Buffalo Grove · Licensed center
Starkidz LLC Dba The Goddard School
At a glance
- Large center, licensed for 137 children.
- The Goddard School franchise; the brand is owned by Sycamore Partners (private equity).
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 7 of its 11 licensing inspections since August 2020.
See each inspection
Licensing inspections
Oct 22, 20262 citations
General Requirements for Personnel
General Requirements for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(a)(2)
Special Requirements for Infants and Toddlers
Special Requirements for Infants and Toddlers
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.210(f)(12)
- Dec 8, 2025Nothing cited
- Jan 16, 2025Nothing cited
Nov 18, 20242 citations
Personnel Records
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(2)
Enrollment and Discharge Procedures
Enrollment and Discharge Procedures
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.250(i)(4)(a)
- Jun 25, 2024Nothing cited
Nov 20, 20231 citation
Personnel Records
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(2)
Sep 14, 20231 citation
Organization and Administration
Organization and Administration
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.70(m)
Nov 30, 20229 citations
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)
Organization and Administration
Organization and Administration
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.70(e)(1)
General Requirements for Personnel
General Requirements for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(7)
General Requirements for Personnel
General Requirements for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(8)
General Requirements for Personnel
General Requirements for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(d)
Personnel Records
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(3)
Personnel Records
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(4)
A citation the state’s report lists only by its code, CCASEC4.
A citation the state’s report lists only by its code, CCASEC4.
Dec 3, 20212 citations
General Requirements for Personnel
General Requirements for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(d)
Personnel Records
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(4)
Jan 28, 20212 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)
- Aug 4, 2020Nothing cited
The state cited rules at 7 of this center's 11 inspections. Most Chicago-area centers inspected 10 or more times had rules cited at some but not all of theirs, as this center did: 78% of 868.
How all 868 Chicago-area centers inspected 10 or more times compare
Of the 868 Chicago-area centers the state inspected 10 or more times, how many of those inspections cited a rule:
- Some78%This center
- All22%
Read every record and the state’s reports
State record — Illinois DCFS
- Last visit
- October 22, 2026
- On file
- 11 visits since August 2020 — 4 cited nothing
- Fixed?
- The latest correction deadline was November 30, 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.
Oct 2026 Monitoring visit 2 findings
Monitoring visit · October 22, 2026
General Requirements for Personnel
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(a)(2) · Violation substantiated
Special Requirements for Infants and Toddlers
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.210(f)(12) · Violation substantiated
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 583762 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Nov 2024 Monitoring visit 2 findings
Monitoring visit · November 18, 2024
Personnel Records
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(2) · Violation corrected
Enrollment and Discharge Procedures
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.250(i)(4)(a) · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 583762 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Nov 2023 Monitoring visit 1 finding
Monitoring visit · November 20, 2023
Personnel Records
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(2) · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 583762 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Sep 2023 Monitoring visit 1 finding
Monitoring visit · September 14, 2023
Organization and Administration
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.70(m) · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 583762 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Nov 2022 Monitoring visit 9 findings
Monitoring visit · November 30, 2022
General Requirements for Personnel
3 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(7) through (d) · Violation corrected
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(7) · 407.100(c)(8) · 407.100(d)
Personnel Records
2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(3) through (4) · Violation corrected
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(3) · 407.120(a)(4)
Health Requirements for Children
2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(5) through (6) · Violation corrected
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(5) · 407.310(a)(6)
Organization and Administration
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.70(e)(1) · Violation corrected
A citation the state’s report lists only by its code, CCASEC4.
0 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 583762 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 3, 2021
General Requirements for Personnel
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(d) · Violation corrected
Personnel Records
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(4) · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 583762 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Jan 2021 Monitoring visit 2 findings
Monitoring visit · January 28, 2021
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)
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 583762 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
What staff are paid
- Lead Teacher
- $20 to $23 an hourJob posting, September 2026
- Assistant Teacher Part time or Full time
- $16 to $18 an hourJob posting, July 2026
- Assistant Teacher
- $16 to $18 an hourJob posting, July 2026
- Lead Teacher - PreK
- $22 to $24 an hourJob posting, July 2026
- Lead Teacher Pre K
- $21 to $22 an hourJob posting, October 2025
- Assistant Teacher
- $16 to $19 an hourJob posting, October 2025
Details
- Phone
- (847) 403-1800
- Address
- 1050 Barclay Blvd, Buffalo Grove, 60089
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, and sick and biting policies. 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.
What staff are paid
- Lead Teacher — Checked October 2026 the-goddard-school-careers.careerplug.com
- Assistant Teacher Part time or Full time — Checked October 2026 the-goddard-school-careers.careerplug.com
- Assistant Teacher — Checked October 2026 the-goddard-school-careers.careerplug.com/jobs/3481318
- Lead Teacher - PreK — Checked October 2026 the-goddard-school-careers.careerplug.com
- Lead Teacher Pre K — Checked October 2026 the-goddard-school-careers.careerplug.com
- Assistant Teacher — Checked October 2026 the-goddard-school-careers.careerplug.com/jobs/3141043
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 "STARKIDZ LLC DBA THE GODDARD SCHOOL" under Provider Name and 60089 under Zip, and press Search (DCFS provider 583762).
- Website, Who runs it — Checked October 2026 goddardschool.com
- 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 "STARKIDZ LLC DBA THE GODDARD SCHOOL" under Provider Name and 60089 under Zip, and press Search (DCFS provider 583762).
- Who runs it — Checked October 2026 sycamorepartners.com
- Who runs it — Checked September 2026 goddardschool.com
The private-equity firm Sycamore Partners lists Goddard Systems as a current investment. sycamorepartners.com
Goddard’s own site says “All Goddard Schools are independently owned and operated.” goddardschool.com
Large means the biggest quarter of Chicago-area’s 1,948 licensed centers by state-licensed capacity: 119 to 487 children. Small is 8 to 48; medium is 49 to 118.
The ages on the license are what the state licenses it to care for, which can be wider than the ages it takes.