Elgin · Licensed center

The Learning Experience At Elgin

Large center, licensed for 157 children.
Shortlist has found no website for it yet.

What the state has found

The state cited rules at 10 of its 12 licensing inspections since November 2024.

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 8, 20265 citations

Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(5)
Personnel Records
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(4)
General Requirements for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)
Special Requirements for Infants and Toddlers
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.210(b)

1 more from this inspection

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

Mar 24, 20261 citation

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

Jan 13, 2026No rules cited

Dec 2, 20253 citations

Physical Plant/Indoor Space
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(a)(1)
Organization and Administration
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.70(a)
Diapering and Toileting Procedures
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.340(k)(1)

Oct 22, 20251 citation

Medications
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.360(c)(2)

Sep 4, 20253 citations

Equipment and Materials
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.380(b)
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(e)(10)
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(d)(2)

Jun 18, 20251 citation

Nutrition and Meal Service
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.330(k)(3)

Apr 11, 20253 citations

Staffing Structure
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.90(e)(3)(b)
Background Checks for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.110
General Requirements for Personnel
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(f)

Feb 24, 20251 citation

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

Jan 23, 20251 citation

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

Dec 20, 20242 citations

Grouping and Staffing
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.190(a)
Physical Plant/Indoor Space
89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(e)(3)

Nov 20, 2024No rules cited

Read every record and the state’s reports

State record — Illinois DCFS

Last visit: April 8, 2026
On file: 12 visits since November 2024 — 2 cited nothing
Fixed?: The latest correction deadline was May 8, 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.

Apr 2026 Monitoring visit 5 findings

Monitoring visit · April 8, 2026

Personnel Records

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

89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(4) · 407.120(a)(5)

General Requirements for Personnel

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

Special Requirements for Infants and Toddlers

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.210(b) · Violation corrected

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 629221 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Mar 2026 Monitoring visit 1 finding

Monitoring visit · March 24, 2026

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 629221 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

Dec 2025 Monitoring visit 3 findings

Monitoring visit · December 2, 2025

Organization and Administration

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

Diapering and Toileting Procedures

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.340(k)(1) · Violation corrected

Physical Plant/Indoor Space

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

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 629221 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Oct 2025 Monitoring visit 1 finding

Monitoring visit · October 22, 2025

Medications

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.360(c)(2) · Violation corrected

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 629221 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Sep 2025 Monitoring visit 3 findings

Monitoring visit · September 4, 2025

Physical Plant/Indoor Space

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

89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(d)(2) · 407.370(e)(10)

Equipment and Materials

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.380(b) · Violation corrected

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 629221 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Jun 2025 Monitoring visit 1 finding

Monitoring visit · June 18, 2025

Nutrition and Meal Service

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.330(k)(3) · Violation corrected

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 629221 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Apr 2025 Monitoring visit 3 findings

Monitoring visit · April 11, 2025

Staffing Structure

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.90(e)(3)(b) · Violation corrected

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 629221 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Feb 2025 Monitoring visit 1 finding

Monitoring visit · February 24, 2025

Physical Plant/Indoor Space

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(e)(3) · Rule cited again

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 629221 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Jan 2025 Monitoring visit 1 finding

Monitoring visit · January 23, 2025

Physical Plant/Indoor Space

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(e)(3) · Rule cited again

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 629221 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Dec 2024 Monitoring visit 2 findings

Monitoring visit · December 20, 2024

Grouping and Staffing

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.190(a) · Violation corrected on site

Physical Plant/Indoor Space

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

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 629221 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Nov 2024 Compliance monitoring visit nothing cited

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

6305032272

Address: 1023 N Randall Rd
License: license issued (il)
Chain: The Learning Experience
Owner: The Learning Experience brand is owned by Harvest Partners, a private-equity firm. Most of its schools are owned by franchisees.

Run The Learning Experience At Elgin? 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 August 2026 sunshine.dcfs.illinois.gov/…/ProviderLookup.aspx. To check it, open sunshine.dcfs.illinois.gov's Licensed Provider Lookup, enter "THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE AT ELGIN" under Provider Name and 60123 under Zip, and press Search (DCFS provider 629221).
Chain — Checked October 2026 thelearningexperience.com
Owner — Checked October 2026 harvestpartners.com

The private-equity firm Harvest Partners lists The Learning Experience as a current investment, made in July 2025, and describes it as a franchisor and operator of early childhood education schools. So a single center may be run by a franchisee or by the company. harvestpartners.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.