Chicago · Licensed center
Lil Scholars Learning Center LLC
A play-based center in Chicago, licensed for 45 children. The state cited something at 8 of 9 routine visits (Chicago-area centers: about 5 in 6).
Small center. 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
Play-based
“We follow a play-based curriculum that focuses on the holistic development of children.”In their words. lil-scholars.com, August 2026
One of 70 Chicago-area providers that describe a play-based 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.
Shortlist doesn’t have these yet: cost, sick and biting policies.
What the state has found
Routine visits: 8 of 9 cited something
Across Chicago-area centers, the state cites something at about 5 in 6 routine visits (19,088 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
- July 12, 2024
- On file
- 9 visits since July 2019 — 1 cited nothing
- Fixed?
- The latest correction deadline was August 11, 2024. 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.
Jul 2024 Monitoring visit 6 findings
Monitoring visit · July 12, 2024
General Requirements for Personnel
2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(5) through (8) · Violation substantiated
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(5) · 407.100(c)(8)
Napping and Sleeping
2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.350(i)(2) through (j) · Violation substantiated
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.350(i)(2) · 407.350(j)
Special Requirements for Infants and Toddlers
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.210(f)(19) · Violation substantiated
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(f) · Violation substantiated
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 576235 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Jun 2022 Monitoring visit 5 findings
Monitoring visit · June 10, 2022
General Requirements for Personnel
2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(8) through (d) · Violation corrected
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(8) · 407.100(d)
Enrollment and Discharge Procedures
2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.250(i)(3) through (4)(a) · Violation corrected
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.250(i)(3) · 407.250(i)(4)(a)
Staffing Structure
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.90(a)(2) · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 576235 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
May 2022 Monitoring visit 4 findings
Monitoring visit · May 12, 2022
General Requirements for Personnel
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(d) · Violation substantiated
Personnel Records
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(1) · Violation substantiated
Special Requirements for Infants and Toddlers
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.210(b) · Violation substantiated
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(f) · Violation substantiated
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 576235 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Jul 2020 Monitoring visit 2 findings
Monitoring visit · July 28, 2020
Grouping and Staffing
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.190(a) · Violation corrected
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 576235 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Feb 2020 Monitoring visit 2 findings
Monitoring visit · February 20, 2020
Personnel Records
2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(2) through (3) · Violation corrected
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(2) · 407.120(a)(3)
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 576235 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Oct 2019 Monitoring visit 3 findings
Monitoring visit · October 25, 2019
Enrollment and Discharge Procedures
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.250(i)(3) · Violation corrected
Nutrition and Meal Service
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.330(l)(2) · Violation corrected
Cited: FHSEC305
0 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 576235 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Sep 2019 Monitoring visit 1 finding
Monitoring visit · September 27, 2019
Personnel Records
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(4) · Rule cited again
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 576235 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Jul 2019 Monitoring visit 5 findings
Monitoring visit · July 23, 2019
Nutrition and Meal Service
2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.330(a) through (m) · Violation corrected
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.330(a) · 407.330(m)
Medications
2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.360(b)(1) through (c) · Violation corrected
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.360(b)(1) · 407.360(c)
Diapering and Toileting Procedures
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.340(a)(2) · Violation corrected on site
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 576235 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
A day here
- Meals
- Provides meals and snacks for children throughout the day (the brand’s policy for all its schools)
- Updates for parents
- BrightWheel app (the brand’s policy for all its schools)
- Hours
- 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM, 5 days a week
Details
- Phone
- 3128775699
- Website
- lil-scholars.com
- Address
- 1000 S Western Ave
- License
- pending renewal application (rn)
Do you run Lil Scholars Learning Center LLC? Shortlist has no tuition, ratios or policies for it, because the state does not publish that. Add what is missing. It is free and takes about ten minutes.
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.
How they teach
- Approach — Checked August 2026 · lil-scholars.com
Who cares for your child
- Staff — lil-scholars.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, Updates for parents, Hours — Checked August 2026 · lil-scholars.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 "LIL SCHOLARS LEARNING CENTER LLC" under Provider Name and 60612 under Zip, and press Search (DCFS provider 576235).
- Website — Checked August 2026 · lil-scholars.com