University Child Development School (ucds) designs a culture of inquiry essential to meaningful learning. We cultivate reflective, collaborative, skillful thinkers who ignite positive change in their communities. We engage diverse perspectives in an ongoing effort to shape and share our innovative education model.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
80¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
Run by 70 volunteers and 179 employees.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · People: Part I, lines 5–6

Before you give

FY2025 · Form 990Independent: from IRS data, not the org
Download 990
IRS status
501(c)(3)
not on the IRS revocation list
Looks good: listed by the IRS and not on the revocation list.
IRS BMF · Auto-Revocation List
Tax-deductible gifts
Yes
Donations are tax-deductible
Looks good: the IRS lists gifts to it as deductible.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS BMF
Latest return
FY2025
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2025, 1 tax year back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
3 of 6
filings with a surplus
Average deficit $52K a year · under 1% of revenue · last 6 filings
Worth a look: a surplus in 3 of the last 6 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 6 filings
Spent on programs
80%
of spending
Looks good: 80% of spending went to programs; 75% or more.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$1.6M
to officers and key staff · 9% of spending
Looks good: pay to officers and key staff is 9% of spending; 15% or less.
Pt VII · Sec A
<1 mo
of spending, in cash
Plus $14.9M in investments, Pt X · Ln 11–13
Fine: 0.7 months of spending in cash, plus $14.9M in investments.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
11
named funders · $377K
Looks good: 11 funders name it on their filings; 3 or more.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$24.0M
50% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 50% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
15
of 15 voting members
Looks good: 15 of 15 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$18.6M
+12% vs prior year
Spent
$18.2M
To programs
80%
Net assets
$24.5M
By yearFY2020–FY2025
Revenue
$18.6M
FY2025▲ +12%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$12.0M
FY2021$14.0M
FY2022$15.4M
FY2023$17.6M
FY2024$16.7M
FY2025$18.6M
Expenses
$18.2M
FY2025▲ +5%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$13.3M
FY2021$14.4M
FY2022$15.1M
FY2023$16.4M
FY2024$17.3M
FY2025$18.2M
Net assets
$24.5M
FY2025▲ +8%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$19.9M
FY2021$21.4M
FY2022$20.1M
FY2023$22.1M
FY2024$22.7M
FY2025$24.5M

From the FY2025 Form 990 (year ending June 2025) · figures checked against the IRS filing · see the original

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Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Aug 1982.

IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File

Where the money goes

80 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 80% · $14.6M Management & general 17% · $3.2M Fundraising 2% · $425K

Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.

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Who runs it and what they're paid

26 people listed on the 990; $1.6M paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation · most recent filed roster (FY2024); the FY2025 filing did not itemize Part VII
Head of School
$312,945Pt VII · Sec A
Chief Financial Officer
$183,072Pt VII · Sec A
Head of School
$180,653Pt VII · Sec A
Dean of College
$167,550Pt VII · Sec A
Administration
$166,430Pt VII · Sec A
Director of Operations
$157,088Pt VII · Sec A
Faculty Member
$145,146Pt VII · Sec A
Director of Technology
$139,940Pt VII · Sec A

Jennifer Vary’s $313K as Head of School is at the 67th percentile of top reported officer pay among 3683 $10–100M education nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.

Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 8 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2025FY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Paula Smith$180,653$362,168$354,248$340,860$311,720$335,530
Jennifer Vary$312,945$246,300$240,460$285,188$128,121—
Melissa Chittenden————$259,471$244,709
Stephanie Cisakowski$183,072$218,750$205,484$208,816$193,419$177,647
Kerrie L Hecko$157,088$148,865$147,991$184,574——
Katherine Morrison——$167,955$141,388——
Katherine Morrision$167,550$159,158————
Tami Milles$166,430—————

Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.

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Questions the 990 asks

The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.

  • Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
  • Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes

Programs and updates

Cultivates reflective, collaborative thinkers through a culture of inquiry for meaningful learning.

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Provided by the organization

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3 programs · $14.6M · in their own filed words · FY2024
01

INFANT/TODDLER program and pre-school through 5TH grade education. In the 2024-2025 school year, ucds enrolled 351 students. Ucds is committed to small classes with a maximum of 19 students and an average teacher to student ration of 1:9.

$12.8Mprogram expense
02

After school care (edp) and clubs and summer program: children attending the after-school programs explore all sorts of exciting subject matter, both on-campus and during planned field trips, which encourages them to discover new things about themselves and the world around them.

$1.0Mprogram expense
03

The Ucds Institute (formerly

Teacher education center): the ucds institute creates and cultivates professional development opportunities, innovative programs and educational partnerships. The institute is committed to promoting teacher excellence and enhancing education at ucds and in the broader community.

$767Kprogram expense

Funders

Who pays for it.

From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.

Grants

Schedule I · received and paid
Grants received · FY2024
See all 11 funders →
Grants paid · 3 grants · $3.3M · 2019–2021
Unitemized GrantFY2021$1,158,282
Unitemized GrantFY2020$1,182,448
Unitemized GrantFY2019$935,784

By the numbers

The FY2025 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$18.6M
Ln 12
Fees for servicesLn 2g$17.0M
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$1.0M
Investment incomeLn 3$422K
Money outPt IX
$18.2M
Ln 25
Programscol B$14.6M
Managementcol C$3.2M
Fundraisingcol D$425K
Owns and owesPt X
$24.5M
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$1.1M
Total assetsLn 16$48.5M
LiabilitiesLn 26$24.0M
PeoplePt VI, VII
26
listed · VII A
PaidVII A9
Voting boardVI 1a15
IndependentVI 1b15
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$1.0M
Noncash giftsLn 1g$26K
Fundraising eventsLn 1c$200K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$17.0M
Investment incomeLn 3$422K
Other incomeLn 4–11$214K
Gains on assetsLn 7$55
Total revenueLn 12$18.6M
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$659K
SavingsLn 2$447K
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$1.1M
InvestmentsLn 11–13$14.9M
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$22.8M
Other assetsLn 15$3.1M
Total assetsLn 16$48.5M
LiabilitiesLn 26$24.0M
Net assetsLn 32$24.5M
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 5179
VolunteersI 670
Fiscal year endsHeaderJune
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes
Whistleblower policyVI 13Yes
Records policyVI 14Yes
3Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY25End FY25
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$7.7M$1.1M
InvestmentsLn 11–13$13.2M$14.9M
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$23.1M$22.8M
Total assetsLn 16$51.1M$48.5M
LiabilitiesLn 26$28.5M$24.0M
Net assetsLn 32$22.7M$24.5M
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Grants to domestic individualsLn 2$1.6M$1.6M
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$562K$460K$88K$15K
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$8.9M$7.3M$1.3M$243K
Pension plan contributionsLn 8$470K$350K$113K$7K
Other employee benefitsLn 9$1.2M$991K$203K$24K
Payroll taxesLn 10$717K$522K$185K$11K
Legal feesLn 11b$37K$37K
Accounting feesLn 11c$160K$160K
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$219K$10$219K
Advertising and promotionLn 12$113K$56K$57K
Office expensesLn 13$204K$78K$126K
Information technologyLn 14$123K$123K
OccupancyLn 16$619K$557K$62K
Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19$31K$31K
InterestLn 20$591K$532K$59K
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$657K$588K$68K
InsuranceLn 23$180K$162K$18K
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$1.5M$1.3M$48K$66K
All other expensesLn 24e$309K$68K$238K$4K
Total functional expensesLn 25$18.2M$14.6M$3.2M$425K

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest Viewing $18.6M$18.2M$481K$24.5M 990 PDF
FY2024 $16.7M$17.3M−$546K$22.7M 990 PDF
FY2023 $17.6M$16.4M$1.1M$22.1M 990 PDF
FY2022 $15.4M$15.1M$285K$20.1M 990 PDF
FY2021 $14.0M$14.4M−$373K$21.4M 990 PDF
FY2020 $12.0M$13.3M−$1.3M$19.9M 990 PDF

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Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons I · Grants A · Public support M · Noncash J · Pay O · Explanations
See the full FY2025 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $18,649,854 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $942,936$1,011,109
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $15,628,957$17,003,106
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $523,051$421,546
I-11 Other revenuePrior year −$384,225$214,093
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $16,710,719$18,649,854
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paidPrior year $1,239,700$1,588,162
I-14 Benefits paid to membersPrior year $0$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $12,005,521$11,881,411
I-16a Professional fundraising feesPrior year $0$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $4,011,753$4,699,190
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $17,256,974$18,168,763
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year −$546,255$481,091
Part VI · Governance 15 of 15 board members independent, no flags
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body15
VI-1b Independent voting members15
VI-2 Family or business relationship among officers or directorsNo
VI-12a Written conflict of interest policyYes
VI-13 Written whistleblower policyYes
VI-14 Document retention and destruction policyYes
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payYes
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $18,649,854 across 10 lines filed
Lines not itemized here account for $32,885 of total revenue; see the IRS return.
VIII-1c Fundraising events$200,045
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$811,064
VIII-1g Noncash contributions (included above)$26,088
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$1,011,109
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $17,003,106$17,003,106
VIII-3 Investment incomeExcluded from tax $421,491$421,491
VIII-6 Net rental income or lossRelated to mission $24,243$24,243
VIII-7 Net gain or loss on sales of assetsExcluded from tax $55$55
VIII-8 Net income from fundraising eventsExcluded from tax $156,965$156,965
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $17,027,349 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $611,396$18,649,854
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $18,168,763 across 19 lines filed
IX-2 Grants to domestic individualsPrograms $1,588,162$1,588,162
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $459,633 · Management $87,632 · Fundraising $14,844$562,109
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $7,327,324 · Management $1,343,120 · Fundraising $242,776$8,913,220
IX-8 Pension plan contributionsPrograms $350,276 · Management $113,193 · Fundraising $6,846$470,315
IX-9 Other employee benefitsPrograms $991,386 · Management $203,415 · Fundraising $23,892$1,218,693
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $521,936 · Management $184,615 · Fundraising $10,523$717,074
IX-11b Legal feesManagement $36,892$36,892
IX-11c Accounting feesManagement $159,537$159,537
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $10 · Management $219,379$219,389
IX-12 Advertising and promotionManagement $56,101 · Fundraising $56,761$112,862
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $78,417 · Management $125,758$204,175
IX-14 Information technologyManagement $122,587$122,587
IX-16 OccupancyPrograms $556,698 · Management $61,855$618,553
IX-19 Conferences, conventions and meetingsManagement $30,655$30,655
IX-20 InterestPrograms $531,586 · Management $59,065$590,651
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortizationPrograms $588,374 · Management $68,443$656,817
IX-23 InsurancePrograms $161,674 · Management $17,963$179,637
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $1,344,600 · Management $47,744 · Fundraising $65,931$1,458,275
IX-24e All other expensesPrograms $67,892 · Management $237,577 · Fundraising $3,691$309,160
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $14,567,968 · Management $3,175,531 · Fundraising $425,264$18,168,763
Part X · Balance sheet $48,532,370 assets, 17 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $7,025,198$658,600
X-2 Savings and temporary cash investmentsStart of year $679,447$446,929
X-3 Pledges and grants receivableStart of year $766,457$639,107
X-4 Accounts receivableStart of year $2,757,992$5,731,013
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesStart of year $393,480$322,021
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $23,130,995$22,753,318
X-11 Publicly traded securitiesStart of year $13,193,540$14,924,700
X-15 Other assetsStart of year $3,195,735$3,056,682
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $51,142,844$48,532,370
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $992,606$1,119,684
X-19 Deferred revenueStart of year $11,872,095$9,754,608
X-25 Other liabilitiesStart of year $3,443,644$3,407,216
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $28,478,291$24,044,555
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $8,439,071$9,966,818
X-28 Net assets with donor restrictionsStart of year $14,225,482$14,520,997
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $22,664,553$24,487,815
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $51,142,844$48,532,370
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $24,487,815 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$18,649,854
XI-2 Total expenses$18,168,763
XI-3 Revenue less expenses$481,091
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$22,664,553
XI-5 Net unrealized gains (losses) on investments$1,342,171
XI-9 Other changes in net assets$0
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$24,487,815

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2025 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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