Aurora · Licensed center
The Children's Courtyard
At a glance
- Medium center, licensed for 111 children.
- The Children's Courtyard: owned by American Securities (private equity).
Program news
The state’s license allowed 118 children in August. Since October it allows 111.
From the state’s licensing record. Shortlist last read it on November 8, 2026.
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 4 of its 7 licensing inspections since May 2023.
See each inspection
Licensing inspections
- Feb 9, 2026Nothing cited
Mar 21, 20252 citations
Personnel Records
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(2)
Outdoor Play Area
Outdoor Play Area
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.390(g)
- Feb 9, 2024Nothing cited
- Dec 15, 2023Nothing cited
Aug 10, 20237 citations
Staffing Structure
Staffing Structure
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.90(a)
General Requirements for Personnel
General Requirements for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(d)
General Requirements for Personnel
General Requirements for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(5)
Personnel Records
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(2)
Personnel Records
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(3)
Enrollment and Discharge Procedures
Enrollment and Discharge Procedures
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.250(i)(4)
Equipment and Materials
Equipment and Materials
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.380(b)
Jul 17, 20231 citation
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(e)
May 26, 20236 citations
Enrollment and Discharge Procedures
Enrollment and Discharge Procedures
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.250(k)(1)
Daily Arrival and Departure of Children
Daily Arrival and Departure of Children
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.260(f)(1)
Daily Arrival and Departure of Children
Daily Arrival and Departure of Children
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.260(f)(3)
Daily Arrival and Departure of Children
Daily Arrival and Departure of Children
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.260(f)(4)
Diapering and Toileting Procedures
Diapering and Toileting Procedures
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.340(a)(5)(f)
Diapering and Toileting Procedures
Diapering and Toileting Procedures
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.340(a)(5)
The state cited rules at 4 of this center's 7 inspections. Most Chicago-area centers inspected 7 times had more: 80% of 149 had rules cited at 5 or more.
How all 149 Chicago-area centers inspected 7 times compare
Of the 149 Chicago-area centers the state inspected 7 times, how many of those inspections cited a rule:
- 2 of 71%
- 3 of 75%
- 4 of 714%This center
- 5 of 714%
- 6 of 726%
- All 740%
Read every record and the state’s reports
Across The Children's Courtyard's 5 locations in the Chicago area, it cited something at 66% of 32 visits.
State record — Illinois DCFS
- Last visit
- February 9, 2026
- On file
- 7 visits since May 2023 — 3 cited nothing
- Fixed?
- The latest correction deadline was April 20, 2025. 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.
Mar 2025 Monitoring visit 2 findings
Monitoring visit · March 21, 2025
Personnel Records
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(2) · Violation corrected
Outdoor Play Area
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.390(g) · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 616214 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Aug 2023 Monitoring visit 7 findings
Monitoring visit · August 10, 2023
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)
Personnel Records
2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(2) through (3) · Violation corrected
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(2) · 407.120(a)(3)
Staffing Structure
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.90(a) · Violation corrected
Enrollment and Discharge Procedures
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.250(i)(4) · Violation corrected on site
Equipment and Materials
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.380(b) · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 616214 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Jul 2023 Monitoring visit 1 finding
Monitoring visit · July 17, 2023
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(e) · Violation substantiated
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 616214 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
May 2023 Monitoring visit 6 findings
Monitoring visit · May 26, 2023
Daily Arrival and Departure of Children
3 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.260(f)(1) through (4) · Violation corrected
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.260(f)(1) · 407.260(f)(3) · 407.260(f)(4)
Diapering and Toileting Procedures
2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.340(a)(5) through (f) · Violation corrected
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.340(a)(5) · 407.340(a)(5)(f)
Enrollment and Discharge Procedures
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.250(k)(1) · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 616214 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
What staff are paid
- Lead Teacher-The Children's Courtyard of West Aurora
- $19.25 an hourJob posting, September 2026
Details
- Phone
- (331) 234-3230
- Address
- 1995 W Downer Pl, Aurora, 60506
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-The Children's Courtyard of West Aurora — Checked October 2026 careers.learningcaregroup.com
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 "THE CHILDREN'S COURTYARD" under Provider Name and 60506 under Zip, and press Search (DCFS provider 616214).
- Website, Who runs it — Checked October 2026 childrenscourtyard.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 "THE CHILDREN'S COURTYARD" under Provider Name and 60506 under Zip, and press Search (DCFS provider 616214).
- Who runs it — Checked October 2026 american-securities.com
The Children’s Courtyard is one of Learning Care Group's brands. The private-equity firm American Securities lists Learning Care Group among its current companies, an investment it made in 2014. american-securities.com
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.