Shimer Square

09/04/2026

Enrollment begins next week, September 8-11, 2026, at Honey Bee Child Development Center at Shimer Square, 205 E. Seminary Street, Mount Carroll, from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. daily.

Families may pick up enrollment packets, ask questions, and learn more about available child care services.

A Special Enrollment Event will be held on Thursday, September 10, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Visitors will have an opportunity to tour the center, meet staff, obtain enrollment materials, learn about child care assistance programs, and receive help with the application process.

The center's first day of care is scheduled for September 21, 2026. ⚠️Operating hours will be Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Honey Bee will initially serve children ages 2 to 3 and 4 to 5 years old. Additional classrooms will open as staff background checks are completed and approved.

A ribbon cutting ceremony will be scheduled on a separate date, to be announced.

👉Honey Bee Child Development Center at Shimer Square
📍205 E. Seminary Street, Mount Carroll, IL
📞815-902-1079
📧[email protected]

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Enrollment is for children ages 2 through 5.

09/03/2026

🐝Now that Honey Bee Child Development Center at Shimer Square has received DCFS approval 💛, bee sure to follow Honey Bee Child Development Center at Shimer Square page as they prepare their announcement.

🐝While we wait, now is a great time to gather the documents needed to help make the enrollment process smooth and efficient. See Honey Bee's post for more details.

🐝 The center aims to serve families within a *30-minute radius* of the Shimer Square campus.

🐝We will continue to share updates about Honey Bee Child Development Center at Shimer Square. However, effective 9/3/2026, any questions regarding enrollment, your child, or employment opportunities should be directed to Honey Bee Child Development Center at Shimer Square or email [email protected].

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09/02/2026

Please join us in congratulating Honey Bee Child Development Center at Shimer Square on receiving its DCFS licensing permit!

This process was new for all of us, and we truly appreciate everyone's patience, support, and encouragement along the way.

Bee sure to follow Honey Bee Child Development Center at Shimer Square🐝👶as they will share their enrollment information soon.

We can't wait to see this center come to life!

08/15/2026

Great news from Honey Bee Child Development Center at Shimer Square… see below and make sure you get your enrollment interest forms in where we can pass along to 4-C: Community Coordinated Child Care when they are approved to begin enrollment- https://www.shimersquare.com/enrollment-interest-form.html

07/28/2026

07/27/2026

📢Enrollment Interest Form for Honey Bee Child Development Center at Shimer Square (broken link is now fixed)

Based on feedback from our , we reviewed our website and discovered that the *Enrollment Interest Form* link was broken. 😭 Unfortunately, this means we haven't received submissions from families who completed—or attempted to complete—the form.

✅ The good news: The form was only intended to collect interest from families for when enrollment begins. You only get enrolled once licensing has been achieved, so nothing has changed from that front.

❗ The not-so-good news: If you previously submitted the form, you will need to submit a new Interest Form: https://www.shimersquare.com/enrollment-interest-form.html

Technology can fail us. If you have questions or need further confirmation, call our office at 309-794-6711. The operator, 4-C: Community Coordinated Child Care, is handling all its enrollment details, and cannot do so until licensing is achieved (still no official date yet).
We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience- the issue has been corrected, and, we're human. Thank you for your continued interest in Honey Bee Child Development Center at Shimer Square! 🐝

FAQs in comments below.

05/02/2026

Take a tour of one of our resident’s home inside Shimer Square Apartments!

Can you tell what his favorite hobby is? 🎣 The resident enjoys his own, private entrance and enjoys how quiet it is! Apartment living but not the noise that comes along with it!

05/01/2026

🎥New Video Launch! Shimer Square Apartments's construction story featuring Estes Construction 🌟
A significant component of Economic Growth Corporation's successful historic, adaptive-reuse of Shimer Square was bringing our general contractor and development team on site from day one. Estes Construction played a critical role early- and it made all the difference.
Shimer Square Apartments was always going to be high-impact with many anticipated challenges. Through 4 years of preconstruction, Estes Construction helped assemble the right team, prioritize historic integrity, and plan for careful restoration of every detail. The work highlighted craftsmanship rarely seen in modern construction- traditional methods, tools, framing systems, and plasterwork that reflected the building’s rich history. With history present in every detail, the project became a unique blend of preservation and construction expertise.
Despite the complexity, project management remained highly efficient. Managing 75+ skilled tradespeople while preserving historic elements at every turn, Estes delivered with precision, care, and expertise- helping bring 51 units of new rental housing to life.
Learn from the team at Estes Construction about their role in the redevelopment effort.
Special thanks to Estes team members: Nathan Billany, Senior Director of Business Development; Sam Pilcher, Project Engineer; Kendall Deter, Preconstruction Manager, and Clint Hoeger, Project Superintendent, alongside Economic Growth Corporation's Brian Hollenback, President/CEO and Andrew Fisher, Construction Director who both did a phenomenal job telling Shimer Square's redevelopment story.
View the entire video series here: https://www.shimersquare.com/video-series.html

04/15/2026

Thank you to all that attended the Tuesday: Week of the Young Child Family Event and Open House at Honey Bee Child Development Center at Shimer Square!

Seeing the rooms equipped and ready to welcome families and young children warmed all of our hearts! We can't wait for licensing to be approved to welcome families and young children. A great day!

In an abundance of caution, we took pictures with no children in them to protect their privacy. A big thank you to 4-C: Community Coordinated Child Care for hosting such a great event and open house!

04/03/2026

Historically restored to perfection! Thanks again Mount Carroll: Then & Now for a great before and after!