Little Seeds Early Childhood Center Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 562319076
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2020–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Billings, MT, USA
- Phone
- 4062451311
- Rating
- 79
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Child Day Care
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $645,422
- Expenses
- $645,796
- Assets
- $95,057
- Liabilities
- $8,780
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
14 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- SHELBY SCHAREN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
- AUSTIN DEAN (BOARD PRESIDENT)
- ZAC ADKINS (VICE-PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- SHELBY SCHAREN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $42,202 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Provide quality childcare services to families in the community. Little seeds early childhood center, inc. Enrolls children without regard to gender, race, national origin, economic or religious background.we offer learning experiences for children of this community, under the leadership of qualified teachers. We will provide for each child: encouragement in fostering positive feelings of self-worth as each child discovers the value of their unique individuality.a stimulating environment and varied activities to aid the child in desirable growth and development of his/her language, cognitive, social, emotional, physical, and spiritual capacities.opportunities to develop a sense of responsibility to self and to others.guidance to develop constructive, non-violent methods for resolving conflicts.opportunities to learn through play experience.opportunities for creating and wondering.
What it reported doing in 2024
Provide quality childcare services to families in the community as well as provide moderate and low income families the opportunity to enter and remain in the job market and workforce all while building community relations.
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 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 expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 79
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 69
- Sustainability: 29
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 88.9%; rating input score 89
- Program expense ratio: 88.9%; rating input score 89
- 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: 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: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 25
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: Fail
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -0.1%; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.15; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.09; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 6.5%; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 5.6% per year; rating input score 100; 45th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 6.9% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 2.2% per year; rating input score 100; 26th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 88.9% of revenue deployed · 88.9% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 2 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $574K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $42K · 14 people listed
- Consistency: 20 of 20 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 5 filing years from 2020 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.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- High — Accountability: Governance controls: 5 of 7 not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 35/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 7/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 44/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 49/100.