Chicago · Licensed center

Little Learners Academy

A developmental center in Chicago, licensed for 19 children. The state cited something at 4 of 4 routine visits (Chicago-area centers: about 5 in 6).

How they teach

Developmental and play-based

“Whole Child Approach At Little Learners Academy, we believe in nurturing the whole child, mind, body, and spirit.”In their words. littlelearnerschicago.com, August 2026

“Learning Through Play We embrace the power of play as a critical tool for learning.”In their words. littlelearnerschicago.com, August 2026

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.

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

What the state has found

Routine visits: 4 of 4 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 14, 2026
On file
4 visits since October 2025 — all of them cited findings
Fixed?
The latest correction deadline was August 13, 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.

Jul 2026 Monitoring visit 7 findings

Monitoring visit · July 14, 2026

General Requirements for Personnel

2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(d) through (f) · Violation corrected on site · Violation corrected

89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(d) · 407.100(f)

Organization and Administration

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

Program Requirements for All Ages

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.200(d) · Violation corrected on site

Guidance and Discipline

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

Health Requirements for Children

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

Equipment and Materials

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.380(i) · Violation corrected on site

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 639389 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Mar 2026 Monitoring visit 9 findings

Monitoring visit · March 31, 2026

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)

Organization and Administration

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

Background Checks for Personnel

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

Enrollment and Discharge Procedures

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.250(i)(2) · Violation corrected

Guidance and Discipline

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.270(a) · 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(j)(5) · Violation corrected

Cited: FHSEC305

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

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 639389 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Nov 2025 Monitoring visit 5 findings

Monitoring visit · November 20, 2025

Enrollment and Discharge Procedures

2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.250(i)(1) through (2) · Violation corrected

89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.250(i)(1) · 407.250(i)(2)

Organization and Administration

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

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 639389 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Oct 2025 Monitoring visit 1 finding

Monitoring visit · October 23, 2025

Background Checks for Personnel

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

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 639389 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

A day here

Meals
All meals and snacks provided via partnership with Child Eats; fresh, non-processed, made-from-scratch meals with allergy/dietary accommodations
Sleep
Rest times integrated into the daily schedule
Screens
Tech-free, screen-free program
Hours
7:30 AM to 5:30 PM
Schedule
full-day

Details

Phone
7737167522
Website
littlelearnerschicago.com
Address
450 W Menomonee St
License
license issued (il)
Ages
ages 3 to 5

Do you run Little Learners Academy? 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

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

  • Phone, Address, License — Checked July 2026 · sunshine.dcfs.illinois.gov. To check it, open sunshine.dcfs.illinois.gov's Licensed Provider Lookup, enter "LITTLE LEARNERS ACADEMY" under Provider Name and 60614 under Zip, and press Search (DCFS provider 639389).
  • Website — Checked August 2026 · littlelearnerschicago.com
  • Ages — Checked August 2026 · littlelearnerschicago.com