Grayslake · Licensed center

The Sapling School

What the state has found

The state cited rules at all 3 of its licensing inspections since June 2024.

Of the 105 Chicago-area centers with 3 licensing inspections, 58% had rules cited at all 3, as this center did. 10% had none cited.

Licensing inspections

Mar 20, 20262 citations

  • Program Requirements for All Ages

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.200(r)

  • Provisions Pertaining to the License

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.60(g)

Jun 5, 202510 citations

  • Special Requirements for Infants and Toddlers

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.210(b)

  • Health Requirements for Children

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)

  • Health Requirements for Children

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(4)

  • Health Requirements for Children

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(5)

6 more from this inspection

  • General Requirements for Personnel

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(1)

  • General Requirements for Personnel

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(f)

  • Personnel Records

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)

  • Health Requirements for Children

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(3)

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

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

Jun 6, 202414 citations

  • Physical Plant/Indoor Space

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.370(f)

  • General Requirements for Personnel

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(5)

  • General Requirements for Personnel

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(1)

  • General Requirements for Personnel

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(6)

10 more from this inspection

  • General Requirements for Personnel

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(8)

  • Background Checks for Personnel

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.110

  • Personnel Records

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a)(1)

  • General Requirements for Personnel

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(f)

  • Personnel Records

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

  • Personnel Records

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

  • Health Requirements for Children

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(3)

  • Special Requirements for Infants and Toddlers

    89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.210(b)

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

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

Read every record and the state’s reports

State record — Illinois DCFS

Last visit
March 20, 2026
On file
3 visits since June 2024 — all of them cited findings
Fixed?
The latest correction deadline was July 5, 2025. 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 20, 2026

Provisions Pertaining to the License

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

Program Requirements for All Ages

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.200(r) · Violation corrected

DCFS compliance lookup On that page, enter provider number 619495 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Jun 2025 Monitoring visit 10 findings

Monitoring visit · June 5, 2025

Health Requirements for Children

4 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a) through (5) · Violation corrected

89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a) · 407.310(a)(3) · 407.310(a)(4) · 407.310(a)(5)

General Requirements for Personnel

2 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(1) through (f) · Violation corrected

89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(1) · 407.100(f)

Personnel Records

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.120(a) · 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, CCASEC4.

0 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code · 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 619495 in the Provider box and choose Search; the compliance report downloads from the button on the result row.

Jun 2024 Monitoring visit 14 findings

Monitoring visit · June 6, 2024

General Requirements for Personnel

5 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(1) through (f) · Violation corrected

89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.100(c)(1) · 407.100(c)(5) · 407.100(c)(6) · 407.100(c)(8) · 407.100(f)

Personnel Records

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

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

Background Checks for Personnel

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

Special Requirements for Infants and Toddlers

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

Health Requirements for Children

1 citation · 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.310(a)(3) · Violation corrected

Physical Plant/Indoor Space

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

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

0 citations · 89 Ill. Adm. Code · 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 619495 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

8472083926

Address
449 Center St
License
license issued (il)

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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 9, 2026.

Details

  • Phone, Address — Checked August 2026 sunshine.dcfs.illinois.gov/…/ProviderLookup.aspx. To check it, open sunshine.dcfs.illinois.gov's Licensed Provider Lookup, enter "THE SAPLING SCHOOL" under Provider Name and 60030 under Zip, and press Search (DCFS provider 619495).
  • License — Checked October 2026 sunshine.dcfs.illinois.gov/…/ProviderLookup.aspx. To check it, open sunshine.dcfs.illinois.gov's Licensed Provider Lookup, enter "THE SAPLING SCHOOL" under Provider Name and 60030 under Zip, and press Search (DCFS provider 619495).

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.