Chicago · Licensed center

Onward Neighborhood House

Large center, licensed for 144 children.
Run by a nonprofit. A board oversees it, and there are no owners taking profit.

What the state has found

The state cited rules at 7 of its 8 licensing inspections since May 2012.

Of the 127 Chicago-area centers with 8 licensing inspections, 17% had rules cited at 7 of them, as this center did. 36% had rules cited at all 8.

Licensing inspections

Apr 16, 20242 citations

Physical Plant/Indoor Space
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(e)(1)(c)
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(e)(3)

Jun 13, 20227 citations

Equipment and Materials
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.380(h)
Equipment and Materials
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.380(j)
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(e)(11)
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(e)(3)

3 more from this inspection

Physical Plant/Indoor Space
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(e)(6)
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(r)
A citation the state’s report lists only by its code, FHSEC305.

Jun 10, 20212 citations

General Requirements for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(f)
Background Checks for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.110

Jun 3, 20193 citations

Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)
A citation the state’s report lists only by its code, CCASEC4.
A citation the state’s report lists only by its code, FHSEC305.

May 7, 20185 citations

Organization and Administration
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.70(b)
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)
Enrollment and Discharge Procedures
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.250(i)(2)
Enrollment and Discharge Procedures
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.250(i)(1)

1 more from this inspection

Health Requirements for Children
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)

Feb 21, 20186 citations

Enrollment and Discharge Procedures
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.250(i)(2)
Equipment and Materials
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.380(j)(4)
Equipment and Materials
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.380(j)(5)
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)

2 more from this inspection

Enrollment and Discharge Procedures
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.250(i)(1)
A citation the state’s report lists only by its code, FHSEC305.

Mar 21, 2017No rules cited

May 18, 20126 citations

Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(5)
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(1)
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(2)
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(3)

2 more from this inspection

Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(4)
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(6)

Read every record and the state’s reports

State record — Illinois DCFS

Last visit: April 16, 2024
On file: 8 visits since May 2012 — 1 cited nothing
Fixed?: The latest correction deadline was April 23, 2024. 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 2024 Monitoring visit 2 findings

Monitoring visit · April 16, 2024

Physical Plant/Indoor Space

2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(e)(1)(c) through (3) · Violation substantiated

89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(e)(1)(c) · 407.370(e)(3)

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 476618 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Jun 2022 Monitoring visit 7 findings

Monitoring visit · June 13, 2022

Physical Plant/Indoor Space

4 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(e)(3) through (r) · Violation corrected

89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(e)(3) · 407.370(e)(6) · 407.370(e)(11) · 407.370(r)

Equipment and Materials

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

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

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 476618 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Jun 2021 Monitoring visit 2 findings

Monitoring visit · June 10, 2021

General Requirements for Personnel

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

Background Checks for Personnel

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

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 476618 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Jun 2019 Monitoring visit 3 findings

Monitoring visit · June 3, 2019

Personnel Records

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

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

0 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code · Violation substantiated

A citation the state’s report lists only by its code, FHSEC305.

0 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code · Violation substantiated

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 476618 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

May 2018 Monitoring visit 5 findings

Monitoring visit · May 7, 2018

Enrollment and Discharge Procedures

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

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

Organization and Administration

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

Personnel Records

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a) · 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 476618 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Feb 2018 Monitoring visit 6 findings

Monitoring visit · February 21, 2018

Enrollment and Discharge Procedures

2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.250(i)(1) through (2) · Violation substantiated

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

Equipment and Materials

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

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

Personnel Records

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

A citation the state’s report lists only by its code, FHSEC305.

0 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code · Violation substantiated

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 476618 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Mar 2017 Compliance monitoring visit nothing cited

May 2012 Monitoring visit 6 findings

Monitoring visit · May 18, 2012

Personnel Records

6 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(1) through (6) · Violation corrected

89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(1) · 407.120(a)(2) · 407.120(a)(3) · 407.120(a)(4) · 407.120(a)(5) · 407.120(a)(6)

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 476618 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, teaching approach, ratios and staff, a typical day, and sick and biting policies aren’t on this page.

Details

7736223215

Website: onwardhouse.org
Address: 5423 W Diversey Ave
License: pending renewal application (rn)

Run Onward Neighborhood House? 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.

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 "ONWARD NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE" under Provider Name and 60639 under Zip, and press Search (DCFS provider 476618).
Website — Checked August 2026 onwardhouse.org
Who runs it — Checked October 2026 projects.propublica.org

Large means the biggest quarter of Chicago-area’s 1,949 licensed centers by state-licensed capacity: 119 to 487 children. Small is 8 to 48; medium is 49 to 118.