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 85.3%; rating input score 85
  • Program expense ratio: 83.7%; rating input score 84
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

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: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 50%; rating input score 50; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 1 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 14
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -1.9%; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.64; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.65; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 4.2%; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 4.9% per year; rating input score 100; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.8% per year; rating input score 100; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.1% per year; rating input score 100; 31st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 85.3% of revenue deployed · 83.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 2 of 4 board members independent · 1 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $1.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $80K · 4 people listed
  • Consistency: 21 of 21 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2015 to 2025
  • 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.

Key Signals

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

  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 5 of 6 not reported.
  • Review — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 50/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 25/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 31/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 9/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 52/100.