Chicago · Licensed center

Little Scholars Journey

Medium play-based center, licensed for 78 children.

What the state has found

The state cited rules at 7 of its 9 licensing inspections since May 2017.

Of the 123 Chicago-area centers with 9 licensing inspections, 20% had rules cited at 7 of them, as this center did. 33% had rules cited at all 9.

Licensing inspections

Jun 25, 20263 citations

Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(e)(5)
Health Requirements for Children
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(5)
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(e)(3)

May 23, 202510 citations

Physical Plant/Indoor Space
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(e)(3)
General Requirements for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(7)
Application for License
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.50(c)
General Requirements for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(d)

6 more from this inspection

Health Requirements for Children
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)
Staffing Structure
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.90(a)(1)
Qualifications for Child Care Director
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.130(m)
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(4)
Application for Renewal of License
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.55(f)
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(e)(10)

Aug 8, 2024No rules cited

Jun 24, 20244 citations

General Requirements for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(2)
Outdoor Play Area
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.390(i)
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(e)(3)
Background Checks for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.110

May 1, 202314 citations

General Requirements for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(5)
Staffing Structure
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.90(a)(2)
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(2)
Qualifications for Early Childhood Assistants and School-age Assistants
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.150(b)

10 more from this inspection

Background Checks for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.110
Qualifications for Early Childhood Teachers and School-age Workers
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.140(c)(3)
Nutrition and Meal Service
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.330(l)(1)
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(n)
General Requirements for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(1)
General Requirements for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(7)
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(3)
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(4)
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(e)(4)
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(e)(5)

Aug 10, 2022No rules cited

Jul 16, 20204 citations

Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(f)(2)
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(2)
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(3)
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(4)

Jun 27, 20171 citation

Guidance and Discipline
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.270(a)

May 10, 20175 citations

Health Requirements for Children
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(6)
Organization and Administration
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.70(b)
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(1)
Qualifications for Child Care Director
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.130(a)

1 more from this inspection

Organization and Administration
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.70(e)

Read every record and the state’s reports

State record — Illinois DCFS

Last visit: June 25, 2026
On file: 9 visits since May 2017 — 2 cited nothing
Fixed?: The latest correction deadline was July 25, 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.

Jun 2026 Monitoring visit 3 findings

Monitoring visit · June 25, 2026

Personnel Records

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

Health Requirements for Children

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(5) · Violation substantiated

Physical Plant/Indoor Space

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(e)(3) · Violation substantiated

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 551564 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

May 2025 Monitoring visit 10 findings

Monitoring visit · May 23, 2025

General Requirements for Personnel

2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(7) through (d) · Violation corrected

89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(7) · 407.100(d)

Physical Plant/Indoor Space

2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(e)(3) through (10) · Violation corrected

89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(e)(3) · 407.370(e)(10)

Application for License

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.50(c) · Violation corrected

Application for Renewal of License

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.55(f) · Violation corrected

Staffing Structure

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

Personnel Records

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(4) · Violation corrected

Qualifications for Child Care Director

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.130(m) · Violation corrected

Health Requirements for Children

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

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 551564 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Aug 2024 Compliance monitoring visit nothing cited

Jun 2024 Monitoring visit 4 findings

Monitoring visit · June 24, 2024

General Requirements for Personnel

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(2) · Violation corrected

Background Checks for Personnel

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

Physical Plant/Indoor Space

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(e)(3) · Violation corrected

Outdoor Play Area

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.390(i) · Violation corrected

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 551564 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

May 2023 Monitoring visit 14 findings

Monitoring visit · May 1, 2023

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(e)(4) · 407.120(e)(5)

General Requirements for Personnel

3 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(1) through (7) · Violation corrected

89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(1) · 407.100(c)(5) · 407.100(c)(7)

Staffing Structure

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.90(a)(2) · Violation corrected

Background Checks for Personnel

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

Qualifications for Early Childhood Teachers and School-age Workers

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.140(c)(3) · Violation corrected

Qualifications for Early Childhood Assistants and School-age Assistants

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.150(b) · Violation corrected

Nutrition and Meal Service

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

Physical Plant/Indoor Space

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(n) · Violation corrected

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 551564 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Aug 2022 Compliance monitoring visit nothing cited

Jul 2020 Monitoring visit 4 findings

Monitoring visit · July 16, 2020

Personnel Records

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

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

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 551564 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Jun 2017 Monitoring visit 1 finding

Monitoring visit · June 27, 2017

Guidance and Discipline

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

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 551564 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

May 2017 Monitoring visit 5 findings

Monitoring visit · May 10, 2017

Organization and Administration

2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.70(b) through (e) · Violation corrected on site

89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.70(b) · 407.70(e)

Personnel Records

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

Qualifications for Child Care Director

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.130(a) · Violation corrected on site

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 551564 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

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

How they teach

Play-based

“we believe that children learn a great deal of information via play, modeled behavior, and positive encouragement”

Who cares for your child

Ms. Vicky (Assistant Teacher (Rainbow Room)) since 2016, Ms. Darina (Lead Teacher (Sunshine Room)) since 2018 and Janeth Arrieta (Director) since 2018.

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.

Details

7737805329

Website: littlescholarsjourney.com
Address: 3310 S Archer Ave Unit E
License: license issued (il)

Run Little Scholars Journey? 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 littlescholarsjourney.com/about.html

Who cares for your child

State record

From Illinois DCFS’s published reports, last checked October 10, 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 "LITTLE SCHOLARS JOURNEY" under Provider Name and 60608 under Zip, and press Search (DCFS provider 551564).
Website — Checked August 2026 littlescholarsjourney.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.