La Petite Academy, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Learning Care Group Retirement Savings Plan
Carol Stream, MIEducational Services19,965 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$117Employer $ per active participant
$475Employee $ saved per active participant
0.42%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$101.2MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity4.4 / 509th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost1.3 / 255th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving1.0 / 157th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
Total score10 / 100 · Grade F
This plan vs. peers
Peers: all industries, plans with 10,000+ active participants (fewer than 30 industry peers) (820 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 9th |
| Lower admin cost | 5th |
| Employee saving | 7th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 50% |
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Red flags from the filing
No red flags were reported on this filing's compliance questions.
What to do if you're in this plan
- La Petite Academy put in about $117 per active participant, below the typical peer ($2,229). Any match is still an instant return, so contribute enough to get all of it.
- The filing shows total dollars, not the match formula. Ask HR for the Summary Plan Description so you know the exact match and vesting schedule.
- Direct plan expenses (0.42% of assets) are well above similar-size plans (0.09%). Check your annual fee disclosure, choose low-cost index funds if you can, and think about whether savings beyond the match belong in an IRA.
- Changing jobs? You can usually leave the money in the plan, move it to your new employer's plan, or roll it into an IRA. Don't cash out: you'd owe taxes and possibly a 10% penalty.
The raw numbers from the filing
| Employer contributions | $2,343,949 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $9,486,716 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $952,026 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $394,420 |
| Contract administrator fees | $318,835 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $37,500 |
| Benefits paid out | $9,752,077 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $88.3M / $101.2M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 20,213 / 19,717 |
| Participants with account balances | 4,386 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Plante Moran |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Principal Life Insurance Company | $318,834 reported compensation |
| BKS Retirement Services | $30,000 reported compensation |
| Plante & Moran PLLC | $27,000 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250929140839NAL0012283776001, received 2025-09-29, EIN 43-1243221, plan #003, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.