Chicago · Licensed center

Creative Scholars Preschool

What the state has found

The state cited rules at 9 of its 11 licensing inspections since April 2012.

Of the 859 Chicago-area centers with 10 or more licensing inspections, 78% had rules cited at some but not all of them, as this center did. 22% had rules cited at all of them.

Licensing inspections

Apr 4, 2025No rules cited
Apr 25, 20238 citations

  • Personnel Records

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(4)

  • Personnel Records

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(1)

  • Staffing Structure

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.90(d)

  • Background Checks for Personnel

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.110

4 more from this inspection

  • Personnel Records

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)

  • Nutrition and Meal Service

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.330(b)

  • Personnel Records

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(3)

  • Personnel Records

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(2)

Mar 29, 2022No rules cited
Aug 4, 20201 citation

  • Personnel Records

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(3)

Dec 10, 20192 citations

  • Qualifications for Child Care Director

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.130(l)(1)

  • Enrollment and Discharge Procedures

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.250(i)(4)(a)

Jan 4, 20192 citations

  • Qualifications for Child Care Director

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.130(l)(1)

  • A citation the state’s report lists only by its code, CCASEC4.

May 23, 20171 citation

  • General Requirements for Personnel

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(f)

Mar 28, 20162 citations

  • Equipment and Materials

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.380(j)(4)(h)

  • Equipment and Materials

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.380(j)(5)

Apr 4, 20141 citation

  • Personnel Records

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(2)

Apr 9, 20136 citations

  • Personnel Records

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(4)

  • Organization and Administration

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.70(e)(3)

  • Organization and Administration

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.70(h)

  • Health Requirements for Children

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(3)

2 more from this inspection

  • Enrollment and Discharge Procedures

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.250(d)

  • Personnel Records

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(2)

Apr 2, 20123 citations

  • Personnel Records

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(2)

  • Health Requirements for Children

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(6)

  • Background Checks for Personnel

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.110

Read every record and the state’s reports

State record — Illinois DCFS

Last visit
April 4, 2025
On file
11 visits since April 2012 — 2 cited nothing
Fixed?
The latest correction deadline was May 25, 2023. 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 2025 Compliance monitoring visit nothing cited
Apr 2023 Monitoring visit 8 findings

Monitoring visit · April 25, 2023

Personnel Records

5 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a) through (4) · Violation corrected

89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a) · 407.120(a)(1) · 407.120(a)(2) · 407.120(a)(3) · 407.120(a)(4)

Staffing Structure

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

Background Checks for Personnel

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

Nutrition and Meal Service

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.330(b) · Violation corrected

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 483533 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Mar 2022 Compliance monitoring visit nothing cited
Aug 2020 Monitoring visit 1 finding

Monitoring visit · August 4, 2020

Personnel Records

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

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 483533 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Dec 2019 Monitoring visit 2 findings

Monitoring visit · December 10, 2019

Qualifications for Child Care Director

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.130(l)(1) · Rule cited again

Enrollment and Discharge Procedures

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.250(i)(4)(a) · Violation corrected

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 483533 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Jan 2019 Monitoring visit 2 findings

Monitoring visit · January 4, 2019

Qualifications for Child Care Director

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.130(l)(1) · 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 483533 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

May 2017 Monitoring visit 1 finding

Monitoring visit · May 23, 2017

General Requirements for Personnel

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

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 483533 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Mar 2016 Monitoring visit 2 findings

Monitoring visit · March 28, 2016

Equipment and Materials

2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.380(j)(4)(h) through (5) · Violation corrected

89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.380(j)(4)(h) · 407.380(j)(5)

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 483533 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Apr 2014 Monitoring visit 1 finding

Monitoring visit · April 4, 2014

Personnel Records

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(2) · Violation corrected

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 483533 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Apr 2013 Monitoring visit 6 findings

Monitoring visit · April 9, 2013

Organization and Administration

2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.70(e)(3) through (h) · Violation corrected

89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.70(e)(3) · 407.70(h)

Personnel Records

2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(2) through (4) · Violation corrected

89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(2) · 407.120(a)(4)

Enrollment and Discharge Procedures

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

Health Requirements for Children

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(3) · Violation corrected

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 483533 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Apr 2012 Monitoring visit 3 findings

Monitoring visit · April 2, 2012

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)(2) · Violation corrected

Health Requirements for Children

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

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 483533 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Openings, child care subsidies, teaching approach, ratios and staff, and a typical day aren’t on this page.

What it costs

$2,780 a month for an infant

Infant$2,780

Higher than 71% of the 17 that publish a price.

Toddler$2,650

Higher than 76% of the 21 that publish a price.

Preschool$2,325

Higher than 67% of the 18 that publish a price.

Creative Scholars PreschoolMost Chicago-area prices (middle 80%)

Part time
$1,325 to $1,945 a month
Application fee
$300
Siblings
5% family discount when more than one child is enrolled at the same time

A day here

Hours
7:00 AM to 6:00 PM, 5 days a week, year round
Schedule
full-day, offered as 2-day, 3-day, or 5-day per week programs
Closed
10 holidays and breaks a year
DatesMLK Day & Staff Dev Day (Jan 19), Parent Teacher Conferences (Mar 6), Spring Break (Mar 23-27), Memorial Day (May 25), Juneteenth Day (Jun 19), Independence Day (Jul 3), Labor Day (Sept 7), Indigenous Peoples' Day & Staff Dev Day (Oct 12), Thanksgiving Break (Nov 25-27), Winter Break (Dec 24 - Jan 1, 2027)

Policies

Enrollment
Open enrollment; families placed on a waiting list when no spots are available and notified when a spot opens

Details

7734896543

Website
creativescholarspreschool.com
Address
1735 N Elston Ave
License
license issued (il)
Ages they serve
6 weeks old to 5 years old

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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.

What it costs

State record

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

A day here

Policies

Details

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.