Illinois family child care licensing: Training requirements

This post is a part of our series on Illinois family child care licensing. For more on licensing in Illinois, see the following posts:Illinois Family Child Care Licensing: An OverviewTypes of LicensesThe Licensing ProcessEligibilityHome Requirements

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As a licensed home-based child care provider in Illinois, you will have to meet certain training requirements.

Provider training requirements

Pre-service and in-service trainingAs a provider in a Day Care Home or Group Day Care Home, you must complete 15 clock hours of in-service training per year. If you obtain training outside the 15 clock hours per year, you may apply up to 5 clock hours to the next year's training requirements. You must keep records of your training that are made available to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services Day Care (DCFS).Providing care to children with disabilityYou must complete a Department-approved basic training course of 6 or more clock hours in providing care to children with disabilities. Keep a certificate attesting to the successful completion of the training on file. You must complete this training within 36 months from the issue date of the initial license.First aid and CPRIf you are the primary caregiver, you must be certified in first aid, the Heimlich maneuver and infant/child cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by the American Red Cross, the American Heart Association or other entity approved by the Illinois Department of Public Health.During the hours of operation of the Day Care Home, there shall be at least one person on the premises certified in first aid, the Heimlich maneuver and infant/child cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by the American Red Cross or the American Heart Association, or other entity approved by the Illinois Department of Public Health. The caregivers shall have on file current certificates attesting to the training.Topics or courses to meet the in-service training requirements include, but are not limited to:

• Child care and child development
• Guidance and discipline
• First aid and CPR
• Symptoms of common childhood illness
• Food preparation and nutrition
• Health and sanitation
• Small business management
• Child abuse and neglect
• Working with parents and families
• Caring for children with disabilities
• Information about asthma and its management
• Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) education (training is required for new applicants and assistants to care for newborns and infants, and every three years thereafter for the life of the license)
• Service obligations under the federal Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)
• Shaken Baby Syndrome (training is required for new applicants and assistants licensed to care for newborns and infants, and every three years thereafter for the life of the license)
• Department-approved Mandated Reporter Training (available on the Department's website; training is required for new applicants and assistants)
• Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) (training is required for new applicants and assistants licensed to care for newborns and infants, and every three years thereafter for the life of the license)

Courses/training approved by the Department in caring for children with disabilities must include the following components:

• Introduction to Inclusive Child Care
• Understanding Child Development in Relation to Disabilities
• Building Relationships with Families
• Preparing for and Including Young Children in the Child Care Setting
• Community Services for Young Children with Disabilities (including Early Intervention services).

How to access training

You have many options for finding training. You can find educational activities and meet your training requirements through:Illinois Department of Children and Family Services Day Care (DCFS) Training:

• Home Licensing Orientation
• DCFS Mandated Reporter

Additionally, the Child Care Resource Service (CCRS) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign provides an abundance of training opportunities and resources to meet the training requirements.You may also receive pre-service and in-service training through the following:

• Attending college or university or vocational school classes (clock hours spent in the classroom are counted)
• Attending conferences or workshops (certificate or other proof of attendance, clock hours and subject matter is required)
• Attending state or local child care association meetings when a specific training program is provided by a guest speaker or group member (documentation of attendance, subject matter and clock hours is required)
• In-home training by a Child and Adult Care Food Program sponsor representative, nurse or other trainer (documentation must include the topic and the clock hours)
• Self-study materials provided by a child care resource and referral (CCR&R) agency (certificate of clock hours must be secured from the CCR&R)
• Internet home study programs if the internet site provides documentation of use and number of clock hours
• Mandated Reporter Training may be acquired through the Department's website
• Viewing of the approved video offered by the National Institutes of Health Back to Sleep Campaign for SIDS and sleeping position of infants.

You may need the training instructor, speaker or president of the child care organization sponsoring the training to sign the documentation of completion. The child care resource and referral (CCR&R) agency must sign and provide documentation of completion for self-study materials, and the internet site must provide documentation for home study programs.Entities that may provide pre-service and in-service training include, but are not limited to:

• Colleges and Universities
• Child care resource and referral agencies
• Illinois Department of Public Health or local health departments
• Office of the State Fire Marshal or local fire department
• Illinois Department of Children and Family Services
• Illinois Department of Human Services
• State or national child care or child advocacy organizations
• National, state or local family day care home associations
• Child and Adult Care Food Program sponsors
• Healthy Child Care Illinois nurses
• American Red Cross, American Heart Association and other providers of first aid and CPR training that have been approved by the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Sources:

• Part 408 Licensing Stands For Group Day Care Homes: Caregivers,
• Part 408 Licensing Stands For Group Day Care Homes: Pre-Service and In-Service Training,
• Part 406 Licensing Stands for Day Care Homes: Pre-Service and In-Service Training

This post is a part of our series on Illinois family child care licensing. For more on licensing in Illinois, see the following posts:Illinois Family Child Care Licensing: An OverviewTypes of LicensesThe Licensing ProcessEligibilityHome Requirements