ECE Credential Level 1
An entry level credential for those just entering the field
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Gateways Scholarship
Need money to further your education in child development or early childhood education? Apply for a Gateways Scholarship!
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!
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 Levels 2-6
For ECE professionals who have education beyond high school and experience with children birth to age 8
Infant Toddler Credential
For child care professionals working with children from birth to age 3
Illinois Director Credential
For administrators of ECE and School-Age Programs
SAYD Credential
For professionals working with children and youth ages 5-18
Technical Assistance Credential
For professionals who offer relationship-based professional development
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 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
For colleges and universities interested in becoming entitled for one or more Gateways Credentials
Professional Development
- Licensed program: Regulated and monitored by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, under the guidelines established by the Child Care Act of 1969, as revised.
- License-exempt programs: Operated by public or private elementary school systems, high schools, or institutions of higher learning; programs conducted on federal government premises; and other programs recognized or registered with the Illinois State Board of Education, if children in the program are over age three. License-exempt refers to the licensing requirements of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.
- License-exempt family child care: A child care home provider caring for no more than 3 unrelated children under the age of 12, including the provider’s children is exempt from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services licensing requirements.
- Lower Division: Adjective collectively describing college freshmen & sophomores or the curriculum of courses designed for or generally taken by freshmen and sophomores.
- Mentoring: A relationship-based process between colleagues in similar professional roles with a more-experienced individual with adult learning knowledge and skills, the mentor, providing guidance and example to the less-experienced protégé or mentee. See also Early Childhood Education Professional Development: Training and Technical Assistance Glossary.
- Montessori school: Philosophical approach to early childhood education based on the work of Italian physician and pioneer educator, Maria Montessori. Montessori proposed a method of teaching young children that emphasizes the development of initiative and natural abilities.
- NAA: National AfterSchool Association
- NACCRRA: National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies
- NAEYC: National Association for the Education of Young Children
- NAFCC: National Association for Family Child Care
- National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE): Dual mission of accountability and improvement in teacher preparation. Current accreditation process establishes rigorous, performance-based standards to teacher education programs.
- Native Student: A "native student" is a degree-seeking student who enters a college or university as a first-time freshman (subsequent to the summer following high school graduation). Thus, a fall-term freshman who earned college credit prior to and/or during the summer immediately after high school graduation at another institution is still considered a native student at the institution in which he/she enrolls in the fall. Likewise, a student who enrolls in another institution as an occasional student while simultaneously enrolling in the initial college/university, or enrolling as a non-degree seeking "summer guest", continues to be a native student at the home institution.
- Natural Allies: An initiative designed to ensure that early care and education professionals at all levels have knowledge and skills to meet the needs of young children with disabilities and their families who are served in a variety of settings.
- NCCA: National Child Care Association
- Nursery school: An early care and education program for children, usually between the ages of 3 and 5, who are not old enough to attend kindergarten.
- One of Us: Access and Equity for All Children in Illinois: Through a grant from the U.S. Dept. of Education, the Illinois State Board of Education developed this guidebook to encourage and promote increased access for preschool-aged children with disabilities to be educated with their typically developing peers.
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.