Carol Stream · Licensed center
The Goddard School
- Large center, licensed for 139 children.
- A Goddard School franchise. The brand is owned by Sycamore Partners, a private-equity firm.
- Shortlist has found no website for it yet.
What the state has found
The state cited rules at all 6 of its licensing inspections since February 2019.
Of the 134 Chicago-area centers with 6 licensing inspections, 38% had rules cited at all 6, as this center did.
Licensing inspections
Dec 9, 20251 citation
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(2)
Nov 13, 20243 citations
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(3)
Provisions Pertaining to the License
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.60(g)
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(4)
Oct 27, 20233 citations
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(4)
Health Requirements for Children
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(3)
A citation the state’s report lists only by its code, CCASEC4.
Nov 19, 20211 citation
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(4)
Apr 24, 20191 citation
Grouping and Staffing
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.190(f)
Feb 1, 20191 citation
Enrollment and Discharge Procedures
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.250(i)(1)(h)
Read every record and the state’s reports
State record — Illinois DCFS
- Last visit
- December 9, 2025
- On file
- 6 visits since February 2019 — all of them cited findings
- Fixed?
- The latest correction deadline was January 9, 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.
Dec 2025 Monitoring visit 1 finding
Monitoring visit · December 9, 2025
Personnel Records
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(2) · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 571885 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Nov 2024 Monitoring visit 3 findings
Monitoring visit · November 13, 2024
Personnel Records
2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(3) through (4) · Violation corrected · Rule cited again
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(3) · 407.120(a)(4)
Provisions Pertaining to the License
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.60(g) · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 571885 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Oct 2023 Monitoring visit 3 findings
Monitoring visit · October 27, 2023
Personnel Records
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(4) · Repeat violation
Health Requirements for Children
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(3) · Violation substantiated
A citation the state’s report lists only by its code, CCASEC4.
0 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code · Violation substantiated
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 571885 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Nov 2021 Monitoring visit 1 finding
Monitoring visit · November 19, 2021
Personnel Records
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(4) · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 571885 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Apr 2019 Monitoring visit 1 finding
Monitoring visit · April 24, 2019
Grouping and Staffing
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.190(f) · Violation corrected on site
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 571885 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.
Feb 2019 Monitoring visit 1 finding
Monitoring visit · February 1, 2019
Enrollment and Discharge Procedures
1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.250(i)(1)(h) · Violation corrected
DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 571885 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
- Address
- 502 S Schmale Rd
- License
- license issued (il)
Run The Goddard School? Correct or add anything here, free.
Add what is missingSources 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 August 2026 sunshine.dcfs.illinois.gov/…/ProviderLookup.aspx. To check it, open sunshine.dcfs.illinois.gov's Licensed Provider Lookup, enter "THE GODDARD SCHOOL" under Provider Name and 60188 under Zip, and press Search (DCFS provider 571885).
- Who runs it — Checked October 2026 goddardschool.com/…/carol-stream/carol-stream-wheaton
- Who runs it — Checked October 2026 sycamorepartners.com
- Who runs it — Checked September 2026 goddardschool.com/about
The private-equity firm Sycamore Partners lists Goddard Systems as a current investment. sycamorepartners.com
Goddard’s own site says “All Goddard Schools are independently owned and operated.” goddardschool.com
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.