Aurora · Licensed center
The Goddard School
At a glance
- Medium center, licensed for 114 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 10 of its 12 licensing inspections since January 2017.
See each inspection
Licensing inspections
Dec 2, 20251 citation
General Requirements for Personnel
General Requirements for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(f)
Dec 6, 20241 citation
General Requirements for Personnel
General Requirements for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(f)
Oct 6, 20231 citation
Outdoor Play Area
Outdoor Play Area
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.390(f)
Jun 13, 20237 citations
Program Requirements for All Ages
Program Requirements for All Ages
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.200(p)
Program Requirements for All Ages
Program Requirements for All Ages
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.200(r)
Health Requirements for Children
Health Requirements for Children
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(h)
Background Checks for Personnel
Background Checks for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.110
Qualifications for Child Care Director
Qualifications for Child Care Director
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.130(a)
Staffing Structure
Staffing Structure
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.90(a)(1)
Staffing Structure
Staffing Structure
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.90(e)
Apr 18, 20235 citations
Grouping and Staffing
Grouping and Staffing
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.190(a)
Grouping and Staffing
Grouping and Staffing
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.190(d)(1)
Provisions Pertaining to the License
Provisions Pertaining to the License
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.60(g)
Qualifications for Early Childhood Assistants and School-age Assistants
Qualifications for Early Childhood Assistants and School-age Assistants
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.150(c)
Qualifications for Child Care Director
Qualifications for Child Care Director
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.130(a)
Dec 2, 20229 citations
Provisions Pertaining to the License
Provisions Pertaining to the License
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.60(g)
Staffing Structure
Staffing Structure
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.90(a)(2)
Staffing Structure
Staffing Structure
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.90(e)(1)
General Requirements for Personnel
General Requirements for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(2)
Personnel Records
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(1)
Personnel Records
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(2)
Personnel Records
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(3)
Health Requirements for Children
Health Requirements for Children
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(6)
Medications
Medications
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.360(d)(4)
- Jul 11, 2022Nothing cited
Jan 10, 20203 citations
Qualifications for Child Care Director
Qualifications for Child Care Director
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.130(j)(3)
Grouping and Staffing
Grouping and Staffing
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.190(a)
Qualifications for Early Childhood Teachers and School-age Workers
Qualifications for Early Childhood Teachers and School-age Workers
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.140(h)
Dec 3, 201915 citations
General Requirements for Personnel
General Requirements for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(f)
Personnel Records
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(3)
Personnel Records
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(4)
Qualifications for Early Childhood Teachers and School-age Workers
Qualifications for Early Childhood Teachers and School-age Workers
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.140(h)
Special Requirements for Infants and Toddlers
Special Requirements for Infants and Toddlers
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.210(b)
Hand Washing
Hand Washing
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.320(a)(2)
Nutrition and Meal Service
Nutrition and Meal Service
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.330(g)
Nutrition and Meal Service
Nutrition and Meal Service
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.330(j)
Nutrition and Meal Service
Nutrition and Meal Service
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.330(k)(4)
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(e)(3)
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(f)(2)
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(f)(3)
Provisions Pertaining to the License
Provisions Pertaining to the License
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.60(g)
Provisions Pertaining to the License
Provisions Pertaining to the License
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.60(h)
A citation the state’s report lists only by its code, CCASEC4.
A citation the state’s report lists only by its code, CCASEC4.
May 2, 201913 citations
General Requirements for Personnel
General Requirements for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(f)
Personnel Records
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(4)
Equipment and Materials
Equipment and Materials
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.380(b)
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(c)
Qualifications for Early Childhood Teachers and School-age Workers
Qualifications for Early Childhood Teachers and School-age Workers
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.140(h)
Outdoor Play Area
Outdoor Play Area
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.390(i)
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(n)
Nutrition and Meal Service
Nutrition and Meal Service
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.330(j)(3)
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(e)(3)
Equipment and Materials
Equipment and Materials
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.380(g)
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(p)(2)
A citation the state’s report lists only by its code, FHSEC305.
A citation the state’s report lists only by its code, FHSEC305.
- Feb 14, 2019Nothing cited
Jan 25, 20177 citations
Staffing Structure
Staffing Structure
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.90(a)(2)
Staffing Structure
Staffing Structure
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.90(d)(1)
Qualifications for Early Childhood Teachers and School-age Workers
Qualifications for Early Childhood Teachers and School-age Workers
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.140(h)
Qualifications for Child Care Director
Qualifications for Child Care Director
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.130(a)(2)
Qualifications for Child Care Director
Qualifications for Child Care Director
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.130(j)
Grouping and Staffing
Grouping and Staffing
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.190(a)
Daily Arrival and Departure of Children
Daily Arrival and Departure of Children
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.260(d)
The state cited rules at 10 of this center's 12 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
- December 2, 2025
- On file
- 12 visits since January 2017 — 2 cited nothing
- Fixed?
- The latest correction deadline was January 1, 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.
Dec 2025 Monitoring visit 1 finding
Monitoring visit · December 2, 2025
General Requirements for Personnel
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(f) · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 447655 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Dec 2024 Monitoring visit 1 finding
Monitoring visit · December 6, 2024
General Requirements for Personnel
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(f) · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 447655 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Oct 2023 Monitoring visit 1 finding
Monitoring visit · October 6, 2023
Outdoor Play Area
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.390(f) · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 447655 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Jun 2023 Monitoring visit 7 findings
Monitoring visit · June 13, 2023
Staffing Structure
2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.90(a)(1) through (e) · Violation corrected
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.90(a)(1) · 407.90(e)
Program Requirements for All Ages
2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.200(p) through (r) · Violation corrected
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.200(p) · 407.200(r)
Background Checks for Personnel
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.110 · Violation corrected
Qualifications for Child Care Director
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.130(a) · Violation corrected
Health Requirements for Children
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(h) · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 447655 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Apr 2023 Monitoring visit 5 findings
Monitoring visit · April 18, 2023
Grouping and Staffing
2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.190(a) through (d)(1) · Violation corrected
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.190(a) · 407.190(d)(1)
Provisions Pertaining to the License
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.60(g) · Rule cited again
Qualifications for Child Care Director
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.130(a) · Violation corrected
Qualifications for Early Childhood Assistants and School-age Assistants
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.150(c) · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 447655 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Dec 2022 Monitoring visit 9 findings
Monitoring visit · December 2, 2022
Personnel Records
3 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(1) through (3) · Violation corrected
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(1) · 407.120(a)(2) · 407.120(a)(3)
Staffing Structure
2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.90(a)(2) through (e)(1) · Violation corrected
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.90(a)(2) · 407.90(e)(1)
Provisions Pertaining to the License
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.60(g) · Violation corrected
General Requirements for Personnel
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(2) · Violation corrected
Health Requirements for Children
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(6) · Violation corrected
Medications
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.360(d)(4) · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 447655 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Jan 2020 Monitoring visit 3 findings
Monitoring visit · January 10, 2020
Qualifications for Child Care Director
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.130(j)(3) · Violation corrected on site
Qualifications for Early Childhood Teachers and School-age Workers
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.140(h) · Rule cited again
Grouping and Staffing
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.190(a) · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 447655 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Dec 2019 Monitoring visit 15 findings
Monitoring visit · December 3, 2019
Nutrition and Meal Service
3 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.330(g) through (k)(4) · Violation corrected · Rule cited again
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.330(g) · 407.330(j) · 407.330(k)(4)
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
3 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(e)(3) through (f)(3) · Violation corrected
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(e)(3) · 407.370(f)(2) · 407.370(f)(3)
Provisions Pertaining to the License
2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.60(g) through (h) · Violation corrected
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.60(g) · 407.60(h)
Personnel Records
2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(3) through (4) · Violation corrected · Rule cited again
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(3) · 407.120(a)(4)
General Requirements for Personnel
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(f) · Rule cited again
Qualifications for Early Childhood Teachers and School-age Workers
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.140(h) · Rule cited again
Special Requirements for Infants and Toddlers
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.210(b) · Violation corrected
Hand Washing
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.320(a)(2) · Violation corrected
A citation the state’s report lists only by its code, CCASEC4.
0 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code · Violation substantiated
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 447655 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
May 2019 Monitoring visit 13 findings
Monitoring visit · May 2, 2019
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
3 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(e)(3) through (p)(2) · Violation corrected · Violation substantiated
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(e)(3) · 407.370(n) · 407.370(p)(2)
General Requirements for Personnel
2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(5) through (f) · Violation corrected
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(5) · 407.100(f)
Personnel Records
2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(4) through (c) · Violation corrected · Violation corrected on site
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(4) · 407.120(c)
Equipment and Materials
2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.380(b) through (g) · Violation corrected · Violation substantiated
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.380(b) · 407.380(g)
Qualifications for Early Childhood Teachers and School-age Workers
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.140(h) · Rule cited again
Nutrition and Meal Service
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.330(j)(3) · Violation corrected
Outdoor Play Area
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.390(i) · Violation corrected
A citation the state’s report lists only by its code, FHSEC305.
0 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 447655 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Jan 2017 Monitoring visit 7 findings
Monitoring visit · January 25, 2017
Staffing Structure
2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.90(a)(2) through (d)(1) · Violation corrected
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.90(a)(2) · 407.90(d)(1)
Qualifications for Child Care Director
2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.130(a)(2) through (j) · Violation corrected
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.130(a)(2) · 407.130(j)
Qualifications for Early Childhood Teachers and School-age Workers
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.140(h) · Violation corrected
Grouping and Staffing
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.190(a) · Violation corrected
Daily Arrival and Departure of Children
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.260(d) · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 447655 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Details
- Phone
- (630) 898-8411
- Address
- 949 Waterford Dr, Aurora, 60504
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.
State record
From Illinois DCFS’s published reports, last checked November 8, 2026.
Details
- Phone, Address — Checked August 2026 sunshine.dcfs.illinois.gov/…/ProviderLookup.aspx. To check it, open sunshine.dcfs.illinois.gov's Licensed Provider Lookup, enter "THE GODDARD SCHOOL" under Provider Name and 60504 under Zip, and press Search (DCFS provider 447655).
- Website, Who runs it — Checked October 2026 goddardschool.com
- License — Checked October 2026 sunshine.dcfs.illinois.gov/…/ProviderLookup.aspx. To check it, open sunshine.dcfs.illinois.gov's Licensed Provider Lookup, enter "THE GODDARD SCHOOL" under Provider Name and 60504 under Zip, and press Search (DCFS provider 447655).
- 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 GODDARD SCHOOL" under Provider Name and 60504 under Zip, and press Search (DCFS provider 447655).
- 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
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.