Child Care Demand Outpaces Supply As New Lake Co. School Opens In Former Ambulance Center

VERNON HILLS, IL — A new $5 million child care center has opened in Vernon Hills, transforming a former ambulance office and staging facility into a school that could eventually serve more than 200 children.

The Nest Schools officially opened its new location at 401 W. Sullivan Drive on Sept. 21 and has already enrolled more than 30 children, Brittany Madonna, a spokeswoman for The Nest Schools, told Patch.

The school serves children from 6 weeks old through Pre-K and has openings across all age groups. Full-time, part-time and partial-day schedules are available.

The facility is licensed for up to 209 children, although actual enrollment capacity will depend on the mix of schedules families choose, Madonna said.

Based on the interest the school has received so far, The Nest expects the Vernon Hills location to be close to capacity within 12 to 18 months.

The new school also brings jobs to the village. Nine positions have been filled so far, with The Nest continuing to hire lead and assistant teachers as well as support staff. The project was previously expected to create about 35 jobs.

Developer Points To Child Care Demand

Fortec, the real estate development and investment firm behind the project, said its analysis showed demand for early childhood education in and around Vernon Hills was outpacing the number of licensed child care spaces available.

About 3,100 children under age 10 live in Vernon Hills, according to U.S. Census Bureau data cited by Fortec Chairman Pablo Barreiro. Before The Nest opened, 12 licensed child care programs in the village offered roughly 930 spots, according to Illinois Department of Children and Family Services data reviewed by Fortec.

That amounts to about one licensed child care spot for every three children under age 10 in Vernon Hills, although Barreiro cautioned that the figures should be viewed as an indicator of demand rather than an exact measurement of a child care shortage.

The calculation does not include license-exempt programs, including some school-based preschool programs.

Looking beyond the village limits, Fortec found an even wider gap.

Approximately 7,100 children ages 0 to 9 lived within three miles of the Sullivan Drive property based on 2023 estimates from demographic data provider Esri, Barreiro said. That area, which includes portions of Mundelein, Lincolnshire and other nearby communities, had about 1,480 licensed child care spots as of late August.

That works out to roughly one licensed spot for every five children in the broader three-mile area.

"The programs already serving the area are an important part of the solution; there simply are not enough seats yet," Barreiro told Patch.

From Ambulance Facility To Early Learning Center

The roughly 14,000-square-foot building was constructed in 1985 and was most recently used as an office and ambulance staging facility by Superior Ambulance.

The property was already vacant in 2024 when plans to convert it into a child care center were first proposed. Fortec acquired the site in 2025 and redeveloped it for The Nest Schools.

Barreiro said several characteristics made the roughly two-acre property well-suited for redevelopment as an early learning center, including its single-story layout, space for outdoor play areas, ample parking and proximity to Route 45 and residential neighborhoods.

Reusing the existing building also allowed the school to open sooner than constructing a new facility from the ground up, he said.

The redevelopment was entirely privately funded and received no local, state or federal incentives, tax abatements or grants, according to Barreiro.

The $5 million project included a complete renovation of the existing building and the addition of classrooms, indoor activity spaces and outdoor play areas.

The Nest Expands In Illinois

The Vernon Hills school is The Nest Schools' third Illinois location, joining schools in Barrington and Crystal Lake.

A fourth Illinois location is expected to open this fall in East Dundee. The company does not currently have additional Illinois locations planned, although Madonna said The Nest continues to explore potential expansion opportunities.

The Vernon Hills school offers the same curriculum and programs available at other Nest locations, including the company's Nest Play Curriculum, enrichment programs, classrooms designed for early learning and outdoor learning environments.

Tuition varies depending on a child's program and schedule. The company did not provide a typical tuition range and said families should contact the Vernon Hills school for specific pricing information.