Chicago · Licensed center
Little Inspirations
- Medium Montessori center, licensed for 80 children.
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.
How they teach
Montessori and Reggio Emilia–inspired
“Guided and inspired by leading educational philosophers such as John Dewey, Maria Montessori, Jean Piaget & Lev Vygotsky, Little Inspirations holds constructivist theory close to heart.”In their words, August 2026.little-inspirations.com
“We also aspire to the natural aesthetics and collaborative community orientation found in Reggio Emilia approach to schooling.”In their words, August 2026.little-inspirations.com
One of 15 Chicago-area providers that describe a Montessori approach, out of 129 that describe any approach at all.
Who cares for your child
Ratio not published
Iris Branch (East Hyde Park Site Director), 10 years in early childhood and Peg Dunne Pavelec (Founder), 15 years in early childhood. Three other staff are named on their site, with no start years given.
What it costs
Application fee $25.
Shortlist doesn’t have these yet: cost, hours and late pickup, a typical day, sick and biting policies.
What the state has found
Routine visits: 5 of 7 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 2, 2024
- On file
- 7 visits since September 2015 — 2 cited nothing
- Fixed?
- The latest correction deadline was September 2, 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.
Aug 2024 Monitoring visit 12 findings
Monitoring visit · August 2, 2024
General Requirements for Personnel
3 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(6) through (f) · Violation corrected
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(6) · 407.100(c)(7) · 407.100(f)
Special Requirements for Infants and Toddlers
3 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.210(b) through (h)(2) · Violation corrected · Violation corrected on site
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.210(b) · 407.210(f)(7) · 407.210(h)(2)
Napping and Sleeping
2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.350(c) through (j) · Violation corrected · Violation corrected on site
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.350(c) · 407.350(j)
Background Checks for Personnel
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.110 · Violation corrected
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(q)(1) · Violation corrected
Equipment and Materials
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.380(h) · Violation corrected on site
Cited: FHSEC305
0 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 510251 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Dec 2022 Monitoring visit 1 finding
Monitoring visit · December 21, 2022
General Requirements for Personnel
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(f) · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 510251 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Dec 2021 Monitoring visit 11 findings
Monitoring visit · December 1, 2021
Personnel Records
3 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(1) through (4) · Violation corrected
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(1) · 407.120(a)(3) · 407.120(a)(4)
General Requirements for Personnel
2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(6) through (d) · Violation corrected
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(6) · 407.100(d)
Organization and Administration
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.70(e) · Violation corrected
Enrollment and Discharge Procedures
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.250(i)(1)(g) · 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)(6) · Violation corrected
Cited: CCASEC4
0 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code · Violation corrected
Cited: FHSEC305
0 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 510251 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Nov 2019 Monitoring visit 6 findings
Monitoring visit · November 5, 2019
Health Requirements for Children
3 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a) through (6) · Violation corrected
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a) · 407.310(a)(5) · 407.310(a)(6)
General Requirements for Personnel
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(f) · Violation corrected
Medications
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.360(e) · Violation corrected
Equipment and Materials
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.380(g) · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 510251 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Sep 2015 Monitoring visit 8 findings
Monitoring visit · September 29, 2015
Diapering and Toileting Procedures
2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.340(a)(2) through (k)(1) · Violation corrected
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.340(a)(2) · 407.340(k)(1)
Application for Renewal of License
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.55(f) · Violation corrected
General Requirements for Personnel
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(1) · Violation corrected
Enrollment and Discharge Procedures
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.250(i)(1)(g) · Violation corrected
Health Requirements for Children
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(6) · Violation corrected
Equipment and Materials
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.380(j)(4) · Violation corrected
Outdoor Play Area
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.390(i)(2) · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 510251 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).
Details
- Website
- little-inspirations.com
- Address
- 5480 S Kenwood Ave
- License
- license issued (il)
- Ages they serve
- ages 6 weeks - 6 years of age
- Established
- 2008
Do you run Little Inspirations? Shortlist has no hours, ratios or policies 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 little-inspirations.com
How they teach
- Approach — Checked August 2026 little-inspirations.com
Who cares for your child
- Staff little-inspirations.com
What it costs
- Application fee — Checked August 2026 little-inspirations.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.
Details
- Phone, Address, License — Checked July 2026 sunshine.dcfs.illinois.gov. To check it, open sunshine.dcfs.illinois.gov's Licensed Provider Lookup, enter "LITTLE INSPIRATIONS" under Provider Name and 60615 under Zip, and press Search (DCFS provider 510251).
- Website — Checked August 2026 little-inspirations.com
- Ages they serve, Established — Checked August 2026 little-inspirations.com