Executive Director / CEO
This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Melanie Upfold, Executive Director / CEO ($58,500) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 211 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.
Compensation sits at approximately the 76th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range
Benchmarked executive: Melanie Upfold — reported title “Director”, selected as the organization's highest-paid individual — no exact title match, so confirm this is a comparable role.
Each figure is Form 990 Part VII columns D + F (reportable pay plus other compensation and benefits; column F may include amounts from related organizations), normalized to IL cost of living (BEA RPP, 2023) and to its filing year (CPI-U); the reported amount is on each linked 990.
| Organization | State | Revenue | Matched title | Comp (reported) | Comp (adjusted) | FY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agape Educational Center Inc | CA | $236,971 | Cfo | $65,860 | $59,378 | 2024 |
| Children Of Promise Childcare | IN | $237,531 | Exec Director | $12,453 | $14,116 | 2023 |
| Lynn Oaks School Inc | LA | $238,918 | Principal | $7,223 | $8,090 | 2025 |
| Community Nursery School Of Wilton Inc | CT | $240,181 | Director | $43,450 | $41,439 | 2025 |
| Philomath Montessori School | OR | $233,069 | Executive Director | $70,098 | $66,215 | 2025 |
| Intown Playgroup Inc | DC | $233,068 | Director Of The Playgroup | $38,333 | $35,121 | 2024 |
| Faith Services | RI | $241,105 | Director | $30,967 | $31,002 | 2024 |
| A Childs Heart Inc | CA | $241,531 | Preschool Director | $60,000 | $54,095 | 2024 |
| Plymouth Nursery School | IA | $230,926 | Director | $35,910 | $41,052 | 2024 |
| Family Cooperative Preschool Inc | MA | $243,159 | School Direc | $47,507 | $44,573 | 2024 |
| Crayon Corner Learning Center Inc | IA | $230,274 | Director | $44,009 | $49,015 | 2025 |
| Fullerton Community Nursery School | CA | $243,626 | Director | $36,365 | $32,785 | 2024 |
| La Escuelita | NC | $230,144 | Founding Director | $11,500 | $12,406 | 2024 |
| Bayard Tiger Cub Childcare Center | NE | $243,680 | Treasurer | $2,673 | $3,091 | 2023 |
| Miss Ellies Education Center Inc | PA | $244,518 | President | $60,000 | $62,472 | 2024 |
| Childrens House Preschool Inc | CO | $245,629 | Executive Director | $80,335 | $78,354 | 2025 |
| Silver Spring Nursery School Inc | MD | $228,188 | Executive Director Till 630 | $34,802 | $34,974 | 2023 |
| Elizabeth Seton Montessori School | PA | $227,851 | President | $75,932 | $79,060 | 2024 |
| Hopmeadow Nursery School Inc | CT | $246,117 | Director | $45,490 | $43,384 | 2025 |
| Little Shepherds Day Care | KY | $246,887 | Director | $40,996 | $45,987 | 2024 |
| Community Partnership For Children | NM | $226,587 | Executive Director | $86,999 | $100,584 | 2023 |
| One Step Ministries | VA | $247,383 | President | $24,930 | $25,874 | 2023 |
| Wee Love Preschool | CO | $247,410 | Executive Di | $83,516 | $81,457 | 2025 |
| Spring Knolls Cooperative Nursery School | MD | $226,329 | Executive Dir. | $47,410 | $47,645 | 2023 |
| Highlands Pre Schools Assoc | WA | $226,241 | Administrator And Treasurer | $58,945 | $56,728 | 2023 |
Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to IL cost of living and 2025 dollars. Click any organization to verify the figure on ProPublica.
Comparable organizations were drawn from electronically filed IRS Form 990 returns and matched on sector (NTEE code), budget (a size-adaptive revenue band that tightens as the organization grows), and geography (same-state first, broadening only when too few peers qualify); every organization within the band forms the peer set. To compare fairly across regions and years, peer compensation is normalized to IL cost of living (BEA Regional Price Parities, 2023) and to the subject's filing year (CPI-U). The figure benchmarked is Form 990 Part VII, Section A, columns D + F — reportable pay plus other compensation, benefits, and deferred amounts (column F may include amounts from related organizations) — with the chief executive matched by role. Related-organization amounts (column E) and institutional trustees are excluded. Full methodology: peerbasis.org/methodology.
Sensitivity — the subject's percentile under alternative compensation definitions:
| Basis | Subject percentile |
|---|---|
| Total compensation (D + F), cost-of-living + inflation adjusted — the PeerBasis default | 76th |
| Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments) | 74th |
| Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted | 78th |
| All sources (D + E + F), adjusted | 76th |
If the percentile moves materially across these definitions, the result is sensitive to methodology choices, and the board should weigh which basis best fits its facts.
Compensation paid by a tax-exempt organization is presumed reasonable — shifting the burden to the IRS — when three requirements are met. This report supplies the comparability data for the second. The board should record the following in its minutes concurrently with its decision:
Draft board minutes — executive compensation
Sources: IRS Form 990 e-file data (apps.irs.gov); IRS Business Master File (NTEE classification). Every figure traces to an original public filing — click any organization above to verify it on ProPublica. PeerBasis is a service of Prismind Analytics; its methodology is published, was commissioned for independent adversarial review, and discloses its own limitations. This report is comparability data to support a board's good-faith determination under IRC 4958; it is not legal or tax advice. Generated by PeerBasis on June 9, 2026.