Exceptional Childrens Assistance Center Inc.

“Organization's Process to Review Form 990 the executive and finance committee of the board of directors receive an electronic copy of the form 990 for review and comment prior to submission.”

“Enforcement of Conflicts Policy: Annually all members of the ECAC board of directors are required to sign a conflict of interest statement. In addition, board members are encouraged to identify any conflicts of interests as board business is being conducted. Board members receive training annually as to what constitutes a conflict of interest and those members who do not disclose a conflict of interest and/or have benefited from an ECAC board action or management decision without the organization's knowledge will be removed from the board. The executive committee of the board of directors is responsible for enforcing the policy; however, in the case of a member of the executive committee, the entire board will participate.ECAC's personnel policies also require an annual signed Conflict of Interest Policy. The policy is reviewed and signed by new staff members as a part of the staff orientation process, and signed annually by staffmembers. A staff member who does not follow the conflict of interest policy will receive a written warning or be terminated, depending on the seriousness of the infraction.”

“Compensation Process for Top OfficialThe compensation process for the top official compensation for the Executive Director is determined by the ECAC board of directors after an annual performance review.”

“Compensation Process for OfficersECAC's bylaws prohibit compensation for board members and officers.”

“The form 990 and IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter are available to the public upon request. Requests received by writing, phone, or email will be honored by directing requesters to GuideStar. Upon scheduling an appointment, the 990 will be provided at the appointed time. The current form 990 (not including schedule b), form 1023, and copies of previous form 990's can be requested. Hard copies can be requested from the ECAC office and ECAC reserves the right to charge a reasonable copying fee and cost of postage”

“No documents available to the public”

“OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES 4: Under DHHS Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Children and Youth Branch, ECAC supports them in issuing reimbursements to families for participating in systems change meetings. (Title V) OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES 5: ECAC contracted with NC DHHS to enhance Family engagement in the NC Infant Toddler Programs Preschool Transition and develop family engagement activities to support Local Interagency Coordinating Councils which are community based advisory groups. ECAC helped provide materials and trainings that engage families and provides resources and tools to ease the transition from early intervention to preschool services. OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES 6: ECAC contracted with NC DHHS Vocational Rehabilitation to provide pre-employment transition services to 36 students with disabilities. Students received training and support in job exploration counseling, workplace readiness training, counseling on postsecondary options, and instruction in self-advocacy, to increase the Divisions capacity for reaching and serving students with disabilities across North Carolina. OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES 7: All Other Programs Expenses ECAC is part of the Region B National Parent Technical Assistance (RPTAC) Network and supports 25 federally-funded parent centers in 12 southeastern states - from Virginia to Florida, over to Texas. Through a contract with Parent to Parent of Georgia, ECAC's staff member serves as Co-Director for the Region B Parent Technical Assistance Center. In this role, they provides board training, strategic planning, assistance and resources on reaching underserved families and effectively operating a nonprofit family organization including board governance, management, fiscal responsibilities and evaluation strategies.ECAC has several contracts with the NC Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) Office of Exceptional Children. In addition, ECAC is a funded partner of the NC DeafBlind Project to support family engagement and provide information and support to families of children with DeafBlindness. An ECAC staff member is the Co-Director of this project. Through the NC Systemic Improvement Plan (NC SIP) grant, we engage a cadre of family leaders to speak to pre-services classes for education majors in participating universities on the importance of family engagement. To ensure our work is family-centered and youth friendly, ECAC uses the expertise of the Family Advisory Board and our Youth Advisory Teams. The members of these Advisory Boards, and other families we engage from across the state, inform ECAC's work on many levels, from providing feedback and perspectives, to working with ECAC staff to plan events and activities, to co-creating informational documents, and co-presenting training for professionals and families. ECAC provides a variety of opportunities for families to utilize their lived experience and knowledge to improve the system of care for families and youth.Family engagement and leadership is woven into all the into all the fabric of all projects and activities. We are recognized as a state leader in family engagement, family leadership and family-centered care. Staff are active participants in in more than 17 local, state and national initiatives to improve outcomes for families and youth.ECAC has a Family Engagement Manager who coordinates our multiple projects on family engagement and leads the November Family Engagement Month activities. This includes collaborating with community partners and obtaining a Proclamation from the Governor recognizing November as Family Engagement month. For this reporting period, Family Engagement Month activities reached more than 7,000 families and professionals. We also provide training and technical assistance to organizations and schools on best practices to authentically engage families.”