Use our courses toward a CDA Credential and for NAC and CDA renewal.
Click for more information: National Child Care Credentials
Click to learn how a CDA Credential can benefit you in Illinois.
All Care Courses are accepted by the Illinois Department of Children & Family Services for in-service training clock hours for those who work in day care centers, day care homes and group day care homes. This includes in-service training hours for directors, school-age site coordinators, early childhood teachers, school-age workers, early childhood assistants, school-age assistants, student and youth aides, substitutes, caregivers and child care assistants.
All Care Courses are accepted by the Illinois Gateways Registry for in-service training. For Illinois Registry training credit, please add your Gateways Registry ID number to your Care Courses account. Thank you!
All Care Courses are accepted for renewing IL Gateways to Opportunity credentials. The topics of the course used for credential renewal must be related to the specific credential. For example, to renew your ECE Credential, choose courses related to young children birth through age eight. Check out all of the credential renewal steps on Gateways' website.
Click below for courses approved for apply for the Illinois ECE Gateways credential and increase your ECE credential level.
Learn how to obtain your ECE credential and increase your credential level on IL Gateways' credential website.
*To complete your Mandated Reporter training, you must take "Recognizing And Reporting Child Abuse: Training For Mandated Reporters" through DCFS (here). (Our course Child Abuse and Neglect: A Caregiver's Guide to Adverse Childhood Experiences is not approved for the Mandated Reporter training.)
For those of you interested in starting a center or home-based child care facility in Illinois, please contact your state licensing using the contact information below. The licensing agency can give you advice on the requirements, rules and regulations of your state.
Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS)
Phone: (800) 232-3798 or (217) 524-2029
Office of Child and Family Policy email: cfpolicy@illinois.gov