THE EARLY LEARNING COALITION OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA INC Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

THE EARLY LEARNING COALITION OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA INC

EIN 65-1144775 · Education (B012)

What they do

THE ORGANIZATIONS PRIMARY EXEMPT PURPOSE is to ENHANCE THE QUALITY of CHILDRENS LIVES BY PROVIDING FAMILIES, EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS, CARE- GIVERS and COMMUNITY PARTNERS IN COLLIER, GLADES, HENDRY and LEE COUNTIES, WITH OPPORTUNITIES to POSITIVELY IMPACT THE FUTURE. THE EARLY LEARNING PROGRAMS HAVE HIGH QUALITY STANDARDS, COMPREHENSIVE SERVICES, SEAMLESS DELIVERY SYSTEMS WITH DIVERSE SETTINGS, and WELL-EDUCATED, COMPETENT STAFF. THE DELIVERY SYSTEMS for SCHOOL READINESS PROGRAMS ARE COMPRISED of CHILD CARE PROVIDERS and of SCHOOL-BASED SITES OPERATED BY PUBLIC and NONPUBLIC SCHOOLS.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $96.20 was reported for mission work. Use the spending picture below and ask what results that work produced.

Plain answer: A tax form cannot prove that a charity is doing good. It can show how the charity says it spent its money—and point out questions you should ask.

Basic facts we verified

IRS warning checkNo IRS revocation warning appears in this data.

Money report from 2024The charity has a recent tax report to read.

They explain their jobThe charity tells us what it is trying to do.

They name their leaders23 people are listed in the latest report.

You can reach themThey list contact information, so you can ask questions.

Money made simple

94.77%of revenue went to mission work96.2% of expenses · Program services

$98.48spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

3.71%of revenue went to management and office costs3.8% of expenses

$0.12in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

97.8%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

Ask these three easy questions

Who did you help? Ask for a recent story or report that shows real results.
What will my money do? Ask exactly what your gift will pay for.
Is this really the charity? Give only through its official website or confirmed phone number.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $177,744 for DR MELANIE STEFANOWICZ (CEO). Compare pay with organizations of similar size and complexity.

Bottom line: Do not decide from a name, mission statement, or tax status alone. Look at where the money went, then ask what changed, who was helped, and what your gift will do. YouCanGiveBack does not endorse or grade organizations.

Money

Financial picture

Tax year 2024

A plain-language look at the latest Form 990 figures available. These numbers help you ask better questions; they do not, by themselves, rate whether a charity is good or bad.

$100revenue

How each $100 of revenue was used

The large number compares each expense with revenue. The smaller number shows its share of total expenses.

Total reported revenue$62,983,349

Mission workProgram services$59,690,25894.77% of revenue96.2% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$2,336,0153.71% of revenue3.8% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations0.00% of revenue0.0% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$957,0761.52% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$62,026,27398.48% of revenue

Gray means reported revenue left after expenses for this filing year. It does not necessarily mean cash sitting in a bank account.

Has the pattern changed?

Colored bars = expense mix: how each year’s expenses were divided. Total expenses vs. revenue shows whether the charity spent less or more than it received. The current filing is first.

YearExpense mixDetails

2024CurrentExpense mix: 96.2% mission · 3.8% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 98.48% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 96.7% mission · 3.3% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 98.30% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 98.7% mission · 1.3% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 99.96% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 98.4% mission · 1.6% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 100.10% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 98.2% mission · 1.8% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 100.81% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 97.0% mission · 3.0% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 99.73% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 97.8% mission · 2.2% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 100.04% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$62,983,349

Expenses$62,026,273

Annual surplus $957,076 Revenue was higher than expenses for this filing year.

Reported spending amounts

Mission work means the Form 990 category called program services. These are reported accounting categories—not an independent measurement of results.

Mission work (program services)$59,690,258 · 96.2% of expenses

Management and office costs$2,336,015 · 3.8% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$62,983,349

Expenses$62,026,273

Assets$7,707,815

Income$62,983,349

Contributions$61,575,396

Mission work (program services)$59,690,258

Grants given$195,715,448

Average grant$27,959,350

Management and general$2,336,015

Accounting fees$116,013

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2024

Names, titles, time, and compensation below are reported by the organization on its Form 990.

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation

DR MELANIE STEFANOWICZCEO · 40 hrs/week $177,744

GILDA DURANCHIEF PROG. · 40 hrs/week $126,960

WYNETTA UPSHAWCAO · 40 hrs/week $115,724

RICHARD COCCHIERICFO · 40 hrs/week $100,786

LEONA ADKINSCQO · 40 hrs/week $77,418

Compensation alone does not tell whether pay is reasonable. Consider the charity’s size, work, location, and results.

See everyone listed on the board or leadership roster (23)

DR MELANIE STEFANOWICZCEO

GILDA DURANCHIEF PROG.

WYNETTA UPSHAWCAO

RICHARD COCCHIERICFO

LEONA ADKINSCQO

KAE MOOREMEMBER

AARON STITTMEMBER

TARA SHERRODMEMBER

TANYA WILLIAMSMEMBER

SEAN KEMPTONMEMBER

REBECCA MCKELLARMEMBER

MICHELE KINGMEMBER

LAURA BRIGHTVICE BOARD C

BROOKE DELMOTTE GOLDSTEINTREASURER

JAMIE MERCHANTMEMBER

ALEX BREAULTMEMBER

DRDEREK BURKHOLDERMEMBER

DRBETHANY QUISENBERRYMEMBER

BARBARA SHORTMEMBER

DR KELLY ROSSMEMBER

DR ELIZABETH MCBRIDEMEMBER

CHAR-NEQUA SMITHMEMBER

CHANTEL PORTEMEMBER

About this charity

Recognized since: January 2002
Location: 2675 WINKLER AVE STE 300, FORT MYERS, FL 33901-9329
County: Lee
In care of: DR MELANIE STEFANOWICZ
Primary officer: DR MELANIE STEFANOWICZ, CEO

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Phone(239) 935-6100 Officer phone(239) 267-4105

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: July 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: MKA ADVISORY LLC
NTEE classification: Education (B012)
Grant-giving organization: Yes