GOLD2022

Early Childhood Alliance

Building Better Futures for Children

aka Early Childhood Alliance   |   Fort Wayne, IN   |  www.ECAlliance.org

Mission

To build better futures for young children by promoting and providing excellence in early childhood care and education.

Ruling year info

1971

Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Amber Targgart Ed. D

Main address

3800 Anthony Blvd CC1220

Fort Wayne, IN 46805 USA

Show more contact info

Formerly known as

Child Care of Allen County

Neighbors, Inc.

EIN

35-0953465

NTEE code info

Kindergarten, Nursery Schools, Preschool, Early Admissions (B21)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

Sign in or create an account to view Form(s) 990 for 2019, 2018 and 2017.
Register now

Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

This profile needs more info.

If it is your nonprofit, add a problem overview.

Login and update

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Child & Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)

• CACFP is a Federal Program that provides partial reimbursement for meals served to help ensure children receive nutritious meals and snacks while in care at licensed or licensed exempt child care homes, licensed child care centers and registered ministries.

• Workshops on nutrition, health, sanitation, exercise, and record-keeping to fulfill USDA and IDOE requirements of 6 training hours per provider per fiscal year.

• On-site and virtual technical assistance.

• Sample recipes and menu-planning ideas.

• Unannounced on-site and virtual monitoring visits at least 3 times per year to verify compliance.

ECA CACFP is a member of the Indiana State Sponsors Association, the National CACFP Sponsors Association and the CACFP Forum. As a Sponsor, ECA serves 17 northern Indiana counties.

Population(s) Served
Children
Infants and toddlers
Caregivers

Parents are their child’s first teacher. ECA is here to provide supportive tools and resources to make every moment count.

• SparKits Learning Kits conveniently provide essential learning experiences and key materials to families and caregivers of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.

• Bright by Text is a free texting service that provides tips, games, and resources specific to your child’s age (prenatal to eight) right to your phone!

• ECA aims to reach children conveniently around the community. Families can find resources to take home in various locations, including select OB offices, birthing centers, and pediatric offices.

Population(s) Served
Families
Infants and toddlers
Children

During the first five years, a child’s brain undergoes its most rapid and significant growth, more than any other time in life. Providing a high-quality learning environment for children is one the of most important factors in establishing the foundation for long-term success in school and beyond.

ECA Learning Centers strive to raise the bar. ECA's team of early education experts has a vast array of knowledge and experience in the field of early childhood education and routinely participates in ongoing professional development. ECA Learning Centers follow HighScope curriculum, designed to provide a rich academic foundation through direct, hands-on learning experiences.

To help ensure all children have the option of high-quality early care and education, ECA Learning Centers offer income-based tuition.

Population(s) Served
Families
Infants and toddlers
Parents
Children

Through the ECA Shared Services Network*, early childcare providers are able to increase their revenue, save time on daily operations, and grow their businesses.

ECA and its partners provide an array of benefits and tools to members of the Network including coaching, technical assistance, various vendor discounts, bulk food purchasing, menu planning, a childcare management system, a full range of accounting tools, payroll management, and much more!
Learn more about this exciting new service!

*The ECA Shared Services Network is made possible through a $100,00 grant award from Early Learning Indiana.

Population(s) Served

• The Child Development Associate (CDA) credential is a key stepping stone in the career path of early education. ECA's Quality Improvement Manager provides support and technical assistance to early educators while earning their CDA credentials and other preparatory classes. Thanks to community support, ECA can offer CDA courses at low or no cost to students.

• ECA proactively works with families, early educators, and businesses around our community to promote the importance of Safe Sleep practices. Through the Engaging Childcare to Impact Infant Mortality Project, ECA is able to provide Safe Sleep materials and resources throughout Allen County in an effort to decrease the number of infant deaths.

Population(s) Served
Caregivers
Caregivers
Caregivers

Where we work

Affiliations & memberships

Better Business Bureau Member 2022

Videos

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • Who are the people you serve with your mission?

    We serve children in northern Indiana with from diverse backgrounds. We also serve early educators in northern Indiana further their professional development goals and help them strengthen their businesses, if applicable.

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to get honest feedback from the people we serve

Financials

Early Childhood Alliance
lock

Unlock financial insights by subscribing to our monthly plan.

Subscribe

Unlock nonprofit financial insights that will help you make more informed decisions. Try our monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights?
Learn more about GuideStar Pro.

Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

Subscribe

Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

Subscribe

Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

Early Childhood Alliance

Board of directors
as of 10/21/2022
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Kendall Dudley Billows

PNC

Term: 2022 -

Ann Waters

Travel Leaders

Amber Bauer

Kylee Bennett

Parkview Health

Mark Bloom

Beckman Lawson

Jeri Burkhart

Indiana Tech

Nate Edwards

Sweetwater

Tim Green

Governance

Jeanine Herold

Phillips Financial

Ted Hunter

Sweetwater

David Jackson

Canterbury School

Dena Jacquay

Parkview Health

Jill Kinder

Michael Kinder and Sons

Kelli Packnet

Bridge of Grace

Kelly Rentschler

American Electric Power

Julie Sanchez

Expert Business Solutions

Hayley Sauer

Fort Wayne Community Schools

Nick Toney

Lake City Bank

Jessica Waggoner

Do It Best Corporation

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 10/21/2022
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

No data

Race & ethnicity

No data

Gender identity

No data

 

No data

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 02/14/2022

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
  • We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
  • We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
  • We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
  • We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
  • We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Policies and processes
  • We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
  • We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
  • We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.