Aurora · Licensed center

Smart Beginnings Academy Inc.

Large center, licensed for 136 children.
Shortlist has found no website for it yet.

What the state has found

The state cited rules at 5 of its 8 licensing inspections since April 2022.

Of the 127 Chicago-area centers with 8 licensing inspections, 20% had rules cited at 5 of them, as this center did. 36% had rules cited at all 8.

Licensing inspections

Mar 12, 20262 citations

General Requirements for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(f)
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(3)

Jan 14, 2026No rules cited

Jul 14, 2025No rules cited

Mar 4, 2025No rules cited

Mar 21, 20242 citations

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

Feb 28, 20235 citations

General Requirements for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(d)
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(e)
Medications
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.360(c)
Medications
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.360(e)

1 more from this inspection

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

Jun 29, 20229 citations

Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(2)
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(3)
Organization and Administration
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.70(k)
Provisions Pertaining to the License
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.60(g)

5 more from this inspection

Grouping and Staffing
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.190(d)(4)
General Requirements for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(5)
Staffing Structure
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.90(a)(2)
Medications
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.360(d)(1)
Nutrition and Meal Service
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.330(j)(5)

Apr 26, 20225 citations

Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(5)
Staffing Structure
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.90(a)(2)
Health Requirements for Children
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(6)
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(2)

1 more from this inspection

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

Read every record and the state’s reports

State record — Illinois DCFS

Last visit: March 12, 2026
On file: 8 visits since April 2022 — 3 cited nothing
Fixed?: The latest correction deadline was April 11, 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.

Mar 2026 Monitoring visit 2 findings

Monitoring visit · March 12, 2026

General Requirements for Personnel

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

Personnel Records

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

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 607229 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Jan 2026 Compliance monitoring visit nothing cited

Jul 2025 Compliance monitoring visit nothing cited

Mar 2025 Compliance monitoring visit nothing cited

Mar 2024 Monitoring visit 2 findings

Monitoring visit · March 21, 2024

Personnel Records

2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(2) through (3) · Violation corrected

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

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 607229 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Feb 2023 Monitoring visit 5 findings

Monitoring visit · February 28, 2023

Medications

2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.360(c) through (e) · Violation substantiated

89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.360(c) · 407.360(e)

General Requirements for Personnel

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(d) · Violation substantiated

Personnel Records

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

Physical Plant/Indoor Space

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

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 607229 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Jun 2022 Monitoring visit 9 findings

Monitoring visit · June 29, 2022

Personnel Records

2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(2) through (3) · Violation corrected

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

Provisions Pertaining to the License

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.60(g) · Violation corrected

Organization and Administration

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

Staffing Structure

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

General Requirements for Personnel

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

Grouping and Staffing

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.190(d)(4) · Violation corrected

Nutrition and Meal Service

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.330(j)(5) · Violation corrected

Medications

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

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 607229 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Apr 2022 Monitoring visit 5 findings

Monitoring visit · April 26, 2022

Personnel Records

2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(2) through (5) · Violation corrected

89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(2) · 407.120(a)(5)

Staffing Structure

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

Health Requirements for Children

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(6) · 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 607229 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

6302296195

Address: 1555 Mesa Ln
License: license issued (il)

Run Smart Beginnings Academy Inc.? 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.

All checked August 2026.

State record

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

Details

Phone, Address, License sunshine.dcfs.illinois.gov/…/ProviderLookup.aspx. To check it, open sunshine.dcfs.illinois.gov's Licensed Provider Lookup, enter "SMART BEGINNINGS ACADEMY INC." under Provider Name and 60502 under Zip, and press Search (DCFS provider 607229).

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.