Cornerstone Children's Learning Center

What Cornerstone Children's Learning Center does

Cornerstone Children’s Learning Center (CCLC) is an Illinois-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating one early-childhood facility in Chicago’s Old Town-River North area. It primarily serves local families with children from 6 weeks through pre-K, offering age-based infant and toddler, early-preschool, preschool, and kindergarten-preparation programs; a secondary school-age before/after-care segment is also identified. Enrollment is direct and tour-led, supported by the website, community reputation, parent testimonials, and local partnerships.

CCLC’s operating model combines board governance and an employed executive director with a management contract under which Childtime Learning Centers provides staff and curriculum development. The educational system uses Childtime’s Learn from the Start and Learn as We Grow curricula, milestone-based planning, a Focus on Literacy pathway for Pre-K, and developmental tracking through family updates, portfolios, and twice-yearly conferences. These are service-delivery and education tools; CCLC has no disclosed software platform, API, mobile app, proprietary AI, or patented technology.

Revenue is primarily recurring weekly tuition across multiple age levels, supplemented by annual registration fees, reservation, late-payment and late-pickup charges, usage-based Flex Care packages, seasonal summer camps, and tax-deductible donations. Enrollment depends on in-person tours and a single-site delivery model, with online payments processed through Authorize.Net. Revenue, active enrollment, licensed capacity, and occupancy are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Cornerstone Children's Learning Center

Legal name

Cornerstone Children's Learning Center

Website

https://cornerstonechildrenslearningcenter.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cornerstone Children’s Learning Center is a Chicago nonprofit providing childcare and preschool for children from six weeks through pre-K, using milestone-based curricula, developmental tracking, and individualized instruction for local families within Old Town and River North.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood Education

NAICS

Child Care Services (62441), Child Care Services (6244), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Preschool Programs within Childcare Centers (EDACABAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Early Childhood Education & Childcare Nonprofits (BPAGADAA), Faith-Based Preschools (EDACABAF), Center-Based Toddler Care (18–36 months) (EDACAGAB)

Keywords

• Early childhood education
• Childcare services
• Preschool programs
• Infant daycare
• Kindergarten preparation

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Registration Fees: Weekly tuition payments from families for childcare and preschool services across multiple program levels (infants, toddlers, early preschool, preschool, Pre-K). Additional registration fees, reservation fees for vacation absences, and late payment/pickup fees.
2. Summer Camp Programs: Seasonal summer camp registration fees for preschool and Pre-K age children during June-August period
3. Donations: Tax-deductible donations from families and community members supporting the nonprofit mission. CCLC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Cornerstone Children's Learning Center is a nonprofit early childhood education center that provides full-time childcare and preschool for children ages 6 weeks through Pre-K (approximately 5 years) at a single Chicago facility. Core programs include Infants & Toddlers (6 weeks to 2 years), Early Preschool (2-3 years), Preschool (3-4 years), and Pre-Kindergarten/K Prep (4-5 years), delivered using Childtime-developed milestone-based curricula with twice-yearly parent-teacher conferences, developmental portfolios, and a Focus on Literacy! program. The center also offers seasonal summer camps and Flex Care drop-in packages, and accepts tax-deductible donations to support its 501(c)(3) mission.

Product overview

Cornerstone Children's Learning Center is a nonprofit early childhood education center offering a unified childcare and preschool program. The core educational programs include Infants & Toddlers (6 weeks-2 years), Early Preschool (2-3 years), Preschool (3-4 years), and Pre-Kindergarten/K Prep (4-5 years), all utilizing the Learn from the Start and Learn as We Grow curricula from Childtime Learning Centers. The center also offers supplementary services including Flex Care drop-in programs, Summer Camps for various age groups, registration and tuition management, and accepts donations. All programs are delivered through a single integrated center with shared resources, accreditation (NAEYC), and consistent educational philosophy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Infants & Toddlers Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Kindergarten readiness level by age 5
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Childtime Learning CenterscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChildtime Learning Centers executes a management contract with CCLC to provide comprehensive staff and curriculum development. CCLC uses Childtime's Learn from the Start curriculum for infants/toddlers and Learn as We Grow curriculum for early preschool. The Board employs an Executive Director not affiliated with Childtime to manage the contract and ensure strong partnership between all parties.
• LaSalle Street ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCornerstone Children's Learning Center is a ministry of LaSalle Street Church. The church founded and continues to support the center as part of its community mission expression. The church provides organizational oversight through a Board structure.
• National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)majorOthersNAEYC provides national accreditation to childcare centers meeting high quality standards. CCLC has achieved this accreditation, which only approximately 11% of childcare centers nationwide have pursued and received.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• La Petite Academy: Childcare and preschool chain serving ages 6 weeks through12 years; operates under Spring Education Group. Comparable infant care, preschool, and before/after-school programs at scale.
• Spring Education Group: Network of private preschool and K-12 schools (including former La Petite Academy). Provides regional and national competition for CCLC across infant care, preschool, and Pre-K.
• Primrose Schools: Franchised early childhood education network with proprietary Balanced Learning curriculum. Competes in the same infant-through-Pre-K private-pay segment with accredited, school-readiness-focused programs.
• Bright Horizons Family Solutions: Largest US operator of employer-sponsored and community early childhood education centers. Comparable infant-to-Pre-K service model and accreditation standards, with far broader geographic footprint and corporate-backed care partnerships.
• KinderCare Learning Companies: National incumbent offering center-based infant care, preschool, and Pre-K programs. Overlaps directly with CCLC's core offerings and pricing tier, but operates at vastly greater scale across the US.
• The Goddard School: Franchised preschool system emphasizing play-based, accredited early childhood education. Closely comparable in age range, private-pay tuition model, and parent-facing value proposition.

Emerging players

• The Gardner School: Premium private preschool and childcare operator with similar age-tiered programming and school-readiness focus. Overlaps with CCLC in affluent-urban parent segment but with a for-profit, growth-investor-backed model.

Direct peers

• Childtime Learning Centers: Direct operational and curriculum peer; Childtime executes a management contract with CCLC providing the Learn from the Start and Learn as We Grow curricula and staff development. Both serve infants through Pre-K with comparable age-tiered programs.
• New Horizon Academy: Private, multi-site early childhood education provider in the Midwest with comparable infant-toddler-preschool-Pre-K programs and tuition-based model; closer geographic and operational analog than national incumbents.

Others

• Neighborhood Parents Network: Chicago parent resource network and referral partner (not a direct operator). Listed because CCLC explicitly partners with NPN for community visibility, making it a relevant ecosystem peer shaping parent acquisition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cornerstone-children-s-learning-center

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cornerstone Children's Learning Center