named programs · 3 · from sources
What they call their work
Developmental Screening
Integrated module using Ages & Stages Questionnaires® (ASQ) to assess child development and connect families with appropriate support services.
Parent Engagement Network
Service enabling account sharing between caregivers, messaging features, and collaboration tools to support consistent child development practices across family members.
Sparkler App
Mobile application providing parents and caregivers with off-screen play activities, virtual coaching, and tools to support early brain development in young children.
activities · 5 groups
What they do
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Play-Based Early Childhood Education 1 activity
- Delivering virtual and in-person developmental play programs for familiesOffers a ten-week free virtual camp program through the Sparkler app and co-implements developmental playgroups for families with children ages 0–3 who have mild to moderate developmental concerns, launching in San Francisco in fall 2024. Also distributes printed activity booklets with developmental milestones, screening information, play activities, and parenting tips for children ages 0–5.
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Podcast and Radio Production 1 activity
- Producing podcasts focused on social and emotional learning for young childrenProduces the "Little Kids, Big Hearts" and "Tune Up" podcast series that use storytelling and music to support social and emotional learning in young children, covering topics such as identity, friendship, empathy, and coping with challenging emotions. The podcasts have received recognition in the 2024 Webby and Signal Awards.
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Early Childhood Developmental Evaluation and Screening 1 activity
- Providing a mobile app for caregivers to support child developmentOffers the Sparkler mobile app to families with children prenatal to age 6, providing developmental screenings using ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2 tools, a library of approximately 2,000 off-screen play activities, evidence-based parenting tips, and tools to connect with child development professionals. The app is available in English, Spanish, and Chinese on iOS and Android platforms.
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Data & Technology Capacity Building 1 activity
- Providing a web-based dashboard for organizations to support family engagementOffers a web-based dashboard for education, healthcare, and social service providers to monitor family progress, track developmental screenings, download multilingual reports and activity handouts, and facilitate two-way messaging with families to support coordinated care and engagement.
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Perinatal Support Services 1 activity
- Providing prenatal and postpartum wellness content within the Sparkler appOffers a prenatal and postpartum yoga and Pilates series within the Sparkler mobile app to support caregiver well-being during critical stages of early child development.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$2.00M
Contributions & grants$00%
Program service revenue$2.00M100%
Investment income$110%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$1.36M
Program expenses85%
Admin / overhead15%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$212K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineProfessional Fees
balance sheet
Total assets$1.18M
Cash$1.18M
Investments$0
Liabilities$1K
Net assets$1.17M
Liquid reserves10.4 mo
4 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -8.8%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| JULIA C LEVY | EXECUTIVE DI | 40 | $150K |
board members · 3
- GARTH HARRIES — DIRECTOR
- KRISTEN KANE — DIRECTOR
- STEVEN DOW — DIRECTOR
relationships · 27
Who they work with
- 211 Child Development Partner — Collaborates with Sparkler to connect families to developmental screening and support services through the Help Me Grow initiative.
- Ages & Stages Questionnaires Partner — Collaborates with the Ages & Stages Questionnaires program to integrate developmental screening tools into the Sparkler app.
- CT Office of Early Childhood Government — Provides funding and support for Sparkler’s availability to all Connecticut families and programs serving children prenatal to age 5.
- Facebook Partner — Social media platform used for outreach and engagement
- Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) Government — Complies with FERPA as part of its privacy obligations for Sponsoring Partners in education.
- Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Government — Complies with HIPAA as part of its privacy obligations for Sponsoring Partners in health care.
- Help Me Grow Utah Partner — Partner organization that provides the Sparkler app to families in Utah.
- Help Me Grow program Partner — Program partner enabling free access to the Sparkler mobile app for Ohio families.
- Instagram Partner — Social media platform used for visual outreach and engagement
- Kids Listen Network — Member organization of the Kids Listen network, a collective supporting high-quality podcasts for children.
- LinkedIn Partner — Social media platform used for professional outreach and engagement
- National Center for Families Learning Partner — Collaborates with SPARKLER LEARNING INC to implement developmental playgroups for families in San Francisco.
- Ohio Department of Children & Youth Government — Government partner enabling free access to the Sparkler mobile app for Ohio families.
- Partner organizations Partner — Collaborates with partner organizations to customize the Sparkler app and integrate it with their existing programs for families and children.
- Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., Inc. Partner — Licenses the Ages & Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) for use in Sparkler's developmental screening tools.
- San Francisco Department of Early Childhood Government — Government partner that provides and supports the Sparkler app for families and providers in San Francisco.
- Support for Families Partner — Local organization providing care coordinators and professional support to families through the Sparkler platform.
- Support for Families Partner — Local program providing care coordinators and professional support to families using Sparkler.
- Twitter Partner — Social media platform used for outreach and engagement
- Yoto Partner — Distributes Sparkler's audio and video content through the Yoto platform.
- YouTube Partner — Distributes Sparkler's audio and video content through YouTube.
- education organizations Partner — Collaborates with education organizations to deliver child development tools to young families.
- foster care agencies Partner — Partner with Sparkler to support families and monitor developmental progress of young children.
- healthcare organizations Partner — Partners with healthcare providers to support child wellness and development through integrated tools.
- pediatric practices Partner — Partner with Sparkler to conduct developmental screening and engage with families using two-way messaging.
- school districts Partner — Partner with Sparkler to support families of young children through digital tools and developmental monitoring.
- social service organizations Partner — Works with social service agencies to provide families with resources for early childhood development.
strategies · 4
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Caregiver-Mediated Developmentmethodology: caregiver-mediated developmentBy equipping caregivers with science-based tools and off-screen play activities through a mobile app, we promote holistic child development because primary caregivers are the most consistent and influential agents in a child's early life, and their active engagement strengthens developmental outcomes across emotional, cognitive, physical, and language domains.
- Digital-First Family Engagement and Coordinated Supportmethodology: digital-family-engagementBy delivering personalized, mobile-first tools—such as developmental screening, progress tracking, and expert connections—we strengthen family engagement and improve developmental outcomes because accessible, continuous, and coordinated digital support enables timely interventions and empowers families as active partners in their child’s development.
- Play-Based Learning as Foundational Developmentmethodology: play-based learningBy using play-based, off-screen activities led by caregivers, we support holistic early childhood development because play is a developmentally natural and neurologically effective mode for learning, building caregiver-child bonds, and advancing cognitive, emotional, and social skills.
- Science-Backed Mobile Intervention Integrated with Service Systemsmethodology: science-based mobile interventionBy partnering with organizations to deliver science-based mobile tools within existing service frameworks, we amplify impact and equity because embedding evidence-based digital interventions into trusted provider networks increases reach, personalization, and sustainability of early childhood support.