CHILDREN FIRST INC
Every child deserves a safe home.
CHILDREN FIRST INC
EIN: 58-2100852
as of September 2023
as of September 18, 2023
Mission
To engage families in our community and the courts to promote safe, nurturing and permanent homes for children.
Ruling year
1995
Principal Officer
Susie Weller
Main address
693 North Pope Street
Athens, GA 30601 USA
Formerly known as
Athens-Oconee CASA Program Inc
EIN
58-2100852
Abuse prevention
Public interest law
Family services
Youth services
Population served
Children and youth
Families
Parents
Caregivers
At-risk youth
NTEE code
Public Interest Law/Litigation (I83)
Protection Against and Prevention of Neglect, Abuse, Exploitation (I70)
Children's and Youth Services (P30)
IRS subsection
501(c)(3) Public Charity
IRS filing requirement
This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.
Tax forms
Communication
Programs and results
Reports and documents
Download annual reportsWhat we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Children First
Children First, Inc. is a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit organization based in Athens, Ga. dedicated to promoting safe homes for children in times of family crisis. Children First administers three programs: Athens-Oconee CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), SPARC (Supportive Parenting and Access Resource Center), and Safe Care.
Athens-Oconee CASA Program
Athens Oconee Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) is a national non-profit that seeks to recruit and train volunteers from out local communities to act as a voice for children in foster care. As a CASA volunteer, you are empowered by a court appointment signed by a judge to help change a child's story.
SafeCare Home Visiting
SafeCare is an evidence-based parent training curriculum designed to make parenting easier, safer, and more rewarding for families. SafeCare Home Visitors meet weekly with families to provide lots of great resources like health manuals and safety kits. SafeCare Visitors work with parents to improve home safety and teach parents how to effectively address health and safety issues. SafeCare provides tips to parents on how to plan activities with their children and how to respond appropriately to various child behaviors. SafeCare aims to support parents as they enhance their child-parent bond and make plants for the future.
SPARC
Supportive Parenting and Access Resource Center
SPARC works with non-custodial parents in child support enforcement cases to bond with their children and encourage them to provide emotional and financial support. SPARC provides skills-based education, mediation between parents, visitation coordination, parental rights education, parenting plan development, and legitimation education.
Where we work
External reviews
Financials
Financial documents
Download audited financialsRevenue vs. expenses: breakdown
Liquidity in 2022 info
2.96
Months of cash in 2022 info
5
Fringe rate in 2022 info
24%
Funding sources info
Assets & liabilities info
Financial data
CHILDREN FIRST INC
Balance sheetFiscal Year: Oct 01 - Sep 30
The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot survive long, but the types of assets and liabilities must also be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan, and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.
Fiscal Year: Oct 01 - Sep 30
This snapshot of CHILDREN FIRST INC’s financial trends applies Nonprofit Finance Fund® analysis to data hosted by GuideStar. While it highlights the data that matter most, remember that context is key – numbers only tell part of any story.
Created in partnership with
Business model indicators
| Profitability info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation | $4,535 | -$18,971 | $126,677 | $159,961 | $12,097 |
| As % of expenses | 0.9% | -3.5% | 23.7% | 27.9% | 1.7% |
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation | $4,535 | -$29,893 | $115,532 | $147,923 | -$30 |
| As % of expenses | 0.9% | -5.4% | 21.1% | 25.3% | 0.0% |
| Revenue composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) | $534,841 | $531,044 | $593,042 | $596,223 | $747,293 |
| Total revenue, % change over prior year | 0.0% | -0.7% | 11.7% | 0.5% | 25.3% |
| Program services revenue | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Membership dues | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Investment income | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Government grants | 89.7% | 85.5% | 78.9% | 83.1% | 74.2% |
| All other grants and contributions | 10.1% | 14.5% | 19.0% | 16.7% | 25.1% |
| Other revenue | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2.1% | 0.2% | 0.4% |
| Expense composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses before depreciation | $530,306 | $539,558 | $535,352 | $572,462 | $703,015 |
| Total expenses, % change over prior year | 13.8% | 1.7% | -0.8% | 6.9% | 22.8% |
| Personnel | 69.0% | 77.8% | 77.1% | 78.6% | 82.1% |
| Professional fees | 1.7% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1.1% |
| Occupancy | 2.6% | 0.0% | 6.1% | 2.8% | 2.1% |
| Interest | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.1% | 0.9% | 0.7% |
| Pass-through | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| All other expenses | 25.5% | 20.9% | 15.7% | 17.7% | 14.0% |
| Full cost components (estimated) info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses (after depreciation) | $530,306 | $550,480 | $546,497 | $584,500 | $715,142 |
| One month of savings | $44,192 | $44,963 | $44,613 | $47,705 | $58,585 |
| Debt principal payment | $7,584 | $7,467 | $0 | $0 | $8,983 |
| Fixed asset additions | $701 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $27,586 |
| Total full costs (estimated) | $582,783 | $602,910 | $591,110 | $632,205 | $810,296 |
Capital structure indicators
| Liquidity info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Months of cash | 1.2 | 2.6 | 4.8 | 6.2 | 5.0 |
| Months of cash and investments | 1.2 | 2.6 | 4.8 | 6.2 | 5.0 |
| Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets | 3.0 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 5.6 | 5.9 |
| Balance sheet composition info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | $55,021 | $116,565 | $213,785 | $295,537 | $295,485 |
| Investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Receivables | $76,475 | $5,300 | $94,334 | $85,190 | $63,489 |
| Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) | $286,372 | $286,372 | $296,097 | $301,766 | $329,352 |
| Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) | 25.1% | 31.8% | 34.5% | 37.9% | 38.4% |
| Liabilities (as a % of assets) | 35.5% | 39.0% | 38.5% | 19.6% | 18.7% |
| Unrestricted net assets | $223,181 | $193,288 | $308,820 | $456,743 | $456,713 |
| Temporarily restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Permanently restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Total restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total net assets | $223,181 | $193,288 | $308,820 | $456,743 | $456,713 |
Key data checks
| Key data checks info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material data errors | No | No | No | No | No |
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Documents
Principal Officer
Susie Weller
As the Children First, Inc. executive director, Susie continues to grow advocacy and awareness throughout the community. In her position, she oversees all aspects of Children First and furthers the goal of promoting safe homes for children in times of family crisis. Susie has dedicated over eight years to child welfare through her work with Children First and as program coordinator for Athens-Oconee CASA. Susie earned her Bachelors of Social Work and Masters of Social Work from the University of Georgia then went on to become a Licensed Master of Social Work in 2006. Her goal is to help children have better outcomes.
When not in the office, Susie enjoys a plethora of activities such as reading, singing, walking, basketball, bike riding and experiencing new things!
Number of employees
Source: IRS Form 990
CHILDREN FIRST INC
Officers, directors, trustees, and key employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
There are no highest paid employees recorded for this organization.
CHILDREN FIRST INC
Board of directorsas of 06/02/2023
Board of directors data
Molly Petner
N/A
Term: 2022 - 2026
Kimberly Locklin
David Meyers
Alan Platt
Matthew Welker
Charlie Carabello
Jed Dews
Rachael Andrews
Elizabeth Earl
Jake Foote
Jonathan Pelham
Board leadership practices
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
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 06/02/2023GuideStar 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
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- 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.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
GuideStar Pro Reports
Report successfully added to your cart!
Want more data?
A GuideStar Pro report containing the following information is available for this organization:
- Email contact information
- Financial trends metrics for five most recent years 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018*
- Financial statements for 2021, 2019, 2009
- Officer and/or Employee data for 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018
- Contractor and/or Paid Preparer data for 2022, 2021, 2020
- Board of Directors data for 2023
- *with the ability to download the data for 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018
Download it now for $125.
Need the ability to download nonprofit data and more advanced search options?Consider a Pro Search subscription.