Chicago · Licensed center
Diana's Playpen Of Little Genius's Inc
- Small developmental center, licensed for 40 children.
What these mean, and where they come from
Small means the smallest quarter of Chicago-area’s 1,949 licensed centers by state-licensed capacity: 8 to 48 children. Medium is 49 to 118; large is 119 to 487.
How they teach
Developmental
“Each program we offer fosters whole-child development, helping your child grow physically, intellectually, emotionally, and socially.”In their words, August 2026.dianasplaypen.com
One of 20 Chicago-area providers that describe a developmental approach, out of 129 that describe any approach at all.
Who cares for your child
Ratio not published
One staff is named on their site, with no start year given.
What it costs
$1,451 a month for an infant
Lower than 17 of 18 Chicago-area providers that publish a full-time infant price.
Lower than 20 of 22 Chicago-area providers that publish a full-time toddler price.
Lower than 17 of 19 Chicago-area providers that publish a full-time preschool price.
Diana's Playpen Of Little Genius's IncMost Chicago-area prices (middle 80%)
Scale $0 to $4,000 a month. Chicago-area prices as of September 29, 2026. Application fee $50. Sibling discount: 10% discount on each additional child enrolling at the same time. Prices from their website, August 2026.
What the state has found
Routine visits: 8 of 12 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
- February 20, 2026
- On file
- 12 visits since July 2010 — 4 cited nothing
- Fixed?
- The latest correction deadline was February 27, 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 3 findings
Monitoring visit · February 20, 2026
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(d)(3) through (e)(11) · Violation substantiated
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(d)(3) · 407.370(e)(11)
Special Requirements for Infants and Toddlers
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.210(f)(24) · Violation substantiated
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 493693 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Feb 2020 Monitoring visit 3 findings
Monitoring visit · February 27, 2020
General Requirements for Personnel
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(f) · Violation corrected
Personnel Records
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(3) · Violation corrected
Daily Arrival and Departure of Children
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.260(f) · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 493693 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Feb 2018 Monitoring visit 1 finding
Monitoring visit · February 13, 2018
Health Requirements for Children
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a) · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 493693 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Mar 2017 Monitoring visit 7 findings
Monitoring visit · March 10, 2017
Organization and Administration
3 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.70(e)(1) through (3) · Violation corrected
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.70(e)(1) · 407.70(e)(2) · 407.70(e)(3)
General Requirements for Personnel
2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(5) through (7) · Violation corrected
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(5) · 407.100(c)(7)
Personnel Records
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a) · Violation corrected
Nutrition and Meal Service
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.330(b) · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 493693 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Jan 2016 Monitoring visit 1 finding
Monitoring visit · January 8, 2016
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(f)(2) · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 493693 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Feb 2012 Monitoring visit 2 findings
Monitoring visit · February 27, 2012
Staffing Structure
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.90(d) · Violation corrected
Health Requirements for Children
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a) · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 493693 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Oct 2011 Monitoring visit 1 finding
Monitoring visit · October 19, 2011
Guidance and Discipline
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.270(c)(6) · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 493693 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Jul 2010 Monitoring visit 5 findings
Monitoring visit · July 21, 2010
Personnel Records
5 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(1) through (6) · Violation corrected
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(1) · 407.120(a)(2) · 407.120(a)(3) · 407.120(a)(4) · 407.120(a)(6)
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 493693 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
- Meals
- Provides breakfast, lunch, and snacks daily, prepared on-site or via catering to USDA nutritional standards
- Hours
- 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM, 5 days a week, year round
- Schedule
- full-time, part-time
- Closed
- New Year's Day, MLK Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Christmas Eve (half day), Christmas Day
Policies
- When a child is sick
- Excludes children with fever of 100°F+ rectally (or 99°F auxiliary) with behavior changes, plus a detailed illness-by-illness exclusion table
- Biting
- Parent is notified depending on injury severity and an accident form is completed for each biting/scratching/hitting incident
- Enrollment
- 21 business days' written notice required to withdraw; no refunds/credits for withdrawal or absence; termination for missed payments
Details
- Website
- dianasplaypen.com
- Address
- 6236 S Western Ave
- License
- license issued (il)
- Ages they serve
- 6 weeks to 12 years
- Established
- 2004
Do you run Diana's Playpen Of Little Genius's Inc? Shortlist has no ratios for it, because the state does not publish that. Adding it is free and takes about ten minutes.
Add what is missingSources 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.
How they teach
- Approach — Checked August 2026 dianasplaypen.com
Who cares for your child
- Staff dianasplaypen.com
What it costs
- Infant, Toddler, Preschool, Application fee, Sibling discount — Checked August 2026 dianasplaypen.com
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
- Meals, Calendar, Schedule, Closed — Checked August 2026 dianasplaypen.com
- Hours — Checked August 2026 dianasplaypen.com
Policies
- When a child is sick, Biting, Enrollment — Checked August 2026 dianasplaypen.com
Details
- Phone, Address, License — Checked July 2026 sunshine.dcfs.illinois.gov. To check it, open sunshine.dcfs.illinois.gov's Licensed Provider Lookup, enter "DIANA'S PLAYPEN OF LITTLE GENIUS'S INC" under Provider Name and 60636 under Zip, and press Search (DCFS provider 493693).
- Website — Checked August 2026 dianasplaypen.com
- Ages they serve, Established — Checked August 2026 dianasplaypen.com