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 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.

(Source:  Amended at 43 Ill. Reg. 224, effective January 1, 2019)