Northshire Day School

What it reported doing in 2024

The Northshire Day School (NDS) cultivates a nurturing and inclusive community where children grow and thrive. Northshire Day School was established in 1968, and is the largest early childhood education provider in the Manchester area, serving over 90 children from 20 different towns, six weeks to five years old. NDS offers various programs to suit a wide range of needs of area children and families. Northshire Day School, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization governed by a Board of Trustees. There is a leadership team that is responsible for the daily operation of the school. The administration includes the following positions: Executive Director, Curriculum Director, Administrative Director, Food Service Director and Development Director.NDS provides a safe, caring environment where children can grow, learn and thrive. We believe in offering a rich, developmentally appropriate learning environment that focuses on child-centered activities and play-based learning. The staff creates opportunities for the children to experience, explore and gain an understanding of the world and the people around them. The staff respects a child's individuality and self-respect, lays positive foundations for learning, encourages responsibility and kindness to others and promotes health and safety. We support independence and foster development. We promote a sense of trust and respect with regard to the children's feelings, skills and choices and have a high regard for the importance of self-esteem and positive self-image. Our philosophy is to design a developmentally appropriate program that stimulates learning for every child in a way that is natural, nurturing and fun.Our school offers the following: Infant Program: Saplings & Birch Classrooms NDS staff helps to build relationships with infant and toddlers by creating meaningful daily routines and experiences that respond to the individual child's own strengths and interests. These early, positive interactions with caring adults can give young children the confidence they need to explore their surroundings and take delight in their day-to-day discoveries. We provide a stimulating environment to learn and grow, supporting the mastery of skills at each stage of infant development. NDS strives to build a strong partnership with the families in our programs. Working together with our families not only helps with the care that we provide for the child but helping meet the needs of the parents as well. We understand that healthy development and learning begins at birth. Our infant program is designed to offer a secure place with knowledgeable teachers who honor a family's routine. Toddler Program: Sycamore, Willow & Hickory ClassroomsOur program is designed to provide a safe place for our newly independent toddlers to test out and learn new skills, wonder about everything, and discover how to make friends. It's all alongside teachers who know that children learn best through play and open exploration of their surroundings. Additionally, we support families in their roles as parents and as their child's first teacher by partnering in setting goals and routines to support the development of the individual child.Preschool/Pre-K Programs: The preschool program is designed for children ages three to five years old. We have three preschool rooms, one for our younger three-year olds and two classrooms for older three-year-olds through age five. All utilize the Creative Curriculum, a play-based curriculum that centers on learning through play. We use an emergent learning model and teachers design curriculum based on the interests of the children. We have a strong emphasis on social-emotional development to support the development of kindergarten readiness skills. We collaborate with the Taconic & Green Early Education Department to provide services for children with specialized learning needs. We aim to give children a solid foundation for future success by inspiring their curiosity and instilling a

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 96.8%; rating input score 97
• Program expense ratio: 91.4%; rating input score 91
• Fundraising efficiency: $40.43 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 75; 75th 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: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Fail
  • Document-retention policy: Fail
  • 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: Missing
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -0.1%; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.53; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 3.6%; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 11% per year; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 10.9% per year; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 0.1% per year; rating input score 100; 12th percentile among comparable filings