Gateways Registry

Joining the Gateways Registry allows you to track your education, Credentials, and training online in your personal and secure Professional Development Record.

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Online Training

Gateways i-learning is the hub of online training for Illinois child care providers. You can locate online training for IDCFS Licensing, ExceleRate Illinois, and other courses related to caring for children.

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Training Calendar

Search the Gateways Training Calendar for professional development events around the state. You can search by county, date, or keyword to find just the training you need.

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Credentials

Earn a Gateways Credential to show you are proud to be an early care and education professional.

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Gateways Scholarship

Gateways Scholarship

Need money to further your education in child development or early childhood education? Apply for a Gateways Scholarship!

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Great Start Program

Great START Wage Supplement Program

Do you want extra money for completing college coursework and staying employed at the same place? Great START does just that! Get more information about how you can participate!

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Gateways Credentials

Are you considering applying for a Gateways Credential? Gateways Credentials are symbols of professional achievement that validate knowledge, skills and experience. They are an individual achievement that you can be proud of.

Gateways Credentials are awarded and recognized by the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) Bureau of Child Care and Development. They are required for some Circles of Quality in ExceleRate Illinois and can be used to help with employment decisions in early learning programs.

Below are the Credentials offered by Gateways. You can click each Credential title to see information about applying, specific requirements, and the forms you will need.

ECE Credential 1

ECE Credential Level 1

An entry level credential for those just entering the field

ECE Credential 2-6

ECE Credential Levels 2-6

For ECE professionals who have education beyond high school and experience with children birth to age 8

Infant / Toddler

Infant Toddler Credential

For child care professionals working with children from birth to age 3

Illinois Director

Illinois Director Credential

For administrators of ECE and School-Age Programs

School-Age Credential 1

SAYD Credential

For professionals working with children and youth ages 5-18

Technical Assistance Credential

Technical Assistance Credential

For professionals who offer relationship-based professional development

Family Child Care

Family Child Care Credential

For a professional working in their home as a family child care provider for children ages birth through 12 years

Family Specialist

Family Specialist Credential

For professionals who provide direct services to children and families, such as Parent Educators, Family Advocates and Case Workers

Higher Education Directory

Search for colleges and universities in your area that offer courses in child development and child care related topics

Entitled Institutions

Entitled Institutions

For colleges and universities interested in becoming entitled for one or more Gateways Credentials

Professional Development

 
 
  • Early childhood education: Generic term used to describe the field of early care and education of children birth to age 8. Many early childhood programs, however, also provide care for school-age children through age 12 during their out-of-school time.
  • Early childhood education professional development: A continuum of learning and support activities designed to prepare individuals for work with and on behalf of young children and their families, as well as ongoing experiences to enhance this work. Professional development encompasses education, training, and technical assistance. See also Early Childhood Education Professional Development: Training and Technical Assistance Glossary.
  • Early childhood education workforce: Those working with young children (infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and school-age children) in centers, homes, and schools and their families or on their behalf (in agencies, organizations, institutions of higher education, etc.), with a primary mission of supporting children’s development and learning. See also Early Childhood Education Professional Development: Training and Technical Assistance Glossary
  • Early Head Start: Early Head Start began in 1995 to address the needs of younger children and their families. Early Head Start extends the philosophy and services of Head Start to children birth to age three and pregnant women. These young children are served both in center-based programs and in family child care homes, as well as through the home visitor program.
  • ECERS: Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale
  • ELS: Early Learning Standards
  • ERS: Environment Rating Scale
  • Evaluation: A description and judgment of a specific domain of knowledge or behavior drawn from more than one source of information.
  • Kith and kin: Individuals who routinely care for children but who do not consider early care and education education as a professional calling. Kith and kin arrangements are usually informal and license-exempt and involve relatives, family friends, and neighbors.
  • Gateways to Opportunity Scholarship Program: The Gateways to Opportunity Scholarship Program is an individual-based scholarship opportunity for practitioners working in the field of Early Care and Education (ECE). Practitioners working in Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (IDCFS) licensed centers and homes can apply for a Gateways Scholarship. The Gateways Scholarship Program will pay a percentage of the cost of tuition and fees based on an eligible participant’s child care position income. The Gateways Scholarship Program is administered through the Illinois Network of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies and funded by the Illinois Department of Human Services.
  • General Education: The goal of a general education is to develop individuals with sensitivity to and a comprehensive understanding of the world in which they live. A general education helps students develop moral values, habits of critical thinking and introspection, intellectual sophistication, and an orientation to learning and investigation that will become life long. Generally educated individuals are conversant with scientific inquiry, appreciate the insights into the human character and culture provided by literature and the arts, understand human behavior and social institutions, are aware of history, respect human diversity, and act both ethically and responsibly as members of society.

    The general education curriculum constitutes that part of an undergraduate education that develops breadth of knowledge and the expressive skills essential to more complex and in-depth learning throughout life. To develop a breadth of knowledge, general education courses acquaint students with the methods of inquiry of the various academic disciplines and the different ways these disciplines view the world. The academic disciplines comprising the general education curriculum are the physical and life sciences, the humanities and fine arts, the social and behavioral sciences, and interdisciplinary combinations of these as well as communication and mathematics. To develop expressive skills, the general education curriculum requires courses that enhance written and oral communication and quantitative reasoning skills.
  • Great START: Great START (Strategy to Attract and Retain Teachers) is a wage supplement program designed to improve the developmental outcomes of children through the professional development of early childhood practitioners. It is available to assistant teachers, teachers, and directors employed by licensed child care centers, family group homes, and family child care homes. The program is funded through the Illinois Department of Human Services and administered by the Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies.
  • Goals: The purpose of an act or group of actions
  • Group home: A licensed child care home which provides care for 3 to 16 children for fewer than 24 hours per day.
  • Group size: The total number of children assigned to a teacher or teaching team, and grouped in an individual classroom or well-defined physical space within a child care center.
  • Guidelines: A description of suggested elements aimed to accomplish a defined activity.
  • HCCI: Healthy Child Care Illinois
  • Head Start: Head Start and Early Head Start are federally funded, comprehensive child development programs that serve children from birth to age five, pregnant women, and their families. These child-focused programs have the overall goal of increasing the school readiness of young children in low-income families.
  • IAN: Illinois AfterSchool Network
  • Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI): Effort to promote articulation between associate and baccalaureate programs. The Early Childhood Panel of IAI, comprised of representatives from 2- and 4-year institutions, was convened in 1994 to determine a minimum core of specialized early childhood lower-division courses that could transfer between institutions of higher education. Currently, six articulated ECE classes representing up to 18 semester hours can be transferred contingent on the receiving institution accepting these credits.
  • Illinois Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators (IAECTE): Illinois affiliate of the National Association for Early Childhood Teacher Education (NAECTE), a national organization of early childhood faculty from four-year higher education institutions.
  • Illinois Association for the Education of Young Children (ILAEYC): A statewide nonprofit organization of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, that includes local chapters who support early childhood practitioners through advocacy and professional development opportunities.
  • Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE): IBHE analyzes the aims, needs, and requirements of Illinois higher education to guide development of the state's system of public and private colleges and universities; recommends budgets for operations and grants and for capital improvements for higher education institutions and agencies; approves proposals by public university governing boards and the Illinois Community College Board for new units of instruction, research, or public service; grants authority to operate and to grant degrees for independent and out-of-state institutions; administers state and federal higher education grant programs; and maintains data about Illinois higher education.
  • Illinois Community College Board (ICCB): The Illinois Community College Board has been the statewide voice for the Illinois Community College System since its inception in 1965, working closely with other higher education agencies, the Illinois Legislature, Congress, federal government, and other statewide and national associations to promote the initiatives of the community colleges and higher education. ICCB is the state coordinating board for community colleges. Its mission is to administer the Public Community College Act in a manner that maximizes the ability of the 39 community college districts (48 colleges) to serve their communities, promotes cooperation within the system, and accommodates those State of Illinois initiatives that are appropriate for community colleges.
  • Illinois Community Colleges Online Initiative (ILCCO): A statewide online degree or certificate program. Its mission is to expand access to learning opportunities for all residents of Illinois independent of location and/or time. ILCCO's purpose is to provide a wide range of online learning opportunities to Illinois residents at a reasonable cost and allow students at any community college to access, through their home college, online courses and programs delivered from other Illinois community colleges.
  • Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS): The state agency that oversees the regulation of child care centers, family child care homes, and family group homes, as required by the Child Care Act of 1969, as revised.
  • Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS): State agency that administers a range of early childhood programs, including the Child Care Assistance Program, the statewide CCR&R system, the State Head Start Collaboration Office, the Early Intervention program, Home Visiting programs such as Healthy Families Illinois and Parents Too Soon, and others.
  • Illinois Director Credential (IDC): Voluntary administrative credential for center-based early childhood directors, administered by the Illinois Network of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies. The IDC validates the achievement of competencies necessary for effective leadership and management of center-based early care and education programs.
  • Illinois Division for Early Childhood (I-DEC): Professional organization promotes evidence-based practice, supports growth and development of young children with special needs.
  • Illinois Early Childhood Intervention Clearinghouse: A statewide project that provides library and information services at no cost to residents of Illinois interested in early intervention. Includes information on health, educational and developmental concerns of infancy and early childhood, and publishes a free quarterly newsletter.
  • Illinois Early Learning Standards: Developed by the Illinois State Board of Education, these standards document benchmarks for children from birth through five years of age. They align with the Illinois Learning Standards, which define what elementary and secondary students are expected to know and be able to do in various subject areas.
  • Illinois Head Start Association (IHSA): A statewide organization that includes members from local Head Start and Early Head Start programs, their partners and community representatives. This is a state Head Start advocacy group of the National Head Start Association, a nonprofit organization dedicated to meeting and addressing the concerns of the Head Start community.
  • Illinois Head Start Collaboration Office: Each state has a Head Start State Collaboration Office that is a vehicle for broad collaborations in early care and education. Illinois’ State Head Start Collaboration Office is located within the Department of Human Services’ Bureau of Child Care and Development.
  • Illinois Infant Toddler Credential: Still under development, this voluntary credential will define the core competencies for Illinois professionals and paraprofessionals who work with infants and toddlers and serve as a symbol of professional achievement.
  • Illinois Network of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (INCCRRA): A statewide organization funded by the Illinois Department of Human Service which works in partnership with its member Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) agencies to support child care practitioners, manage the statewide child care subsidy program, support families in locating child care and provide local and statewide professional development opportunities.
  • Illinois Professional Teaching Standards: Defines expectations for all teacher and administrator candidates. Aligned with INTASC and NCATE standards, well as state standards for students (Illinois Early Learning Standards, Illinois Learning Standards).

    Illinois Resource Center (IRC): A not-for-profit corporation that provides a broad range of professional development services and instructional resources (spanning from early education through adult learning) for school communities throughout Illinois and the nation.

    Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE): Led by a nine-member Board and the State Superintendent of Education, ISBE is a state agency that administers programs pursuant to the School Code and distributes funds to school districts. ISBE administers the Early Childhood Education Block Grant, which supports three state-funded early childhood programs (Prevention Initiative, Parental Training, and State Prekindergarten for Children At-Risk of Academic Failure), as well as federally funded programs such as Early Childhood Special Education and Even Start.
  • Illinois State Curriculum Center (ISCC): The collection includes curriculum guides, textbooks, videotapes and reports in the major areas of education to careers in applied academics. The Center houses Tech Prep, School to Work, Employment and Training, and other special materials. Materials are loaned for two-week or 30-day periods.
  • Illinois Trainers Network (ITN): A group of trainers throughout the state of Illinois who focus on enhancing professional development and provide quality training and materials for center and family child care providers. This program is sponsored by the Illinois Network of Child Care and Resource and Referral Agencies and requires individuals to meet specific application requirements and attend required training.
  • Illinois Training Directory of Early Childhood Training Organizations: Published by the Ounce of Prevention Fund, the directory describes information on Illinois organizations that offer training, education, and professional development opportunities for staff working with expecting parents and families with young children.
  • Illinois Virtual Campus (IVC): An online clearinghouse that lists all the distance learning courses being offered throughout the state of Illinois on one searchable website. Web-based, compressed video, and telecourses are all listed on the IVC webpage; however, IVC does not offer degree or certificate programs nor does it include a mechanism to help students to complete such programs through more than one community college.
  • Independent Institution: A college or university governed by an independently chosen board. Sometimes referred to as a private school.
  • Indicator: An identified marker/benchmark or value used to indicate the level of an outcome.
  • Individual Education Plan (IEP): A document specifying the goals and objectives to be attained, by the student, as a result of receiving special education services; the services to be provided, the frequency and intensity. The IEP must also document any accommodations or alternate assessments, if needed, to participate in the local, district and/or state accountability assessment system.
  • Individual professional development plans: Documents that provide a framework connecting various professional development experiences to each other and to the common core of knowledge and professional standards for early education professionals. See also Early Childhood Education Professional Development: Training and Technical Assistance Glossary.
  • Infant: A child under 15 months of age.
  • Informal care : Refers to relative care or child care in a family home setting that is exempt from DCFS licensing requirements (see “License exempt family child care”).
  • Instructional resources: Materials and credentials of people available to create learning opportunities
  • Infrastructure: Connections organized to support activities.
  • Instructional hour: Generally, 16 instructional hours equals 1 credit hour in the community college system
  • Interdisciplinary: A term used to describe classes that include more than one discipline or field of study.
  • Internship: Supervised practical training in an early childhood program.
  • ISBE PreK: Early childhood program funded and regulated by the Illinois State Board of Education and offered by local school districts for children, ages 3 to 5, identified as at-risk for academic failure.
  • ITERS: Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale
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Excelerate Program

ExceleRate Illinois helps you prepare children for success in school and in life.

It also provides standards, guidelines, resources and supports to help you make sensible changes that lead to better quality outcomes for children.

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