Stars Early Learning Academy
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 874665663
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2021–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Cologne, MN, USA
- Phone
- 6122376702
- Rating
- 83
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Fund Raising and/or Fund Distribution
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,649,069
- Expenses
- $1,369,754
- Assets
- $7,114,265
- Liabilities
- $6,682,735
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
4 people listed
People named in this filing
- LYNN PETERSON (FOUNDER)
- ALYSSA HEIM (TREASURER)
- JENNA MCINNIS (CHAIR OF THE BOARD)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Stars early learning academy is a high quality licensed daycare center whose main purpose is to serve the community by providing childcare for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and school-aged children, from the age of 6 weeks to 12 years old.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Earned-program. 89% 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
STRONG - 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 liabilities are high compared with assets.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 79
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 76
- Sustainability: 69
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 81.9%; rating input score 82
- Program expense ratio: 98.6%; rating input score 99
- 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: 3 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 43
- 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: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Fail
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 16.9%; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 5.19; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.94; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 79.6% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 76.3% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 113.4% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 81.9% of revenue deployed · 98.6% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 4 of 4 board members independent · 3 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.4M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 4 people listed
- Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 4 filing years from 2021 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
- 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 7 not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 7/100.