Chicago · Licensed center
The Goddard School-Chicago
At a glance
- Large center, licensed for 155 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 8 licensing inspections since May 2013.
See each inspection
Licensing inspections
Apr 28, 20266 citations
General Requirements for Personnel
General Requirements for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(7)
Qualifications for Child Care Director
Qualifications for Child Care Director
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.130(i)(3)
Diapering and Toileting Procedures
Diapering and Toileting Procedures
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.340(a)(2)
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(e)
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(r)
A citation the state’s report lists only by its code, CCASEC7.
A citation the state’s report lists only by its code, CCASEC7.
Aug 5, 20211 citation
Background Checks for Personnel
Background Checks for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.110
Apr 26, 20191 citation
Qualifications for Child Care Director
Qualifications for Child Care Director
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.130(l)(1)
Mar 13, 20182 citations
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)(4)
May 11, 20166 citations
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)(4)
Hand Washing
Hand Washing
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.320(a)(5)
Diapering and Toileting Procedures
Diapering and Toileting Procedures
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.340(a)(4)
Daily Arrival and Departure of Children
Daily Arrival and Departure of Children
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.260
Daily Arrival and Departure of Children
Daily Arrival and Departure of Children
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.260(e)(3)
Apr 30, 20158 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)(4)
Personnel Records
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(e)(5)
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(b)
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)
- May 20, 2014Nothing cited
May 1, 20134 citations
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)(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 7 of this center's 8 inspections. Chicago-area centers inspected 8 times split three ways: 45% had fewer, 18% the same, and 37% more (128 centers).
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%
- 6 of 816%
- 7 of 818%This center
- All 838%
Read every record and the state’s reports
State record — Illinois DCFS
- Last visit
- April 28, 2026
- On file
- 8 visits since May 2013 — 1 cited nothing
- Fixed?
- The latest correction deadline was May 28, 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.
Apr 2026 Monitoring visit 6 findings
Monitoring visit · April 28, 2026
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(e) through (r) · Violation corrected
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(e) · 407.370(r)
General Requirements for Personnel
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(7) · Violation corrected
Qualifications for Child Care Director
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.130(i)(3) · Violation corrected
Diapering and Toileting Procedures
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.340(a)(2) · Violation corrected
A citation the state’s report lists only by its code, CCASEC7.
0 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 503956 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Aug 2021 Monitoring visit 1 finding
Monitoring visit · August 5, 2021
Background Checks for Personnel
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.110 · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 503956 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Apr 2019 Monitoring visit 1 finding
Monitoring visit · April 26, 2019
Qualifications for Child Care Director
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.130(l)(1) · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 503956 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Mar 2018 Monitoring visit 2 findings
Monitoring visit · March 13, 2018
Personnel Records
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(3) · Violation corrected
Health Requirements for Children
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(4) · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 503956 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
May 2016 Monitoring visit 6 findings
Monitoring visit · May 11, 2016
Daily Arrival and Departure of Children
2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.260 through (e)(3) · Violation corrected
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.260 · 407.260(e)(3)
General Requirements for Personnel
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(5) · Violation corrected
Personnel Records
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(4) · Violation corrected
Hand Washing
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.320(a)(5) · Violation corrected
Diapering and Toileting Procedures
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.340(a)(4) · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 503956 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Apr 2015 Monitoring visit 8 findings
Monitoring visit · April 30, 2015
Personnel Records
5 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(2) through (e)(5) · Violation corrected
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(2) · 407.120(a)(3) · 407.120(a)(4) · 407.120(b) · 407.120(e)(5)
Health Requirements for Children
2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(4) through (5) · Violation corrected
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(4) · 407.310(a)(5)
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 503956 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
May 2013 Monitoring visit 4 findings
Monitoring visit · May 1, 2013
Health Requirements for Children
3 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(4) through (6) · Violation corrected
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(4) · 407.310(a)(5) · 407.310(a)(6)
Personnel Records
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(3) · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 503956 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Details
- Phone
- (773) 868-3011
- Address
- 1127 W Armitage Ave, Chicago, 60614
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, License — Checked July 2026 sunshine.dcfs.illinois.gov/…/ProviderLookup.aspx. To check it, open sunshine.dcfs.illinois.gov's Licensed Provider Lookup, enter "THE GODDARD SCHOOL-CHICAGO" under Provider Name and 60614 under Zip, and press Search (DCFS provider 503956).
- 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 "THE GODDARD SCHOOL-CHICAGO" under Provider Name and 60614 under Zip, and press Search (DCFS provider 503956).
- 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.