Cairn Hill Inc

“No committee has the authority to act on behalf of the governing body.”

“The annual form 990 is prepared by the independent accountant, reviewed and signed by the President. The Form 990 is also presented to all board of directors for final approval prior to being filed. The form 990 is available for review by the Public in the office of the Organization.”

“The organization requires each new key employee, officer or director to review a copy of the Policy on Conflicts of Interest and Disclosure of Certain Interest and to acknowledge in writing that he or she has done so. Additionally, each key employee, officer or director, annually complete a disclosure form identifying any relationships, positions or circumstances in which the employee is involved that he or she believes could contribute to a conflict of interest arising.”

“The board of directors establishes the compensation of the executive director, and of any officer. The board will obtain research and information based on a review of comparability data. It will obtain comparability data by comparing compensation paid to employees who hold similar positions in three or more organzation which are similar in activities, size and geographic location. The board of directors will document how it reached its decision, including the data upon which it relied, in minutes or the meeting during which the compensation was approved.”

“The board of directors establishes the compensation to any employee, other than officers, who is paid more than $50,000 per year. The board will obtain research and information based on a review of comparatibility data. It will obtain comparability data by comparing compensation paid to employees who hold similar positions in three or more organzation which are similar in activities, size and geographic location. The board of directors will document how it reached its decision, including the data upon which it relied, in minutes or the meeting during which the compensation was approved.”

“Form 990, governing documents, conflict of interest policy and financial statements are available for public inspection, upon request, at 183 Fays Avenue, Lynn, MA 01904”

“ORGANIZATIONS PROGRAM SERVICE ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Cairn Hill began in 2012 by pioneering innovative after-school programs for young children in Malden and Somerville, both communities with high immigrant populations. These early programs supported the content of the academic day in grades K-2 and while offering complementary hands-on activities and vocabulary development based on the Waldorf goal of educating the whole child. The cornerstone of the initial program was The Art of Word Weaving, a storytelling curriculum aimed at helping children, with an emphasis on English language learners, reach competencies in oral comprehension and word retention. The program used vocabulary instruction, art activities, songs and rhymes to achieve this. Cairn Hill later launched an Arts Innovation program in partnership with Linden STEAM Academy in Malden, MA and added an outdoor classroom component with real-life enrichment to enhance learning. Students learned science principles by gardening in Cairn Hills garden plots and learned nutritional awareness and mechanics by pressing apples with a hand press to make cider. In 2017, Cairn Hill expanded its operations to offer high quality early education to children in need of preschool. Consistent with its mission to serve children in Massachusettss Gateway Cities, and with a desire to have a substantial impact on children and families, Cairn Hill established a full-time Waldorf-inspired nature preschool in Lynn, offering school-year enrollment as well as a summer camp. Cairn Hill Nature Preschool is fully licensed by the MA Department of Early Education and Care. School growth has been robust and steady, with student enrollment increasing exponentially each year to near capacity by 2020 with a staff of 6 credentialed teachers, including a preschool director. Cairn Hill Nature Preschools curriculum weaves together three strands of learning: nature based environmental education, Waldorf based arts, music and puppetry and creatively presented kindergarten readiness skill development. The preschools unique curriculum has been written and serves as a vibrant framework for teaching. Cairn Hill, Inc. has an active board of directors and conducts ongoing fundraising efforts supported by both individual donors and foundation grants. Fundraising campaigns have been used to launch our innovative afterschool program, to initiate and expand our preschool and in particular, to: Renovate the preschool environment indoors and out by creating two spacious classrooms, a business office and two nature-based playgrounds Partner with local organizations to increase outreach (The Food Project, The REAL Program, KIPP Academy, North Shore Community College, Essex Agricultural and Technical Institute, South Sudanese Enrichment for Families and others) Initiate a Parent-Child program to offer parenting support and enrichment activities for toddlers Co-sponsor a free public lecture for early educators and parents in the local community given by nationally known early childhood advocate and author, Nancy Carlsson-Paige Fulfill the mission to offer high quality education and nature-based programming that is arts-based and accessible to all families in the communities servedCairn Hill Nature Preschool is the main project of the non-profit organization, Cairn Hill, Inc., an Educational Collaborative. It was established in 2012 by three educators with complementary backgrounds in social service (Daniel Bekele, Ed.D), literacy research (Cheryl Dressler, Ed.D) and Waldorf education (Margaret Ris, M.Ed.)”