Chicago · Licensed center

Choochoo Chicago Academy

Medium play-based center, licensed for 52 children.

What the state has found

The state cited rules at all 5 of its licensing inspections since July 2022.

Of the 130 Chicago-area centers with 5 licensing inspections, 45% had rules cited at all 5, as this center did.

Licensing inspections

Oct 20, 202511 citations

Nutrition and Meal Service
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.330(l)(1)
Background Checks for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.110
Guidance and Discipline
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.270(a)
General Requirements for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(6)

7 more from this inspection

General Requirements for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(8)
General Requirements for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(f)
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(r)
General Requirements for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(1)
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(3)
General Requirements for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(5)
A citation the state’s report lists only by its code, FHSEC305.

Dec 6, 20248 citations

Organization and Administration
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.70(e)
Staffing Structure
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.90(b)
General Requirements for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(5)
General Requirements for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(d)

4 more from this inspection

Health Requirements for Children
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(3)
General Requirements for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(f)
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(1)
A citation the state’s report lists only by its code, CCASEC4.

Nov 30, 20234 citations

Enrollment and Discharge Procedures
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.250(i)(2)
Nutrition and Meal Service
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.330(j)(3)
Medications
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.360(b)(1)
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(5)

Dec 15, 20226 citations

Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(4)
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(1)
Equipment and Materials
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.380(j)(5)
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(b)

2 more from this inspection

Health Requirements for Children
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(6)
General Requirements for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(5)

Jul 21, 20222 citations

Guidance and Discipline
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.270
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(b)

Read every record and the state’s reports

State record — Illinois DCFS

Last visit: October 20, 2025
On file: 5 visits since July 2022 — all of them cited findings
Fixed?: The latest correction deadline was November 14, 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.

Oct 2025 Monitoring visit 11 findings

Monitoring visit · October 20, 2025

General Requirements for Personnel

5 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(1) through (f) · Violation corrected

89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(1) · 407.100(c)(5) · 407.100(c)(6) · 407.100(c)(8) · 407.100(f)

Background Checks for Personnel

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.110 · Violation corrected

Personnel Records

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(3) · Violation corrected

Guidance and Discipline

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.270(a) · Violation corrected on site

Nutrition and Meal Service

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.330(l)(1) · Violation corrected on site

Physical Plant/Indoor Space

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(r) · Violation substantiated

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 604049 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Dec 2024 Monitoring visit 8 findings

Monitoring visit · December 6, 2024

General Requirements for Personnel

3 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(5) through (f) · Violation corrected

89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(5) · 407.100(d) · 407.100(f)

Organization and Administration

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.70(e) · Violation corrected

Staffing Structure

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.90(b) · Violation corrected

Personnel Records

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(1) · Violation corrected

Health Requirements for Children

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(3) · 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 604049 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Nov 2023 Monitoring visit 4 findings

Monitoring visit · November 30, 2023

Personnel Records

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(5) · Violation substantiated

Enrollment and Discharge Procedures

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.250(i)(2) · Violation corrected

Nutrition and Meal Service

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.330(j)(3) · Violation substantiated

Medications

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.360(b)(1) · Violation corrected

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 604049 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Dec 2022 Monitoring visit 6 findings

Monitoring visit · December 15, 2022

Personnel Records

3 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(1) through (b) · Violation corrected

89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(1) · 407.120(a)(4) · 407.120(b)

General Requirements for Personnel

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(5) · Violation corrected

Health Requirements for Children

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(6) · Violation corrected

Equipment and Materials

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.380(j)(5) · Violation corrected

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 604049 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Jul 2022 Monitoring visit 2 findings

Monitoring visit · July 21, 2022

Personnel Records

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(b) · Violation substantiated

Guidance and Discipline

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.270 · Violation corrected

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 604049 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Openings, child care subsidies, cost, ratios and staff, a typical day, and sick and biting policies aren’t on this page.

How they teach

Play-based

“with their hands-on, play-based curriculum, every day is an adventure filled with fun and exploration!”

A day here

Hours: 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM, 5 days a week

Details

3129985482

Website: choochoochicago.com
Address: 2941 N Clark St
License: license issued (il)

Run Choochoo Chicago Academy? 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

Approach — Checked August 2026 choochoochicago.com

State record

From Illinois DCFS’s published reports, last checked October 9, 2026.

A day here

Hours — Checked August 2026 choochoochicago.com

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 "CHOOCHOO CHICAGO ACADEMY" under Provider Name and 60657 under Zip, and press Search (DCFS provider 604049).
Website — Checked August 2026 choochoochicago.com

Medium means the middle half of Chicago-area’s 1,949 licensed centers by state-licensed capacity: 49 to 118 children. Small is 8 to 48; large is 119 to 487.