irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $1.06MWHOLE CHILD CONNECTION:THE WHOLE CHILD CONNECTION (THE CONNECTION) WORKS TOWARD THE TRANSFORMATION OF SETTINGS WHERE CHILDREN AND YOUTH GROW, LEARN AND PLAY, SO THAT ALL ADULTS INTENTIONALLY FOSTER THE SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS YOUNG PEOPLE NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL. THE CONNECTION CREATES SUSTAINED COLLABORATION, AUTHENTIC WORKING RELATIONSHIPS, AND CUSTOMIZED SERVICES; PROVIDES TRAINING, CONSULTATION, AND SUPPORTS, GROUNDED IN RESEARCH AND INFORMED BY DATA; AND ENGAGES IN ACTION-ORIENTED RESEARCH AND EVALUATION, INFORMED BY PRACTITIONERS, WORKING ACROSS MULTIPLE SETTINGS THAT SERVE CHILDREN TO MAKE POSITIVE CHANGES ACROSS SYSTEMS.
- #2 $457KDATA AND SCIENCE:CHILDREN'S INSTITUTE'S STAFF ARE SKILLED IN A RANGE OF STATE-OF-THE-ART RESEARCH, EVALUATION, AND TRAINING TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES, AND BRINGS TOGETHER ACADEMIC, EDUCATIONAL AND HUMAN SERVICE SECTORS TO POSE QUESTIONS AND FIND ANSWERS WITHIN A RANGE OF TOPICS. THEY BUILD BRIDGES BETWEEN RESEARCH AND PRACTICE TO ENSURE THAT CHILD- AND YOUTH-SERVING PROFESSIONALS ARE USING RESEARCH-INFORMED PRACTICES AND STRATEGIES. INVESTIGATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PROGRAMS USED BY SCHOOLS, GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, AND NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS ENABLES SUCH ORGANIZATIONS TO IMPROVE THEIR ABILITY TO MAKE INFORMED DATA-DRIVEN DECISIONS. CHILDREN'S INSTITUTE USES AN INTEGRATED SET OF EVALUATION SERVICES AND PREDICTIVE ANALYTICS TOOLS FOR THESE PURPOSES.
named programs · 5 · from sources
What they call their work
Get Ready to GROW
Program that supports teachers in identifying and addressing children's social-emotional needs early, enabling timely support for children and families
Primary Project
School-based prevention program that builds consistent, supportive relationships for children to promote emotional safety and trust, originally founded in 1957
Research & Evaluation
Conducts action-oriented research, evaluation, and predictive analytics to bridge research and practice, helping child-serving organizations make data-driven decisions
Rochester Area Parent Program (RAPP)
Supports parents and caregivers in promoting their children's social and emotional development
Whole Child Connection
Works to transform settings where children grow, learn, and play by fostering social and emotional skills through training, consultation, and customized services grounded in research and data-informed practices
activities · 9 groups
What they do
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Program Evaluation and Impact Research 2 activities
- Conducts research and evaluation for child-serving organizationsPerforms research and evaluation using advanced tools and predictive analytics to help schools, government agencies, and nonprofits improve data-driven decision-making and assess effectiveness of child- and youth-serving programs.
- Conducts statewide early childhood program observationsPerformed over 2,700 on-site observations of early childhood programs across New York State to assess quality and support improvement efforts.
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Nonprofit Capacity Building Services 1 activity
- Conducts organizational assessments and leadership engagementEngages directly with organizations through on-site visits to understand leadership, programs, and team culture via open communication and collaborative processes.
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Teacher & Classroom Innovation Grants 1 activity
- Funds implementation of the Primary Project in Elba Central School DistrictAdministered a competitive three-year grant to support the launch and implementation of the Primary Project, a social-emotional learning program, in the Elba Central School District beginning in fall 2025.
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Early Childhood Developmental Evaluation and Screening 1 activity
- Provides developmental screening support to early childhood educatorsOffers support to teachers in conducting developmental screenings to identify and address early childhood developmental concerns.
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Volunteer and Professional Training Programs 1 activity
- Provides in-person training sessionsOperates a dedicated training room on the second floor of its St. Paul Street building to deliver in-person professional development and capacity-building sessions.
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Training and Capacity Building for Trauma-Informed Student Support 1 activity
- Provides research-grounded training and consultationOffers training, consultation, and customized supports to transform environments where children grow, learn, and play, with a focus on social and emotional development through cross-system collaboration.
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Community Capacity Building & Leadership Networks 1 activity
- Serves as anchor entity for ROC the Future AllianceActs as the central organizing and coordinating body for the ROC the Future Alliance, a community partnership focused on improving outcomes for children and families in Rochester, NY.
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Organizational Newsletter Production and Distribution 1 activity
- Shares program updates and resources through newslettersDistributes newsletters to communicate information about programs, training opportunities, and initiatives to stakeholders and partners.
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Uncategorized 4 activities
- Develops and supports early education quality improvement systemsCollaborated with the Rochester, NY community for over 30 years to create and enhance the Rochester Early Childhood Assessment Partnership (RECAP), a system designed to improve the quality of early childhood education programs.
- Develops and validates culturally responsive SEL assessment toolsCreated and tested the Culturally Responsive SEL Classroom Practices Tool, an observational assessment instrument, through 75 paired classroom observations and educator surveys to support teachers in improving social and emotional learning practices.
- Facilitates staff engagement and organizational reflectionConducts individual interviews with team members and organizes two-day off-site retreats to gather insights, support healing, and strengthen team cohesion and organizational direction.
- Updates and disseminates child assessment toolsReleased an updated version of the Teacher Child Rating Scale (T-CRS 3.1) for use in schools starting in fall 2025 to improve developmental screening and data-informed decision-making.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$5.46M
Contributions & grants$4.17M76%
Program service revenue$904K17%
Investment income$362K7%
Other revenue$19K
expenses
Total expenses$6.35M
Program expenses90%
Admin / overhead9%
Fundraising1%
Salaries & benefits$4.45M
Grants paid out$314K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$5.10M
Cash$402K
Investments$3.30M
Liabilities$2.16M
Net assets$2.94M
Liquid reserves7.0 mo
6 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue -33.2%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 4
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| TERRY HARTMANN | INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 40 | $145K |
| JOSEPH MCFALL | DIRECTOR OF DATA AND SCIENCE | 40 | $144K |
| LAURI STRANO | DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS AND SERVICES | 40 | $136K |
| ELIZABETH DEVANEY | DIRECTOR OF CENTER FOR SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNI | 40 | $120K |
board members · 15
- ALLISON PLETZER WILLEMS — DIRECTOR
- AMY KAHN — SECOND VICE CHAIR
- CHRISTOPHER HOMAN — DIRECTOR
- DENA PHILLIPS SWANSON — FIRST VICE CHAIR
- DIANNE COONEY MINER — FIRST VICE CHAIR - RESIGNED DURING YEAR
- DR LARRY D PERKINS — CHAIR
- JAMES SPERRY — DIRECTOR - RESIGNED DURING YEAR
- JOSEPH MILKS — TREASURER
- LOISA BENNETTO — SECRETARY
- MEGAN OSTROWSKI — DIRECTOR
- MELISSA GOODWIN — DIRECTOR
- MICHAEL WINTERHALTER — DIRECTOR
- RASHID MUHAMMAD — DIRECTOR
- RENU BORA — DIRECTOR
- TODD SAVAGE — DIRECTOR - RESIGNED DURING YEAR
relationships · 20
Who they work with
- Academic Sector Partner — Collaborates with academic institutions to pose questions and develop research-informed practices for child- and youth-serving professionals.
- Action for a Better Community Partner — Michael Winterhalter serves as Director of Operational Accounting at Action for a Better Community and is on the board of Children's Institute Inc.
- Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) Network — Framework for core social emotional competencies used as the foundation for the Culturally Responsive SEL Classroom Practices Tool.
- Educational Sector Partner — Partners with educational organizations to evaluate programs and support data-driven improvements in child-serving settings.
- Elba Central School District Partner — Partnered with Elba Central School District to implement the Primary Project program through grant funding and support.
- Golisano Children's Hospital Partner — Paul Tremblay serves as Community Clinical Projects Director at Golisano Children's Hospital and is a board member of Children's Institute Inc.
- Greater Rochester Summer Learning Association Partner — Co-located with Children's Institute on the first floor of the St. Paul Street building.
- Human Service Sector Partner — Works with human service organizations to apply research, evaluation, and training tools that strengthen practice and decision-making.
- NYSED Government — Supported a competitive three-year grant administered by Children's Institute for the Primary Project program in Elba Central School District.
- NYSED Government — Supported a three-year grant administered by Children's Institute for the Primary Project in Elba Central School District.
- QUALITYstarsNY Partner — Partnership to conduct observations for New York State’s Quality Rating and Improvement System for early childhood programs.
- QUALITYstarsNY Partner — Partnership to support early childhood program quality improvement in New York State.
- QUALITYstarsNY Partner — Partnership with Children's Institute to support quality improvement in early childhood programs in New York State.
- ROC the Future Alliance Partner — Anchor entity for the ROC the Future Alliance, a community-wide coalition focused on academic success for children.
- ROC the Future Alliance Partner — Shares office space with Children's Institute, located on the fourth floor of the same building.
- ROC the Future Alliance Partner — Strengthening partnership with Children’s Institute as part of community engagement and strategic priorities.
- StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network Network — ROC the Future Alliance, which CI anchors, is a member of the StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network.
- University of Rochester Partner — Collaborates with Children’s Institute on business plan review and strategic initiatives.
- WT Grant Foundation Funder — Funds reliability and validity testing of the Culturally Responsive SEL Classroom Practices Tool through its Reducing Inequality program.
- Winton Nursery Partner — Partner school where teachers collaborate with GROW to support children's developmental needs.
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.
- Culturally Responsive Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) with Observation and Coachingmethodology: culturally_responsive_selBy using iterative cycles of classroom observation and coaching grounded in a culturally responsive adaptation of the CASEL framework, we improve teachers' SEL practices and student outcomes because culturally relevant methods increase instructional effectiveness and student engagement.
- Early Identification Through Teacher Empowermentmethodology: teacher-as-first-responderBy equipping teachers as first responders with screening tools and collaborative support pathways, we enable earlier access to developmental services because teachers are uniquely positioned to observe and act on early concerns in children’s behavior and development.
- Research-to-Practice Translation for Systemic Changemethodology: research-to-practice translationBy translating research into actionable, evidence-based practices and embedding them through systems-level collaboration, we improve child and family outcomes because bridging the research-practice gap enables scalable, sustainable implementation across multiple service systems.
- Structured Emotional Endings to Support Developmentmethodology: healthy goodbyesBy designing intentional, structured endings in therapeutic programs like Primary Project, we support children's emotional development because healthy goodbyes reinforce trust, closure, and emotional regulation skills after consistent relationships have been formed.