Early Childhood Alliance
Building Better Futures for Children
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
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.
Family Engagement
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.
ECA Learning Centers
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.
Shared Services Network
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.
Early Educator Services
• 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.
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
Better Business Bureau Member 2022
External reviews
Videos
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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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
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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
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get honest feedback from the people we serve
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- 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.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild 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 directorsas of 01/30/2024
Amber Bauer
Matthew 25 Ministries
Term: 2024 - 2025
Ann Waters
Travel Leaders
Amber Bauer
Matthew 25 Ministries
Kylee Bennett
Parkview Health
Jeri Burkhart
Indiana Tech
Jeanine Herold
Phillips Financial
David Jackson
Canterbury School
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
Frank Gomez
PNC Bank
Heidi Bluffenbarger
Stillwater Hospice
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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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