The Early Learning Institute

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
251151974
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Phone
4124202308
Rating confidence
Limited
Sector
Educational Services and Schools - Other

Reported finances

Revenue
$0
Expenses
$0
Assets
$0
Liabilities
$0

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

24 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • WENDY A PARDEE PHD (PRESIDENT & CEO (EXITED 1/25))
  • BARRY SHEPARD ENTERED 225 (INTERIM PRESIDENT & CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • WENDY A PARDEE PHD (PRESIDENT & CEO (EXITED 1/25)): $911,366 total reported compensation
  • JOHN JUBAS (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $258,507 total reported compensation
  • BARRY SHEPARD ENTERED 225 (INTERIM PRESIDENT & CEO): $223,801 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To heal. To teach. To empower. To amaze.

What it reported doing in 2024

The early learning institute (teli) is a nonprofit provider of early intervention services with more than 60 years of experience helping children with developmental delays. In fiscal year 2025, the children's institute of pittsburgh fully absorbed these early intervention services within its current range of services and phased out the teli brand effective july 1, 2024. See schedule o for continuation.the integration of teli with the children's institute of pittsburgh provides an opportunity to leverage the two organization's combined strengths, providing better access to care, and serving even more children and families across our region. The affiliation continues providing therapeutic early intervention for children birth to age three and has helped countless families and their children achieve results by building their strengths and abilities. The early learning institute will be dissolved following the receipt of final payment settlements in the spring of 2026.

Operating model

Revenue model
No positive adjusted resources. The filing reports no positive adjusted operating resources.
Distribution model
No current program activity. The filing reports no program spending for the current year.

The verdict

- The available evidence is not sufficient to produce an overall rating for this filing. This is not a warning sign.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: NotEnoughData
  • Transparency & Controls: 52
  • Accountability: 88
  • Sustainability: NotEnoughData
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: Limited
  • Program expense ratio: Limited
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 86.7%; rating input score 87; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: No; rating input score 0

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 95.5%; rating input score 95; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: Limited
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: Limited
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
  • Officer compensation ratio: Limited

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -8.4% per year; rating input score 0; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -5.9% per year; rating input score 0; 41st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -6.2% per year; rating input score 0; 18th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: Financial trends and filed revenue, expense, asset, and liability detail
  • Governance: 21 of 22 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment
  • Leadership: top reported pay $911K · 24 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 10 of 12 current checks pass · 2 findings to review
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • Related organizations: 4 filed related-organization links
  • 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 — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Related-party transparency scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Series filing activity did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Schedule R controlled transactions itemized did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.