Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 38, September 20, 2024
a) Day care centers licensed for more than 50
children shall employ a full-time child care director to be on site in a
non-teaching capacity. The director may be on site in a teaching capacity at
the following times:
1) During the first hour
and last hour of a program that operates 10 or more hours per day; or
2) When attendance falls below 50
children.
b) Day care
centers licensed for 50 or fewer children, or half-day programs with children
attending no more than 3 consecutive hours per day regardless of capacity, may
employ a child care director who also serves as a member of the child care
staff.
1) When the director serves in both
capacities, he or she must meet the qualifications of both the director
position and the teaching position.
2) When the director attends to non-teaching
responsibilities, his or her group must be supervised by a person qualified to
be in charge of the group.
c) The child care director shall be at least
21 years of age.
d) The child care
director shall have a high school diploma or equivalency certificate
(GED).
e) In addition to meeting
the requirements of Section
407.100,
the child care director of a facility serving the same number of groups of
pre-school and school-age children or more groups of pre-school children than
groups of school-age children shall have achieved:
1) Sixty semester or 90 quarter hours of
credit from an accredited college or university with 18 semester or 27 quarter
hours in courses related directly to child care and/or child development from
birth to age 6;
2) Two years (3120
clock hours) of child development experience in a nursery school, kindergarten,
or licensed day care center, 30 semester or 45 quarter hours of college credits
with 10 semester or 15 quarter hours in courses related directly to child care
and/or child development, and proof of enrollment in an accredited college or
university until 2 years of college credit have been achieved. A total of 18
semester or 27 quarter hours in courses related directly to child care and/or
child development is required to be obtained within the total 2 years of
college credits; or
3) Completion
of a credentialing program approved in accordance with Appendix G of this Part,
completion of 12 semester or 18 quarter hours in courses related to child care
and/or child development from birth to age 6 at an accredited college or
university, and 2 years (3120 clock hours) child development experience in a
nursery school, kindergarten or licensed day care center.
f) In addition to meeting the requirements of
Section 407.100, the child care director of a facility serving more groups of
school-age children than groups of pre-school children shall have achieved:
1) Sixty semester or 90 quarter hours of
credit from an accredited college or university with 18 semester or 27 quarter
hours in courses related to child care and/or child development, elementary
education, physical education, recreation, camping or other related fields,
including courses related to school-age children; or
2) Two years (3120 clock hours) of child
development experience in a recreational program, kindergarten, or licensed day
care center serving school-age children, or license exempt school-age child
care program operated by a public or private school, 30 semester or 45 quarter
hours of college credits with 10 semester or 15 quarter hours in courses
related directly to child care and/or child development, elementary education,
physical education, recreation, camping or other related fields, and proof of
enrollment in an accredited college or university until 2 years of college
credit have been achieved. A total of 18 semester or 27 quarter hours in
courses related directly to child care and/or child development, elementary
education, physical education, recreation, camping or other related fields,
including courses related to school-age children, is required to be obtained
within the total 2 years of college credits.
g) Completion of a training program
accredited by the American Montessori Society or Association Montessori
International may be substituted for the courses directly related to child care
and/or child development required by this Section. Persons holding a Montessori
pre-primary credential may serve as director to children through age 6. Persons
holding a Montessori primary or elementary credential may serve as director to
children 6 years of age or older.
h) Persons who were deemed qualified to serve
as a child care director prior to January 1, 1985, continue to be deemed
qualified for their position. Directors deemed qualified must still have
current Mandated Reporter Training, SIDS, SUID, SBS and other training
certificates as required in this Part.
i) When a program serves only school-age
children and meets the criteria of Section
407.90(c),
qualifications for the school-age director responsible for multiple sites and
the site coordinators shall be as follows:
1)
The school-age director and each site coordinator shall be at least 21 years of
age.
2) The school-age director
shall meet both of the following requirements for education and experience:
A) Sixty semester or 90 quarter hours of
credit from an accredited college or university, with 18 semester or 27 quarter
hours in courses related to school-age child care, child development,
elementary education, physical education, recreation, camping or other related
fields; and
B) At least 1560 clock
hours of child development experience in a recreational program or a licensed
day care center serving school-age children.
3) The school-age site coordinators must meet
one of the following qualifications:
A)
Thirty semester or 45 quarter hours of credit from an accredited college or
university with 12 semester or 18 quarter hours related to school-age child
care, child development, elementary education, physical education, recreation,
camping or other related fields and 750 clock hours of experience in a
recreational program or a licensed day care center serving school-age children
or in a license exempt school-age child care program operated by a public or
private school; or
B) 1560 clock
hours of experience in a recreational program or licensed day care center
serving school-age children or license exempt school-age child care program
operated by a public or private school and either 6 semester hours or 9 quarter
hours of credit from an accredited college or university related to school-age
child care, child development, elementary education, physical education,
recreation, camping or other related fields.
j) A staff member who meets the
qualifications for a day care center director shall be designated to assume
decision-making responsibility whenever the child care director is off site. A
record of employees who meet the qualifications for director and who have been
designated to assume decision-making responsibility in the director's absence
shall be kept at the site. All day care staff shall be informed of the
designated director at each occurrence. The person designated as alternate
director may be in the classroom and counted in the staff/child ratio under the
following circumstances:
1) When the center
meets the criteria of subsection (b);
2) During the first hour and last hour of a
program that operates 10 or more hours per day; or
3) When attendance falls below 50
children.
k) The child
care director must successfully complete a basic training course of 6 or more
clock hours on providing care to children with disabilities that has been
approved by the Department. The day care center shall have on file a
certificate attesting to the training of the child care director.
1) Persons employed as a child care director
shall complete this training within 36 months from date appointed as child care
director.
2) A child care director
who has completed training prior to employment may have that training approved
as meeting the provisions of this subsection (k). A certificate of training
completion and a description of the course content must be submitted to the
Department for approval.
3) A child
care director who obtains approved training and moves from one day care
facility to another shall not be required to take another training course as
long as the child care director can provide documentation in the form of a
certificate that the training was completed.
4) A training program approved by the
Department in providing care for children with disabilities must include the
following components:
A) Introduction to
Inclusive Child Care;
B)
Understanding Child Development in Relation to Disabilities;
C) Building Relationships With
Families;
D) Preparing for and
Including Young Children in the Child Care Setting; and
E) Community Services for Young Children With
Disabilities (including Early Intervention Services).
l) By July 1, 2017, the following
education requirements for licensed day care center staff shall be met.
1) All new child care directors hired on or
after July 1, 2017 shall have a minimum of an associate degree in child
development or early childhood education, or the equivalent (defined as 64
semester hours in any discipline with a minimum of 21 semester hours of college
credit in child development, early childhood education or early childhood
special education) and either a Gateways to Opportunity Level I Illinois
Director Credential (see 89 Ill. Adm. Code
50.720(b)
and http://www.ilgateways.com/en/illinois-director-credential-idc) or 3
semester hours of college credit or 3 points of credential approved training in
administration, leadership or management.
2) Effective July 1, 2017, licensed child
care centers must have an employee on site at all times with a minimum of an
associate degree in child development or early childhood education or the
equivalent (defined as 64 semester hours in any discipline with a minimum of 21
semester hours of college credit in child development, early childhood
education or early childhood special education).
m) Directors shall submit to their local
licensing office a certificate of completion of lead safety training consisting
of instruction in the following topics:
1)
Mitigation plan strategies for test results of 2.01 ppb or above; and
2) Impact of lead exposure.
