Community Day Nursery

“A draft of form 990 is reviewed by executive director then distributed to, and reviewed by the board of trustees prior to the form being filed. The form 990 is discussed with a question and answer period prior to the final board approval. Upon approval, the form 990 is submitted to the internal revenue service.”

“The organization requires annual conflicts of interest statements from all board members. These statements are reviewed by the president and executive director of the organization. All board members are required to disclose any conflicts of interest.”

“Compensation for the organization's executive director is determined by the new jersey department of education contract. Other salaries are determined by the executive director and treasurer and are based on similar agencies and programs. There are no other top management, officers, or key employees compensated within the organization.”

“The governing documents, conflict of interest policy and financial statments are always available to the public at the organization's office or by request.”

“(continued from from 990, page 1) offering a high quality full day preschool education to the children of east orange, new jersey. Community day nursery has been serving children and their families since 1897. We believe high-quality early childhood education ensures children to be ready for kindergarten and beyond. We are accredited by the national association for the education of young children which means we meet the high standards set to ensure children will be safe, healthy, and learning each day. Our certified teachers have degrees and are well trained in early childhood. They build caring relationships with each child, and plan activities that are fun and challenging. Ongoing assessment ensures children continue to learn and develop.”

“(continued from form 990, page 2 line 1) it is our goal to strengthen a cooperative partnership with families through a variety of parenting services and group activities.”

“(continued from form 990, page 2 line 4a) this past year, community day nursery (cdn) proudly celebrated the 121st year of providing our community with early education and childcare services. Our program continues to be challenged by the current economic climate making it increasingly difficult to provide the services our families need. Funding from the new jersey department of human services (njdhs) has been severely restricted and continues to significantly reduce our operating funds. The regulations, originally adopted in 2011 by the njdhs, had been revised in 2014 and seriously restrict access to childcare subsidies for our families who need childcare before and after school (7:00am until 8:30am and 3:00pm until 6:00pm). We have seen this "wrap-around subsidy" for the childcare portion of our day/year go from 100% participation for all 120 families during the first seven years of the public preschool program to our current enrollment of just 21 children qualifying for the month of december 2018. The current system that determines eligibility does so for a period that can range from two weeks to several months. The subsidy can be stopped without any notice in the event that a parent is not working or in school for the required number of hours. The uncertainty of dhs funding makes accurately estimating revenue for the budget impossible. The model for childcare services throughout the state provides payment to childcare facilities for four hours per day (including before and aftercare) regardless of how much time the families actually need their child to be in care. Some of our children who need wrap around care arrive at 7:00am until school starts at 8:30am and stay in after care from 3:00pm until we close at 6:00pm. To be responsive to the needs of our families we offer options for childcare services. For example, a family that needs childcare only before school does not have to pay for the after-school portion of the program. The number of parents who are paying for wrap-around care and those who have qualified for subsidies is in a constant state of flux. Though at the end of december we had 21, the next month we may have more or fewer depending on who will qualify for state aid. Based on our demographic, it is likely not more than 20% at any given time. The department of education of the state of new jersey originally estimated that the effect in the change in regulations would put our wrap-around population at 50%. This estimation was incorrect. We continue to see a large number of childcare centers closing around the state due to these reductions in funding. The 2018-2019 school year we have been able to reach full enrollment at 120 children. From january through june we had 110 children attending the school. We lost approximately $37,000 in funding for the public-school program because the contract only allows us to have 8 open slots empty. Enrolled are 53 three-year old and 67 four-year old east orange residents who attend school here from 8:30am until 3:00pm. The majority of our children, 72, are of african american descent. Ten are african, 21 are hispanic, seven caribbean, three guyanese, one british, three asian, and one caucasian. There are 61 girls and 57 boys. Of the children enrolled, 97% are from families that qualify for free or reduced meals through the fda child and adult care food program. Of our eight classrooms, we have four bilingual spanish/english classrooms and one haitian creole/english class as the latino population in east orange has been growing. Because of the number of spanish-speaking staff we employ, including a family activity coordinator, parents feel welcomed and cared for when they enter our building. The sisters, brothers and cousins of children that attended cdn continue to request our center when enrolling. In three classrooms the lead teacher is bilingual with an english-speaking assistant and in the fourth class the teacher assistant is bilingual spanish with an english-speaking le”

“The organization has a committee that is responsible for overseeing the audit of the financial statements and the selection of the independent accountant that audited the financial statements. This process has not changed from the prior year.”