2020 Annual Report by Sheltering Arms

2020 Annual Report

Message from the President & CEO What a year 2020 proved to be. The pandemic and the racial injustices we witnessed were exhausting and overwhelming. Through it all, we managed to operate, be available to our families and provide resources they needed. Like many other nonprofit organizations, we had to make some immediate changes to our service delivery and respond to our families’ needs. Our family support coaches and team members connected with each one of our families within the first few days of closing in March to check in on them, to ask them what they needed and to let them know that we would be there for them. We remained connected to our families and provided virtual learning opportunities for our children. We reopened our doors at all of our centers in June.

Our Mission

While we lost significant funding from tuition, we are thankful for the continued funding we received from the GA Department of Early Care and Learning and Head Start to continue serving our children and families. The philanthropic community was also very generous and immediately stepped in to support us and many organizations that provide services to children and families.

Sheltering Arms transforms the lives of children, their families and communities through model early childhood education and leadership in the field.

Partnerships with organizations such as Helping Mamas and the Global Gift Registry initiative allowed for us to get much needed items to our families, including diapers, wipes, formula, household cleaning supplies, strollers and car seats.

Our Vision

We are looking forward to all the great things to come for Sheltering Arms, and we know it cannot happen without your support. On behalf of our board and staff, thank you so much for believing in our mission and for continuing to invest in our community’s children.

Sheltering Arms sees thriving communities where all families hold the power to create opportunity for themselves and their children.

While we know we are not out of these times yet, we are looking forward to all the great things to come for Sheltering Arms, and we know it cannot happen without your support. On behalf of our board and staff, thank you so much for believing in our mission and for continuing to invest in our community’s children. Sincerely,

, Blythe Keeler Robinson President and CEO

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Who We Serve

3,499

Sheltering Arms remains focused on educating children and empowering families to build stronger communities. Community support allowed us to provide more than 3,500 children with high-quality early education and deliver comprehensive family support

Children and Families Served in 2019

services. On average, our children scored in the 90th percentile, exceeding developmental

1,713 boys 49% • 1,786 girls

milestones for language and literacy.

Locations

Ethnicity of Children

2,797

Gwinnett Lawrenceville Norcross

51% Ages of Children

African-American 979 910

180 Caucasian 619 403

Cobb

317

37 Asian

273

3 Native American/Other Gwinnett 1

Douglas Douglasville

DeKalb Fulton

Douglas

DeKalb Fulton

Atlanta Chamblee

Atlanta, College Park, SEast Point, Union City

Sheltering Arms | 2020 Annual Report

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Agency Highlights

From Atlanta to Yale

Sheltering Arms hosted a variety of events throughout the year to create special moments

At the age of four, Chelesa Fearce moved to Atlanta

for members of our community.

with her mother, Reenita, and her sister Chelsea. New to a city with no family, her mother was eager

Cocktails & Conversation. Sheltering Armsʼ thought leadership series where professionals, partners and leaders join in discussion about trends and hot topics in early childhood education. In 2020, Sheltering Arms held a virtual event called “Virtual Learning,

to find work and childcare, and learned about Sheltering Arms through a local program for families in need.

Screen Time and Early Learning: How Much is Too Much” with “We had a good experience there,” Reenita recalled. “The teachers were great, speakers, from the Atlanta Speech School, Common Sense Media, Tech Play Collaborative and Zero to Three. Tech Play Collaborative and Zero to Three. Embrace Early & Create the Future Virtual Celebration: Sheltering Armsʼ annual signature fundraising event and the largest gathering of our community. In 2020, Sheltering Arms held a virtual celebration that included a virtual reality experience that allowed guests to experience the life of a child in an early learning classroom. A former Sheltering Arms student, who is now in middle school, was the guest speaker. She shared her memories about her time at Sheltering Arms and how much that time shaped her love for learning.

and the director was excellent.” When asked about her fondest memory, Chelesa shared that it was reading to her classmates. “I enjoyed reading with the teachers. They let me read to the class because I read well. It became by favorite activity.” Chelesa credits her love of reading to Sheltering Arms, along with trips to the library with her mother and sister. That love fueled her academic success all through school. It’s what inspired her to keep going, despite difficult family challenges like hunger and homelessness.

In Spring 2020, Sheltering Arms partnered with Helping Mamas, a local nonprofit, to provide essential items (diapers, wipes, feminine hygiene products, etc.) to Sheltering Arms families during the pandemic. Through the partnership, Sheltering Arms was able to distribute 230,000 items ($104,000 in value) to 1169 families representing 3749 individuals.

By her senior year in high school, Chelesa was named valedictorian, achieving a

Through a longstanding partnership with Carterʼs, children at Sheltering Arms receive pajamas and gifts or children every winter. In 2020, Carterʼs donated 2,600 backpacks for hygiene kits and provided wrapped gifts for 1500 children.

ation, she went on to work as a researcher for the National Institutes of Health

GPA of 4.529 and scoring a 1900 out of 2400 on the SAT. She had taken college courses during the last two years of high school, and by the time she enrolled at Spelman College, the biochemistry major was already a junior. Upon graduin Washington, DC. Today, Chelesa is now enrolled in the MD-PhD Program at Yale University. “My goal is to be a child psychiatrist, and ultimately, design drugs to treat psychiatric disorders.”

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Sheltering Arms | 2020 Annual Report

Outcomes and Success Child Outcomes

Family Outcomes

On average, 92% of Sheltering Arms children met or exceeded the developmental

Sheltering Arms approaches family engagement through a two-generation lens with the

milestones for by the end of the 2019 – 2020 school year.

intention to serve the entire family. We offer training and workshops, help families access educational opportunities, and make introductions to partner organizations and

DEVELOPMENT AREA

Fall 2019

Below

professionals to help meet their needs beyond what we offer.

Spring 2020

Meeting/

Below

Exceeding

Meeting/ Exceeding

Social-Emotional

19%

81%

95%

Physical

17%

83%

93%

Language

22%

78%

10%

90%

Cognitive

21%

79%

93%

Literacy

18%

72%

94%

Math

21%

79%

11%

89%

Average

20%

80%

92%

Medical & Dental Medical Exams

EHS 15%

PHS 44%

Dental Exams

EHS 8%

PHS 53%

Reported regular involvement, including communication with teachers, parent meetings, center events, volunteering and contributing to classroom activities

Reported receiving useful information from Sheltering Arms staﬀ on how to improve their parenting skills

Sheltering Arms | 2020 Annual Report

94% of parents read to their children at least three times per week

Found employment, maintained employment or improved employment during school year

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Early Head Start/Head Start

A Fresh Start

Sheltering Arms has offered the Head Start program for nearly 20 years, providing a full-

In 2012, Ardell Polley moved from Baltimore to

day, full-year schedule to accommodate working parents’ schedules, as well as blended

Atlanta with his two-year-old son, Aarindell, look-

classroom structures that integrate children from diverse socio-economic backgrounds.

ing for a fresh start. “I needed to get away from my

Sheltering Arms also offers Early Head Start.

situation and start over.”

Early Head Start/Head Start Statistics

While temporarily living in a shelter, Ardell immediately set out to look for work and find child care. It wasn’t long before he

1,510 funded

was offered a job driving a truck for a moving company, but he needed care for his son before he could commit. While walking the streets of Atlanta, he discovered a sign that caught his attention and went inside to inquire. He was

742 boys/768 girls Ages

gibility

473

greeted by Sheltering Arms staff who listened to his story and began working with him right away to get him connected to services. His son was enrolled into

1,411

below poverty line

getting a MARTA card for public transportation, and support needed to get an

324

public assistance

339

15 foster child 182 113

the Early Head Start program so he could attend at no cost. He received help

20 homeless

apartment, along with connections to other financial resources. The staff became family to him. “The family support team at Sheltering Arms really helped me get back on my feet,” reflected Ardell. “Because I had childcare for my son, I could accept the job. While I was working, I knew my child was safe and happy being in a structured environment. He was learning social skills, and he

infant

34 SSI/TAN Relief

learned how to read.” Today, life is much brighter for Ardell and his son. Aarindell is in 5th grade,

Ethnic Breakdown: 460 Hispanic or Latino 3,309 Non-Hispanic or Non-Latino

playing football and doing well in school. Ardell is now the owner of Polley

2,797 African-American 3 American Indian/Native American 37 Asian 180 Caucasian 148 Bi-Racial or Multi-Racial 26 Hispanic Black 308 Hispanic White

Trucking and Freight. He is engaged and recently bought a house. “One thing

Racial Breakdown:

I’ve learned, is that when you’re helping yourself, people will see it and try to help you out as well. I’m so thankful for Sheltering Arms’ two-generation program. It helped me and my son—at the same time.”

Sheltering Arms | 2020 Annual Report

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Our Supporters Pearson VUE Testing Site

Individual Donors ($500+)

As a Pearson VUE testing site, GTI is able to give CDA students the opportunity to take the

Ollie Virginia Baker-Jeffcoat Erin and Peter Boorn Helen and Bennie Boswell Joseph A. Brown Mark B. Chandler Pam J. Coffey Sylvester Davis Mark Dvorak Terry Elliott Dan Erling Ed Gilbert John Hackett Ruth E. Harris Catherine and Larry Hilton

exam where they received their training. GTI builds the state’s capacity to create positive outcomes for children and families through quality professional development for early care and education and family support providers

Organizations that utilized GTI’s training in 2020 include: Advocates for Children Atlanta Speech School Babies Can’tWait Bethany Christian Services of Greater Chattanooga Board River Career Academy Bright Beginnings Centerstone Central Georgia Technical College Coastal Coalition For Children Community Development Institute Head Start Early Head Start Child Care Partnership Project Family Resource Agency of North GA Foundations In Wisdom Georgia DFCS Office of Prevention & Family Support Georgia Family Connection Partnership Georgia Piedmont Technical College Georgia State University Gwinnett Technical College

Sheltering Arms | 2020 Annual Report

Healthy Babies Luella High School Lutheran Services of Georgia McIntosh Trail ECDC Meadowcreek High School Mercer University Oconee County High School Ola High School Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital Pickens High School Portal Middle High School Prevent Child Abuse Rockdale Pro Solutions Training Project Family Quality Care for Children Rockdale Career Academy State of Georgia Department of Public Health Tree Branches Learning Academy, Inc University of Georgia Extension—Athens Woodstock High School

Mary and Dennis Howie Harriett and John Irvin Troy Johnson Cassandra Johnson Bernadine Layne Tracey Lloyd

Kendi O’Mard Elizabeth and Mike Perlmutter Mary Richardson Stephen A. Rieck Lefonza A. Shaw

Grace and Chris Masi Andrew McConnell Virginia and Edward Mitchell John Morabito Roy Neill Jeff Neppl Shaneshia Nickerson Elizabeth Olwell

Debbie Smith Ken R. Taunton Conchata Taylor Che Watkins Daniel Wiegand Debbie Wilkes Amberly Winley Yane and Benjamin Yoo

The 1888 Society Members of The 1888 Society seek to positively impact Atlanta’s children and their families by giving $1,000 or more annually to Sheltering Arms. Martha Abbott-Shim R. L. Ashe Julie and James Balloun Brent Beikmann Jennifer and Tom Bell Kevin A. Bell Diane Bellem Maxwell Billieon Liz and Frank Blake Stephanie Blank Kathy and Alan Bremer Ashley Brightwell

John W. Brown April L. Bunting Gelair G. Butler Anne and James Carson Catherine Castaldo Helen and Wayne Cease Barbara and Mark Chandler Stiles Y. Conrad Tony Conway Pete and Ada Lee Correll Lee W. Crump Aaron M. Danzig

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Michael A. Davis Jr. Karen and Michael de Nie Carol and James Dew Elaine P.Draeger Julie A. Fishman Naiema Frieson Jeryl E. Gahlhoff Jr. Christopher A. Gorecki William M. Graves Martha and Michael Greenway Kevin Hamada Lauren B. Herron Norman V. Hill Erika and Talbert Hill Michelle Horstemeyer Ruth Hough George Frank Jakes DaShana Jelks Janet and George Johnson Jeffrey Kammerer Jesse Killings Eduardo E. Larrazabal Nicole Layne Kathleen Reynolds Liles Jill and David MacRae Pegui Mariduena Christi and Keri Masters Stephen Mayo John McColl Anthony McWilliams Tameika Montgomery Paula Myrick Roderick and Elizabeth Odom Anna and Summey Orr

12 Sheltering Arms | 2020 Annual Report

Chad Parker John Pelick Nancy C. Pendergast Steve M. Phillips Stanford Charles Phillips Kshipra Pitre Leona and Peter Rapelye Christopher Reichart Heather A. Robinson Blythe K. Robinson Caryn G. Schilstra Michele Schmitt Keisha A. Simmons Michael F. Smith Loni Smith John Spaulding Dana Stolte William P. Sullivan Darryl J. Tillman Elizabeth S. Towles Yasmin Tyler-Hill David Underwood Richard Urschel Bernadette Viens Alexandra Villanueva Michele and Jack Walsh Kimberly and Kareem Washington Emma and Ron Whited John Franklin Wilson III Teresa Woerner Greg Worrell Gwen and Rob Wright Mary Zurn

Foundations, Corporations and Organizations Annie E. Casey Foundation ATK Foundation Atlanta Foundation Atlantic Capital Bank August House Publishing Austin Startup Games, Inc. Betty and Davis Fitzgerald Foundation Brasfield & Gorrie California Dairies CLC Foundation Cohn Reznick Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta Cox Enterprises, Inc. East Lake Foundation East West Bank Edna Wardlaw Charitable Trust Educare Learning Network Emmaus House Fidelity Charitable Frances Wood Wilson Foundation, Inc. Fulton County Dept. of Housing and Community Development Georgia Power Company Goldman Sachs Gives Goldman Sachs Matching Gift Program GreyStone Power Foundation, Inc. Ida Alice Ryan Charitable Trust John and Mary Franklin Foundation John H. & Wilhelmina D. Harland Charitable Foundation, Inc. Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation Kaiser Permanente Lakeshore Learning Materials Leadership Atlanta BDCE Leadership Atlanta Class of 2018 Lois & Lucy Lampkin Foundation

Mary Allen Lindsey Branan Foundation Network For Good Nordson Corporation Northwestern Benefit Corporation of Georgia Nunnally Foundation, Inc. Performance Food Group - Milton’s Porsche Cars North America Price Gilbert, Jr. Charitable Fund Richard C. Munroe Foundation S.O.U.L. Atlanta Sartain Lanier Family Foundation Scholastic Six Feet Under Southern Education Foundation Supply Source TEGNA Foundation The AID Atlanta Crew The Aspen Institute The Winestock Foundation, Inc. Thomas H. Lanier Family Foundation Thomas H. Pitts Trust Trinity School, Inc. United Way Combined Federal Campaign United Way of Greater Atlanta United Way of Greater Lorain County United Way of Greater Los Angeles United Way of Greater Waterbury United Way of King County United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta, Inc. United Way of the Valley & Greater Utica Area, Inc. The UPS Foundation Wells Fargo Foundation Whitehead Children’s Christmas Fund Whole Child Leon Young Rembrandts Zeist Foundation

Every effort has been made to accurately acknowledge our donors. We sincerely apologize for any error or omission and would appreciate your assistance in correcting our records. Please contact Shonnie Roberson at 404-458-3019 or sgroberson@shelteringarmsforkids.com. Sheltering Arms does not sell or trade donor personal or contact information.

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Financial Summary

Leadership Board of Directors Executive Committee Chair

Jeff Kammerer Vice Chair

Leona M. Rapelye Treasurer

Helen Cease Secretary

Martha Abbott-Shim Immediate Past Chair

Michael Smith* *deceased Board Members

Chad Aron Leah Austin Ashley Brightwell Mark Dvorak Steve Floyd Brian D. Granville Martha Taylor Greenway Kevin Hamada Michelle Horstemeyer Lori Kaczynski Nicole Layne Jill MacRae Pegui Mariduena Andrew McConnell Canditra McLemore

Sheltering Arms | 2020 Annual Report

Ursula McNeill Julie McNulty John Mears Kshipra Pitre John C. Pelick Grant Rivera Dr. Yasmin Tyler-Hill

Income $23,313,767 Head Start Grant

$7,035,145

30%

Tuition - Parent

$2,392,325

10%

Early Head Start

$3,558,506

13%

Georgia Pre-Kindergarten Program

$3,349,122

14%

Fundraising

$3,398,955

15%

$114,346

<1%

Child & Adult Care Food Program

$606,447

DECAL – Child Care & Parenting Services (CAPS)

$775,024

$39,689

<1%

$363,399

<1%

$33,357

<1%

$1,647,452

Salaries and Benefits

$17,706,880

82%

Occupancy and Rent

$3,788,041

11%

Supplies

$2,518,884

7.3%

Equipment and Building Maintenance

$1,334,686

4.9%

Depreciation and Bad Debt

$1,097,578

3.2%

$50,839

<1%

DECAL – Summer Transition Grant

Honorary Board Members

Head Start Contract 9th District

Anne H. Carson Stiles Y. Conrad Robert H. Gunn, Jr. Janet Johnson Timothy J. Pakenham Virginia S. Williams

Other Revenue & Gains

Executive Staff President and CEO

Blythe Keeler Robinson VP, Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships

Michael Davis VP, Human Resources

Norman Hill VP, Finance

Rob Welsh

DHS Grant - State/County Grants Dept.of Family & Children’s Services Vouchers

Expenses $34,396,164

Professional Fees Business Insurance

$347,918

Transportation

$28,664

<1%

Other Expenses

$177,348

Note about expenses: This includes non-cash transactions that did not affect revenue, such as uncollectable pledges, depreciation and realized/unrealized gains.

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