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 year community day nursery (cdn) completed 123 years of early education & childcare services for our community. We provide a full-day prekindergarten program for three- & four-year-old children who reside in east orange, new jersey. Our wrap around program, both before & after school, is available for children who need a longer day. Our summer program is a full-day program that begins when the regular school year ends & offers care for children during the summer months. It is our mission to provide young children with a safe, supportive, stimulating environment in which each child's potential for emotional, intellectual, social & physical development is nurtured. Our commitment to high-quality services was challenged in 2020 by the covid-19 pandemic which forced us to shift to remote learning for much of the year. Because of the restrictions in place due to the pandemic, teachers held whole class & small group meetings with children via zoom. While waiting for technology from the school district, we lent some of our own devices to families who did not have access to online learning. The pandemic caused before & after care programs to be suspended in march & the summer program was cancelled. Through all of this, however, teachers & family workers maintained close contact with our families, & we supported the children by sending home books, supplies, & learning packets & by meeting with children & parents virtually. The center has eight classrooms, each with a teacher & teacher assistant & a maximum of fifteen children. Two classrooms are spanish/english; two are creole/english. The school year curriculum is research-based tools of the mind. Teachers document & assess children's learning via the teaching strategies gold online assessment system. When not on a remote learning schedule, children spend time outdoors daily & are served freshly prepared breakfast, lunch, & snacks. Our literacy enhancement program is made possible through grants provided by first book, a nonprofit organization, that connects book publishers & community organizations to provide access to new books for children in need. When on a normal schedule, our children are in school for breakfast, lunch & a snack daily. Most of the funding for the food, food workers' salaries & benefits & administration of the program comes from the department of agriculture through the child & adult food care program (cacfp). We also receive a food stipend & a percentage of the salary/benefits for the cook from the east orange board of education. However, to maintain the high quality of the food prepared also requires additional funding from private sponsors. In 2020, 120 three- & four-year-old children were enrolled for a full-day public preschool program through the end of the 2019-2020 school year. However, that number dropped by almost 50% during the pandemic. In september, enrollment was down to sixty-eight children. The racial/ethnic backgrounds of the children are as follows: 33 are african american; 16 are hispanic; 2 are jamaican; 10 are african; 5 are haitian; 1 is from trinidad & tobago. 35 are girls & 33 are boys. Approximately 86% of our families qualify for free or reduced meals through the fda cacfp. The demographics of east orange are changing & the latino population is increasing, though there is still a significant haitian population. In three of our classrooms the teacher is bilingual with an english-speaking assistant. In one classroom the teacher speaks english & her assistant is bilingual haitian creole. We have two floating teachers (on-site substitute teachers); one of them is bilingual spanish. Our administrative assistant is bilingual haitian creole-english. Because of the number of bilingual staff we employ, including a family activity coordinator, parents feel welcomed & cared. The sisters, brothers & cousins of children that attended cdn continue to request our center when enrolling. We typically invite”

“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.”