Steppers Early Learning Centerinc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 931958645
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2023–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Burlington, VT, USA
- Phone
- 8028601915
- Rating
- 81
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Kindergarten, Preschool, Nursery School, Early Admissions
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $378,669
- Expenses
- $413,867
- Assets
- $667,285
- Liabilities
- $480,542
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
11 people listed
Highest reported compensation
- KATHI APGAR (EXECUTIVE DI): $49,798 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Steppers early learning center is a high quality, naeyc accredited, 5- star program that has been operating in the heart of burlingtons south end neighborhood for over 35 years. Our mission is to provide high-quality early care and education for all children ages 2-5 years old, regardless of ability to pay, in a community-centric environment where children are loved, nurtured and successful.
What it reported doing in 2024
Steppers early learning center provides high-quality early care and education for all children ages 2-5 years old, regardless of ability to pay, in a community-centric environment where children are loved, nurtured and successful.
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 expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 84
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 69
- Sustainability: 31
- Growth: 80
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 97.6%; rating input score 98
- Program expense ratio: 89.3%; rating input score 89
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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: 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: Fail
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -9.3%; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.61; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.72; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 12%; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 107.7% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 6% per year; rating input score 100; 58th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: -8% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 97.6% of revenue deployed · 89.3% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 8 of 8 board members independent · 2 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $370K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $50K · 11 people listed
- Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 2 filing years from 2023 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.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 23/100.
- High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 53/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 8/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 27/100.