Section 407.130  Qualifications for Child Care Director

 

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 in a teaching capacity.

 

1)         When the director serves in both capacities, they must meet the qualifications of both the director position and the teaching position.

 

2)         When the director attends to non-teaching responsibilities, their group must be supervised by a person qualified to be responsible for 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)         Directors hired on or after July 1, 2017, shall meet the following educational requirements:

 

1)         A minimum of an associate degree from an accredited college or university in child development or early childhood education; or

 

2)         The equivalent (defined as 64 semester hours or 96 quarter hours in any discipline, with a minimum of 21 semester hours or 31.5 quarter hours from an accredited college or university in courses related to child development, early childhood education or early childhood special education) and one of the following:

 

A)        Gateways to Opportunity Level I Illinois Director Credential; or

 

B)        3 semester hours or 4.5 quarter hours of college credit in child care administration, leadership, or management; or

 

C)        3 points of credential-approved training in child care administration, leadership, or management.

 

f)         The child care director of a facility serving more groups of school-age children than groups of pre-school children shall have achieved:

 

1)         A minimum of an associate degree from an accredited college or university in child development, early childhood education or elementary education; or

 

2)         The equivalent (defined as 64 semester hours or 96 quarter hours in any discipline, with a minimum of 21 semester hours or 31.5 quarter hours from an accredited college or university in child development, early childhood education or early childhood special education, elementary education) and one of the following:

 

A)        Gateways to Opportunity Level I Illinois Director Credential; or

 

B)        3 semester hours or 4.5 quarter hours of college credit in child care administration, leadership, or management; or

 

C)        3 points of credential-approved training in child care administration, leadership, or management.

 

g)         Montessori credentials for any ages between birth and 12 years, issued by a program accredited by the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE), or issued by the American Montessori Society (AMS) or the Association Montessori International (AMI) may be substituted for the courses directly related to child care and/or child development required by (e) and (f) of this Section.

 

h)         Directors hired prior to July 1, 2017 shall meet the requirements of Section 407.100, and, if serving as 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 one of the following:

 

1)         60 semester hours 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; or

 

2)         All of the following:

 

A)        Two years (3120 clock hours) of child development experience in a nursery school, kindergarten, or licensed day care center; and

 

B)        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

 

C)        Proof of enrollment in an accredited college or university until 2 years of college credit have been achieved, with a total of 18 semester or 27 quarter hours in courses related directly to child care and/or child development obtained within the total 2 years of college credits; or

 

3)         All of the following:

 

A)        Completion of a credentialing program approved in accordance with Appendix G of this Part; and

 

B)        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

 

C)        Two years (3120 clock hours) child development experience in a nursery school, kindergarten, or licensed day care center.

 

i)          Persons who were deemed qualified to serve as a child care director prior to July 1, 2017, continue to be deemed qualified for their position as long as they remain employed with the same employer where they were deemed qualified prior to July 1, 2017.  Directors deemed qualified must still complete the following trainings every 3 years:

 

1)         Mandated Reporter Training, including a section on implicit bias;

 

2)         Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID), and use of safe sleep recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics;

 

3)         Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS), abusive head trauma, and child maltreatment; and

 

4)         Early childhood social emotional learning, infant and early childhood mental health, early childhood trauma, or adverse childhood experiences. 

 

j)          Directors hired prior to July 1, 2017, shall meet the requirements of Section 407.100, and if serving as the child care director of a facility serving more groups of school-age children than groups of pre-school children shall have achieved one of the following:

 

1)         60 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)         All of the following:

 

A)        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;

 

B)        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

 

C)        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.

 

k)         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 the qualification criteria of Section 407.130(f) or (j).

 

3)         The school-age site coordinators must meet one of the following qualifications:

 

A)        Both of the following:

 

i)          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

 

ii)         At least 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)        Both of the following:

 

i)          At least 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

 

ii)         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.

 

l)          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. 

 

1)         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 in each designated employee's personnel file on the premises of the day care center. 

 

2)         All day care staff shall be informed of the designated director at each occurrence.

 

3)         The person designated as alternate director may be in the classroom and counted in the staff/child ratio under the following circumstances:

 

A)        The day care center is licensed for 50 or fewer children;

 

B)        When the day care center operates a half-day program with children attending no more than 3 consecutive hours per day, regardless of capacity;  

 

C)        During the first hour and last hour of a program that operates eight or more hours per day; or

 

D)        When attendance falls below 50 children.

 

4)         Through June 30, 2029, a staff member who meets the qualifications of an early childhood teacher (as described in Section 407.140) may be designated to assume decision-making responsibility, that shall include opening and closing the facility, when the child care director is off site, if the day care center operates eight or more hours per day and the following provisions are met:

 

A)        The staff member must have on file, documentation of a minimum of 2880 hours of experience as an early childhood teacher at the early childhood teacher's current facility; and

 

B)        The early childhood teacher may only be present and assume decision-making responsibilities for the first and last hour of operation, that shall include opening and closing the facility, when a qualified director is not present; and

 

C)        All requirements of subsection (l)(1), (2), and (3) of this Section are met    .

 

m)        The child care director must successfully complete a Department-approved 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 (n). 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 licensed 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).

 

n)         With the exception of those facilities served by a director meeting the requirements of Section 407.130(g), licensed child care centers must have an employee on site at all times with a minimum of an associate degree from an accredited college or university in child development or early childhood education or the equivalent (defined as 64 semester hours or 96 quarter hours in any discipline with a minimum of 21 semester hours or 31.5 quarter hours of college credit in child development, early childhood education or early childhood special education).

 

o)         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.

 

(Source:  Amended at 49 Ill. Reg. 8719, effective June 18, 2025)