Chicago · Licensed family home

Barrios-Argueta, Maritza G

What the state has found

The state cited rules at 5 of its 6 licensing inspections since February 2016.

Of the 325 Chicago-area family homes with 6 licensing inspections, 25% had rules cited at 5 of them, as this home did. 43% had rules cited at all 6.

Licensing inspections

Feb 27, 202610 citations

  • General Requirements for Group Day Care Homes

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.30(a)(3)

  • General Requirements for Group Day Care Home Family

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.35(i)

  • Caregivers

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.45(f)

  • Enrollment and Discharge Procedures

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.60(j)

6 more from this inspection

  • Records and Reports

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.120(c)

  • General Requirements for Group Day Care Homes

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.30(j)(1)

  • General Requirements for Group Day Care Homes

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.30(k)

  • General Requirements for Group Day Care Homes

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.30(s)(5)

  • Provisions Pertaining to the License

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.20(k)

  • School Age Children

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.110(g)

Dec 11, 2024No rules cited
Nov 20, 20192 citations

  • Health, Medical Care and Safety

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.70(a)(3)

  • General Requirements for Group Day Care Home Family

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.35(f)

Mar 1, 20191 citation

  • Caregivers

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.45(j)

Jan 27, 201711 citations

  • General Requirements for Group Day Care Home Family

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.35

  • General Requirements for Group Day Care Home Family

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.35(i)

  • Application for License

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.10(b)(1)(f)

  • General Requirements for Group Day Care Homes

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.30(k)

7 more from this inspection

  • Caregivers

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.45(j)

  • General Requirements for Group Day Care Home Family

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.35(j)

  • Application for License

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.10(d)

  • Enrollment and Discharge Procedures

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.60(j)(1)

  • Enrollment and Discharge Procedures

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.60(k)

  • Records and Reports

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.120(h)

  • Records and Reports

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.120(a)(1)

Feb 19, 20164 citations

  • Provisions Pertaining to the License

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.20(k)

  • General Requirements for Group Day Care Homes

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.30(a)(4)

  • General Requirements for Group Day Care Homes

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.30(a)(3)

  • Caregivers

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.45(j)

Read every record and the state’s reports

State record — Illinois DCFS

Last visit
February 27, 2026
On file
6 visits since February 2016 — 1 cited nothing
Fixed?
The latest correction deadline was March 17, 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.

Feb 2026 Monitoring visit 10 findings

Monitoring visit · February 27, 2026

General Requirements for Group Day Care Homes

4 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.30(a)(3) through (s)(5) · Violation corrected on site · Violation substantiated

89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.30(a)(3) · 408.30(j)(1) · 408.30(k) · 408.30(s)(5)

Provisions Pertaining to the License

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.20(k) · Violation substantiated

General Requirements for Group Day Care Home Family

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.35(i) · Violation substantiated

Caregivers

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.45(f) · Violation substantiated

Enrollment and Discharge Procedures

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.60(j) · Violation substantiated

School Age Children

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.110(g) · Violation substantiated

Records and Reports

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.120(c) · Violation substantiated

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 537503 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Dec 2024 Compliance monitoring visit nothing cited
Nov 2019 Monitoring visit 2 findings

Monitoring visit · November 20, 2019

General Requirements for Group Day Care Home Family

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.35(f) · Violation corrected

Health, Medical Care and Safety

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.70(a)(3) · Violation corrected

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 537503 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Mar 2019 Monitoring visit 1 finding

Monitoring visit · March 1, 2019

Caregivers

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.45(j) · Violation corrected

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 537503 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Jan 2017 Monitoring visit 11 findings

Monitoring visit · January 27, 2017

General Requirements for Group Day Care Home Family

3 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.35 through (j) · Violation corrected

89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.35 · 408.35(i) · 408.35(j)

Application for License

2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.10(b)(1)(f) through (d) · Violation corrected

89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.10(b)(1)(f) · 408.10(d)

Enrollment and Discharge Procedures

2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.60(j)(1) through (k) · Violation corrected

89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.60(j)(1) · 408.60(k)

Records and Reports

2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.120(a)(1) through (h) · Violation corrected

89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.120(a)(1) · 408.120(h)

General Requirements for Group Day Care Homes

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.30(k) · Violation corrected

Caregivers

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.45(j) · Violation corrected

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 537503 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Feb 2016 Monitoring visit 4 findings

Monitoring visit · February 19, 2016

General Requirements for Group Day Care Homes

2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.30(a)(3) through (4) · Violation corrected

89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.30(a)(3) · 408.30(a)(4)

Provisions Pertaining to the License

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.20(k) · Violation corrected

Caregivers

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408.45(j) · Violation corrected

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 537503 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Openings, child care subsidies, cost, and sick and biting policies aren’t on this page.

How they teach

Creative Curriculum and faith-based

“Curriculum Creative Curriculum for infant, toddlers & pre school age”

Who cares for your child

Cinthia Correa (Administrator) since 2012.

Of 5,339 Chicago-area providers, 26 publish how long a named staff member has been there; the longest tenure at each of those has a median of sixteen years.

A day here

Hours
7:00 AM to 5:30 PM
Meals
Provides all meals except special diets; parents bringing children in after 9:00 AM must provide breakfast

Details

7739833792

Website
myfirststepsdaycare.net
Address
3981 N Merrimac Ave
License
license issued (il)
Ages they serve
3 months to 8 years old
Established
2012

Run Barrios-Argueta, Maritza G? Correct or add anything here, free.

Add what is missing
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.

How they teach

Who cares for your child

State record

From Illinois DCFS’s published reports, last checked October 10, 2026.

A day here

Details

Larger means licensed for 9 to 12 children, among Chicago-area’s 3,345 licensed family homes by state-licensed capacity. Small is 2 to 7; mid-size is 8.