Plainfield · Licensed center
Smart Start Academy
At a glance
- Medium center, licensed for 76 children.
What to know
The license is the range the state allows. It does not say which ages have openings.
What the state has found
The state cited rules at 5 of its 8 licensing inspections since April 2017.
See each inspection
Licensing inspections
- Oct 14, 2026Nothing cited
- Feb 5, 2026Nothing cited
- Mar 20, 2025Nothing cited
Feb 2, 20242 citations
General Requirements for Personnel
General Requirements for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(f)
Health Requirements for Children
Health Requirements for Children
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)
Jun 9, 20225 citations
Personnel Records
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(2)
Personnel Records
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(3)
Personnel Records
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(6)
Qualifications for Early Childhood Assistants and School-age Assistants
Qualifications for Early Childhood Assistants and School-age Assistants
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.150(b)
Health Requirements for Children
Health Requirements for Children
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(6)
Dec 6, 20212 citations
Program Requirements for All Ages
Program Requirements for All Ages
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.200(r)
Grouping and Staffing
Grouping and Staffing
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.190(f)
Jul 26, 201712 citations
Health Requirements for Children
Health Requirements for Children
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)
Health Requirements for Children
Health Requirements for Children
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(4)
Health Requirements for Children
Health Requirements for Children
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(5)
Health Requirements for Children
Health Requirements for Children
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(6)
Health Requirements for Children
Health Requirements for Children
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(d)
Daily Arrival and Departure of Children
Daily Arrival and Departure of Children
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.260(d)
Provisions Pertaining to the License
Provisions Pertaining to the License
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.60(g)
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(e)(10)
Napping and Sleeping
Napping and Sleeping
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.350(j)
Enrollment and Discharge Procedures
Enrollment and Discharge Procedures
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.250(i)(2)
Enrollment and Discharge Procedures
Enrollment and Discharge Procedures
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.250(i)(3)
Enrollment and Discharge Procedures
Enrollment and Discharge Procedures
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.250(i)(4)
Apr 19, 20174 citations
Health Requirements for Children
Health Requirements for Children
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)
Health Requirements for Children
Health Requirements for Children
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(4)
Health Requirements for Children
Health Requirements for Children
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(5)
Health Requirements for Children
Health Requirements for Children
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(6)
The state cited rules at 5 of this center's 8 inspections. Most Chicago-area centers inspected 8 times had more: 72% of 128 had rules cited at 6 or more.
How all 128 Chicago-area centers inspected 8 times compare
Of the 128 Chicago-area centers the state inspected 8 times, how many of those inspections cited a rule:
- 3 of 83%
- 4 of 86%
- 5 of 819%This center
- 6 of 816%
- 7 of 818%
- All 838%
Read every record and the state’s reports
State record — Illinois DCFS
- Last visit
- October 14, 2026
- On file
- 8 visits since April 2017 — 3 cited nothing
- Fixed?
- The latest correction deadline was March 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.
Feb 2024 Monitoring visit 2 findings
Monitoring visit · February 2, 2024
General Requirements for Personnel
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(f) · 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 555252 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 9, 2022
Personnel Records
3 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(2) through (6) · Violation substantiated
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(2) · 407.120(a)(3) · 407.120(a)(6)
Qualifications for Early Childhood Assistants and School-age Assistants
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.150(b) · Violation substantiated
Health Requirements for Children
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(6) · Violation substantiated
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 555252 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Dec 2021 Monitoring visit 2 findings
Monitoring visit · December 6, 2021
Grouping and Staffing
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.190(f) · Violation corrected
Program Requirements for All Ages
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.200(r) · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 555252 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Jul 2017 Monitoring visit 12 findings
Monitoring visit · July 26, 2017
Health Requirements for Children
5 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a) through (d) · Rule cited again · Violation corrected
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a) · 407.310(a)(4) · 407.310(a)(5) · 407.310(a)(6) · 407.310(d)
Enrollment and Discharge Procedures
3 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.250(i)(2) through (4) · Violation corrected
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.250(i)(2) · 407.250(i)(3) · 407.250(i)(4)
Provisions Pertaining to the License
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.60(g) · Violation corrected
Daily Arrival and Departure of Children
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.260(d) · Violation corrected
Napping and Sleeping
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.350(j) · Violation corrected on site
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(e)(10) · Violation corrected on site
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 555252 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Apr 2017 Monitoring visit 4 findings
Monitoring visit · April 19, 2017
Health Requirements for Children
4 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a) through (6) · Violation corrected
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a) · 407.310(a)(4) · 407.310(a)(5) · 407.310(a)(6)
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 555252 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Details
- Phone
- (779) 234-5200
- Address
- 13250 S Route 59 Ste 100, Plainfield, 60585
We couldn’t find some information that may matter to your decision: openings, child care subsidies, cost, hours and late pickup, teaching approach, ratios and staff, a typical day, sick and biting policies, and who owns it. We can ask the program for you and copy you in.
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.
State record
From Illinois DCFS’s published reports, last checked November 8, 2026.
Details
- Phone, Address, License — Checked August 2026 sunshine.dcfs.illinois.gov/…/ProviderLookup.aspx. To check it, open sunshine.dcfs.illinois.gov's Licensed Provider Lookup, enter "SMART START ACADEMY" under Provider Name and 60585 under Zip, and press Search (DCFS provider 555252).
- Ages on the license — Checked November 2026 sunshine.dcfs.illinois.gov/…/ProviderLookup.aspx. To check it, open sunshine.dcfs.illinois.gov's Licensed Provider Lookup, enter "SMART START ACADEMY" under Provider Name and 60585 under Zip, and press Search (DCFS provider 555252).
Medium means the middle half of Chicago-area’s 1,948 licensed centers by state-licensed capacity: 49 to 118 children. Small is 8 to 48; large is 119 to 487.
The ages on the license are what the state licenses it to care for, which can be wider than the ages it takes.