Chicago · Licensed center

Prairieland Montessori

Small Montessori center, licensed for 37 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

Montessori

“Prairieland Montessori focuses on the whole child in a unique blend of Montessori learning methods and caring practices.”In their words, August 2026.prairielandmontessori.com

One of 15 Chicago-area providers that describe a Montessori approach, out of 129 that describe any approach at all.

Shortlist doesn’t have these yet: cost, hours and late pickup, ratios and staff, a typical day, sick and biting policies.

What the state has found

Routine visits: 11 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: July 30, 2026
On file: 12 visits since October 2015 — 1 cited nothing
Fixed?: The latest correction deadline was August 31, 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 3 findings

Monitoring visit · July 30, 2026

General Requirements for Personnel

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

Personnel Records

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

Medications

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.360(b) · Violation corrected

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 541731 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Jul 2025 Monitoring visit 4 findings

Monitoring visit · July 15, 2025

Personnel Records

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

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

Health Requirements for Children

2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(5) through (6) · Violation substantiated

89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(5) · 407.310(a)(6)

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 541731 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Mar 2024 Compliance monitoring visit nothing cited

Aug 2023 Monitoring visit 14 findings

Monitoring visit · August 1, 2023

Physical Plant/Indoor Space

4 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(d)(3) through (o)(2) · Violation substantiated

89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(d)(3) · 407.370(e)(3) · 407.370(o) · 407.370(o)(2)

Equipment and Materials

3 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.380(d) through (j)(5) · Violation substantiated

89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.380(d) · 407.380(f) · 407.380(j)(5)

General Requirements for Personnel

2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(d) through (f) · Violation substantiated

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

Personnel Records

2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a) through (2) · Violation substantiated

89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a) · 407.120(a)(2)

Background Checks for Personnel

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

Special Requirements for Infants and Toddlers

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.210(f)(19) · Violation substantiated

Daily Arrival and Departure of Children

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.260(e)(4) · Violation substantiated

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 541731 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Aug 2022 Monitoring visit 10 findings

Monitoring visit · August 3, 2022

Physical Plant/Indoor Space

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

89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(a)(2) · 407.370(e)(1)(c) · 407.370(e)(3) · 407.370(e)(7) · 407.370(e)(11)

Special Requirements for Infants and Toddlers

2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.210(d)(1) through (f)(19) · Violation corrected on site · Violation corrected

89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.210(d)(1) · 407.210(f)(19)

Personnel Records

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120 · Violation corrected on site

Cited: FHSEC305

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

Cited: CCASEC4

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

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 541731 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Aug 2019 Monitoring visit 8 findings

Monitoring visit · August 12, 2019

Organization and Administration

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

Background Checks for Personnel

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

Personnel Records

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

Qualifications for Early Childhood Teachers and School-age Workers

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.140(h) · Violation corrected

Special Requirements for Infants and Toddlers

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.210 · Violation corrected

Daily Arrival and Departure of Children

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.260(d) · Violation corrected

Health Requirements for Children

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

Physical Plant/Indoor Space

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(e)(2) · Violation corrected

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 541731 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Jun 2017 Monitoring visit 2 findings

Monitoring visit · June 9, 2017

Personnel Records

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

Cited: FHSEC305

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

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 541731 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Nov 2016 Monitoring visit 4 findings

Monitoring visit · November 14, 2016

Personnel Records

3 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(2) through (e)(4) · Violation corrected

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

General Requirements for Personnel

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

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 541731 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Jul 2016 Monitoring visit 1 finding

Monitoring visit · July 11, 2016

General Requirements for Personnel

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

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 541731 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Apr 2016 Monitoring visit 2 findings

Monitoring visit · April 29, 2016

Enrollment and Discharge Procedures

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.250(i)(4)(a) · Violation corrected

Physical Plant/Indoor Space

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(e)(10) · Violation corrected

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 541731 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Dec 2015 Monitoring visit 4 findings

Monitoring visit · December 3, 2015

Personnel Records

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

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

General Requirements for Personnel

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

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 541731 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Oct 2015 Monitoring visit 5 findings

Monitoring visit · October 28, 2015

Personnel Records

3 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(2) through (e)(4) · Violation corrected

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

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

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 541731 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

7736987864

Website: prairielandmontessori.com
Address: 1655 W School St
License: license issued (il)

Do you run Prairieland Montessori? Shortlist has no tuition, hours or ratios 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.

How they teach

Approach — Checked August 2026 prairielandmontessori.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 "PRAIRIELAND MONTESSORI" under Provider Name and 60657 under Zip, and press Search (DCFS provider 541731).
Website — Checked August 2026 prairielandmontessori.com