Chicago · Licensed center

Child First Academy

What these mean, and where they come from

Medium means the middle half of Chicago-area’s 1,949 licensed centers by state-licensed capacity: 49 to 118 children. Small is 8 to 48; large is 119 to 487.

Who cares for your child

Ratio not published

36 staff are named on their site, with no start years given.

What it costs

$2,158 to $2,690 a month

Chicago-area comparison hidden until they say which age this price is for.

Part-time $1,681 to $2,475 a month. Application fee $300.

Shortlist doesn’t have these yet: teaching approach, a typical day, sick and biting policies.

What the state has found

Routine visits: 5 of 5 cited something

Chicago-area centers: the state cites something at about 5 in 6 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
August 26, 2025
On file
5 visits since June 2021 — all of them cited findings
Fixed?
The latest correction deadline was September 5, 2025. 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.

Aug 2025 Monitoring visit 13 findings

Monitoring visit · August 26, 2025

General Requirements for Personnel

4 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(1) through (f) · Violation corrected

89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(1) · 407.100(c)(5) · 407.100(c)(8) · 407.100(f)

Personnel Records

2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(3) through (e)(5) · Violation corrected

89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(3) · 407.120(e)(5)

Physical Plant/Indoor Space

2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(e)(3) through (11) · Violation corrected · Violation corrected on site

89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(e)(3) · 407.370(e)(11)

Equipment and Materials

2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.380(j)(4) through (5) · Violation corrected on site

89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.380(j)(4) · 407.380(j)(5)

Health Requirements for Children

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(3) · Violation corrected

Nutrition and Meal Service

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.330(l)(1) · Violation corrected on site

Cited: FHSEC305

0 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code · Violation corrected

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 592276 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Oct 2023 Monitoring visit 11 findings

Monitoring visit · October 5, 2023

General Requirements for Personnel

2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(5) through (d) · Violation corrected

89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(5) · 407.100(d)

Equipment and Materials

2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.380(j)(4) through (5) · Violation corrected

89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.380(j)(4) · 407.380(j)(5)

Organization and Administration

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.70(e) · Violation corrected

Personnel Records

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(3) · Violation corrected

Guidance and Discipline

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.270(a) · Violation corrected

Health Requirements for Children

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(10) · Violation corrected

Physical Plant/Indoor Space

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(e)(3) · Violation corrected

Cited: FHSEC305

0 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code · Violation corrected

Cited: CCASEC4

0 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code · Violation corrected

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 592276 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Oct 2022 Monitoring visit 13 findings

Monitoring visit · October 4, 2022

Personnel Records

4 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(1) through (4) · Violation corrected

89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(1) · 407.120(a)(2) · 407.120(a)(3) · 407.120(a)(4)

Application for License

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.50(g) · Violation corrected

Organization and Administration

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.70(i) · Violation corrected

General Requirements for Personnel

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(5) · Violation corrected

Background Checks for Personnel

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.110 · Violation corrected

Program Requirements for All Ages

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.200(f)(5) · Violation corrected

Special Requirements for Infants and Toddlers

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.210(f)(8) · Violation corrected

Hand Washing

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.320(a)(3) · Violation corrected

Diapering and Toileting Procedures

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.340(a)(5) · Violation corrected

Physical Plant/Indoor Space

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(e)(11) · Violation corrected

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 592276 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Nov 2021 Monitoring visit 3 findings

Monitoring visit · November 2, 2021

Personnel Records

2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(3) through (5) · Violation corrected

89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(3) · 407.120(a)(5)

Special Requirements for Infants and Toddlers

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.210(b) · Violation corrected

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 592276 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Jun 2021 Monitoring visit 2 findings

Monitoring visit · June 15, 2021

Nutrition and Meal Service

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.330(p)(6) · Violation corrected

Physical Plant/Indoor Space

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(d)(3) · Violation corrected

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 592276 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 centers, the state cites something at about 5 in 6 routine visits (19,088 visits).

A day here

Hours
7:00 AM to 6:00 PM, 5 days a week
Schedule
full-time (5 days) or part-time (2-4 days), Monday-Friday, 7:00am-6:00pm

Details

3128880908

Website
childfirstacademy.com
Address
814 W Diversey Pkwy
License
pending renewal application (rn)
Ages they serve
6 weeks to 5 years

Do you run Child First Academy? Shortlist has no ratios, policies or daily routine for it, because the state does not publish that. Adding it is free and takes about ten minutes.

Add what is missing
Sources and dates

Where every fact on this page came from, and when Shortlist last checked it against that source. Anything Shortlist could not source is named here rather than left blank.

Who cares for your child

What it costs

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

  • Phone, Address, License — Checked July 2026 sunshine.dcfs.illinois.gov. To check it, open sunshine.dcfs.illinois.gov's Licensed Provider Lookup, enter "CHILD FIRST ACADEMY" under Provider Name and 60614 under Zip, and press Search (DCFS provider 592276).
  • Website — Checked August 2026 childfirstacademy.com
  • Ages they serve — Checked August 2026 childfirstacademy.com