Opportunity Council

What it reported doing in 2024

Early Learning and Family Services (ELAFS) - one of Opportunity Council's largest departments - is comprised of multiple programs for pregnant people and households with children ages birth to five years and beyond. Specific programs include, but are not limited to: Head Start and ECEAP (Washington State's Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program) center-based preschool classrooms for children ages three through five years and their families, Early Head Start home visit-based program for prenatal through age three, Early Support for Infants and Toddlers (ESIT) home visit-based program for children with special needs and their families, and our Quality Child Care (QCC) division, which includes regional work supporting child care providers, infant/toddler mental health, and the Center for Retention and Expansion of Child Care (C-RECC). In Whatcom County, ELAFS continues to be a central player in the Single-Entry Access to Services (SEAS) and Help Me Grow collaborations aimed at getting every local child off to a strong start. Program year 2024-25 saw 309 children enrolled in our Head Start and ECEAP preschool classrooms, and 99 EHS children and their highly-impacted families, including eight pregnant women. ELAFS served 53,875 meals, completed 3152 home visits, served 182 kids on IEP or IFSP. SEAS Navigators processed 1,420 referrals from hospitals, doctors, family members and educators when a child was known to have or suspected of having a developmental delay or special need. And ESIT staff provided services to an average of 208 children ages 0 to 3 each month to help address developmental delays and other special needs through therapeutic interventions and family resource coordination. Economic Security for All (EcSA) completed their 8th cohort of participants graduating with expanded knowledge of financial literacy and career development. Services expanded to Island County, and we have paid out an average of $2000 per graduate earned by completing goals in partnership with a mentor and job coach. ELAFS QCC programs, through Child Care Aware of WA, broadly supported child care providers, furnished reliable data to policy makers, and assisted families in search of child care information and referrals or in need of emergency vouchers to maintain child care enrollment. Over the course of program year 2024-25, QCC supported over 500 licensed child care/early learning businesses in Early Achievers, Washington's Quality Improvement System (QIS), by providing technical assistance, training and coaching to improve quality. C-RECC worked with existing and prospective child care providers of diverse sizes in the five northwest counties of WA, connecting them with technical assistance to meet the varied needs of the sector and local employers, in addition to awarding grants totaling $274,962.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 75%; rating input score 75
• Program expense ratio: 86.4%; rating input score 86
• Fundraising efficiency: $424.95 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Pass
  • 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; 77th percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th 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: 13.2%; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.64; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.35; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 1.7%; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 12.2% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 10.6% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 10.3% per year; rating input score 100; 71st percentile among comparable filings