Chicago · Licensed family home

Barrios-Argueta, Maritza G

What these mean, and where they come from

Larger means licensed for 9 to 12 children, among Chicago-area’s 3,345 licensed family homes by state-licensed capacity. Small is 2 to 7; mid-size is 8.

How they teach

Creative Curriculum and faith-based

“Faith Based Our program is based on the belief that we are an extension of God's family. Our mission is to provide a supportive, nurturing environment building a sense of community among our families and staff to build a Christian foundation amongst our children with emphasis on values of Compassion, Family, and Love.”In their words, August 2026.myfirststepsdaycare.net

“Curriculum Creative Curriculum for infant, toddlers & pre school age”In their words, August 2026.myfirststepsdaycare.net

One of 26 Chicago-area providers that describe a Creative Curriculum approach, out of 129 that describe any approach at all.

Who cares for your child

Ratio not published

Cinthia Correa (Administrator) since 2012. Two other staff are named on their site, with no start years given.

Of 5,346 Chicago-area providers, 27 publish how long a named staff member has been there; the longest tenure at each of those has a median of sixteen years.

Shortlist doesn’t have these yet: cost, sick and biting policies.

What the state has found

Routine visits: 5 of 6 cited something

Chicago-area family homes: the state cites something at about 4 in 5 routine visits.

From Illinois DCFS’s published reports, last checked September 25, 2026.

Read every record and the state’s reports

State record — Illinois DCFS

Last visit
February 27, 2026
On file
6 visits since February 2016 — 1 cited nothing
Fixed?
The latest correction deadline was March 17, 2026. Illinois DCFS does not publish whether it was made.
Most serious
Illinois DCFS does not publish a severity level for a citation, so there is no most-serious to name.

Illinois DCFS cites each subsection of a rule separately, so one audit of a filing cabinet can produce ten citations. It publishes the rule’s title and a correction deadline, but no description of what was observed.

Feb 2026 Monitoring visit 10 findings

Monitoring visit · February 27, 2026

General Requirements for Group Day Care Homes

4 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.30(a)(3) through (s)(5) · Violation corrected on site · Violation substantiated

89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.30(a)(3) · 408.30(j)(1) · 408.30(k) · 408.30(s)(5)

Provisions Pertaining to the License

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.20(k) · Violation substantiated

General Requirements for Group Day Care Home Family

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.35(i) · Violation substantiated

Caregivers

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.45(f) · Violation substantiated

Enrollment and Discharge Procedures

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.60(j) · Violation substantiated

School Age Children

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.110(g) · Violation substantiated

Records and Reports

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.120(c) · Violation substantiated

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 537503 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Dec 2024 Compliance monitoring visit nothing cited
Nov 2019 Monitoring visit 2 findings

Monitoring visit · November 20, 2019

General Requirements for Group Day Care Home Family

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.35(f) · Violation corrected

Health, Medical Care and Safety

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.70(a)(3) · Violation corrected

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 537503 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Mar 2019 Monitoring visit 1 finding

Monitoring visit · March 1, 2019

Caregivers

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.45(j) · Violation corrected

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 537503 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Jan 2017 Monitoring visit 11 findings

Monitoring visit · January 27, 2017

General Requirements for Group Day Care Home Family

3 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.35 through (j) · Violation corrected

89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.35 · 408.35(i) · 408.35(j)

Application for License

2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.10(b)(1)(f) through (d) · Violation corrected

89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.10(b)(1)(f) · 408.10(d)

Enrollment and Discharge Procedures

2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.60(j)(1) through (k) · Violation corrected

89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.60(j)(1) · 408.60(k)

Records and Reports

2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.120(a)(1) through (h) · Violation corrected

89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.120(a)(1) · 408.120(h)

General Requirements for Group Day Care Homes

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.30(k) · Violation corrected

Caregivers

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.45(j) · Violation corrected

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 537503 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Feb 2016 Monitoring visit 4 findings

Monitoring visit · February 19, 2016

General Requirements for Group Day Care Homes

2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.30(a)(3) through (4) · Violation corrected

89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.30(a)(3) · 408.30(a)(4)

Provisions Pertaining to the License

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.20(k) · Violation corrected

Caregivers

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.45(j) · Violation corrected

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 537503 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

How the comparison is built

Routine visits: across Chicago-area family homes, the state cites something at about 4 in 5 routine visits (16,457 visits).

A day here

Meals
Provides all meals except special diets; parents bringing children in after 9:00 AM must provide breakfast
Hours
7:00 AM to 5:30 PM

Details

7739833792

Website
myfirststepsdaycare.net
Address
3981 N Merrimac Ave
License
license issued (il)
Ages they serve
3 months to 8 years old
Established
2012

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Sources and dates

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How they teach

How they teach

Who cares for your child

State record

Every state visit and complaint on file, shown in full and never edited. Open a date to read what the state wrote.

A day here

Details