The Tribal Child Care Association of California

What it reported doing in 2024

The tribal quality improvement system (tqis), developed by the tribal child care association of California (tccac), is a statewide initiative grounded in tribal sovereignty, cultural responsiveness, and continuous quality improvement. The tqis serves as a framework for tribal early learning and care (elc) programs to define, implement, measure quality from within their communities. Over 30 tribal elc programs participated in the 2024 tqis. The tccac expanded tools such as self-assessments, quality improvement plans, and workforce development tracking, enabling providers to set meaningful goals and document progress. Mid-year updates demonstrated meaningful progress among many participants. Key outcomes included: - increased cultural integration: programs incorporated local tribal languages and traditional foods into daily programming. - improved team collaboration: several sites hosted regular team meetings and staff development sessions. - policy and compliance advancements: sites updated health and safety policies using tccac's templates.collaborative training sessions and monthly meetings built shared capacity in areas like mentoring, coaching, family engagement, and culturally grounded listening. By centering tribal voices in quality improvement and ensuring resources were both practical and culturally responsive, tqis advanced equity and sustainability for tribal child care programs statewide, benefiting children, families, and communities.the tccac advanced its workforce pathways program that provides culturally responsive professional development and financial support for tribal early learning and care providers across the state. The program supported more than 250 tribal elc providers through seven tailored professional development pathways and higher education supports. Providers had opportunities to strengthen skills while honoring tribal knowledge and practices. The program offered stipends, tuition assistance, and reimbursement for licensing and educational expenses, reducing barriers to participation and promoting equitable access. By investing in the workforce, tccac not only built individual provider capacity but also supported long-term sustainability and quality in tribal child care systems.the tribal child care association of California (tccac) strengthened relationships and capacity across tribal early learning and care programs by hosting impactful in-person events statewide. The annual tccac conference brought together tribal leaders, child care providers, and partners to share best practices, celebrate cultural strengths, and engage in professional learning. An annual members meetings provided a vital forum for tribal programs to guide tccac's priorities and collaborate on quality improvement goals, while roundtable meetings with state and federal partners elevated tribal voices in shaping policies and resources. In addition, dedicated workforce training days were hosted two times a year in different regions of the state. These trainings offered hands-on learning in areas such as literacy, inclusion, trauma-informed care, and leadership development. These gatherings fostered connection, collaboration, and culturally grounded learning, ensuring that tribal communities were both leading and benefiting from statewide efforts to improve child care quality.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 74.6%; rating input score 75
• Program expense ratio: 66.7%; rating input score 67
• 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Fail
  • Document-retention policy: Fail
  • 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: -11.3%; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.79; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.49; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 32.9%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 10.9% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 13.8% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 48.1% per year; rating input score 100; 96th percentile among comparable filings