103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
HB2495

 

Introduced 2/15/2023, by Rep. Hoan Huynh

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
225 ILCS 10/7.11 new
225 ILCS 10/7.12 new
225 ILCS 10/7.13 new

    Amends the Child Care Act of 1969. Provides qualifications for child care directors, early childhood teachers, and school-age workers at day care centers. Provides criteria that the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation shall use to review and approve early childhood teacher credentialing programs.


LRB103 24847 AMQ 51180 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB2495LRB103 24847 AMQ 51180 b

1    AN ACT concerning regulation.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Child Care Act of 1969 is amended by adding
5Sections 7.11, 7.12, 7.13, and 7.14 as follows:
 
6    (225 ILCS 10/7.11 new)
7    Sec. 7.11. Standards for licensing of child care director
8at day care center.
9    (a) The child care director of a facility serving the same
10number of groups of preschool and school-age children or more
11groups of preschool children than groups of school-age
12children shall have achieved:
13        (1) (A) 60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours of
14    credit from an accredited college or university with 18
15    semester hours or 27 quarter hours in courses related
16    directly to child care or child development from birth to
17    age 12; (B) a bachelor's degree with a major focusing on a
18    human or social science or world history; or (C) a
19    secondary school education degree and subdiscipline with a
20    focus on human or social science, including, but not
21    limited to, social studies, family studies, human ecology,
22    world history, sociology of education, or Bachelor of Arts
23    degree-socio-psycho- or ethno-linguistics/reading.

 

 

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1        (2) (A) 2 years, or 3,120 clock hours, of child
2    development experience in a nursery school, kindergarten,
3    elementary school, or licensed day care center; (B) 30
4    semester hours, or 45 quarter hours, of college credits
5    with 10 semester hours, or 15 quarter hours, in courses
6    related directly to child care or child development; and
7    (C) proof of enrollment in an accredited college or
8    university until 2 years of college credit has been
9    achieved. A total of 18 semester hours, or 27 quarter
10    hours, in courses related directly to child care or child
11    development are required to be obtained within the total 2
12    years of college credits; or
13        (3) (A) completion of a credentialing program approved
14    in accordance with Section 7.13; (B) completion of 12
15    semester hours, or 18 quarter hours, in courses related to
16    child care or child development from birth to age 12 at an
17    accredited college or university; and (C) 2 years, or
18    3,120 clock hours, in child development experience in a
19    nursery school, kindergarten, or licensed day care center.
20    (b) The child care director of a facility serving more
21groups of school-age children than groups of preschool
22children shall have achieved:
23        (1) 60 semester hours, or 90 quarter hours, of credit
24    from an accredited college or university with 18 semester
25    hours or 27 quarter hours in courses related to child care
26    or child development, elementary school education,

 

 

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1    physical education, recreation, camping, or other related
2    fields, including courses related to school-age children;
3    or
4        (2) (A) 2 years, or 3,120 clock hours, of child
5    development experience in a recreational program,
6    kindergarten, elementary school, licensed day care center
7    serving school-age children, or license-exempt school-age
8    child care program operated by a public or private school;
9    (B) 30 semester hours, or 45 quarter hours, of college
10    credits with 10 semester hours, or 15 quarter hours, in
11    courses related directly to child care or child
12    development, elementary education, physical education,
13    recreation, camping, or other related fields; and (C)
14    proof of enrollment in an accredited college or university
15    until 2 years of college credit have been achieved. A
16    total of 18 semester hours, or 27 quarter hours, in
17    courses related directly to child care or child
18    development, elementary education, physical education,
19    recreation, camping, or other related fields, including
20    courses related to school-age children, is required to be
21    obtained within the total 2 years of college credits; or
22        (3) (A) a bachelor's degree in a major discipline with
23    a focus on a deeper and broader understanding of people
24    such as a human or social science or world history; or (B)
25    a bachelor's degree in secondary education and a
26    subdiscipline with a focus on a deeper and broader

 

 

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1    understanding of people such as a human or social science,
2    social studies, family studies, human ecology, world
3    history, sociology of education, or Bachelor of Arts
4    degree-socio-psycho- or ethno-linguistics/reading, or
5    related people sciences.
6    (c) When a program or site serves only school-age
7children, qualifications for the school-age director
8responsible for multiple sites and the site coordinators shall
9meet both of the following requirements for education and
10experience:
11        (1) 60 semester hours, or 90 quarter hours, of credit
12    from an accredited college or university, with 18 semester
13    hours, or 27 quarter hours, in courses related to
14    school-age childcare, child development, elementary
15    education child care or child development, adolescent or
16    elementary education, physical education, recreation,
17    camping, or other related fields; or any social or human
18    science bachelor's degree; and
19        (2) (A) at least 1,560 clock hours of child
20    development experience in a recreational program, a
21    licensed day care center, or a licensed school serving
22    school-age children; or (B) 160 hours of child development
23    experience in a recreational program, a licensed day care
24    center, or a licensed school serving school-age children,
25    plus 12 semester hours, or 18 quarter hours, acquired in
26    any department of any accredited college in

 

 

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1    administration, public administration, social work
2    administration, business administration, organizational
3    science, accounting, or other courses relevant to
4    administering a program and its regulations.
5    (d) Completion of a training program accredited by the
6American Montessori Society or Association Montessori
7Internationale may be substituted for the courses directly
8related to child care or child development required by this
9Section. A person holding a Montessori preprimary credential
10may serve as director to children through age 6. A person
11holding a Montessori primary or elementary credential may
12serve as director to children 6 years of age or older.
 
13    (225 ILCS 10/7.12 new)
14    Sec. 7.12. Standards for licensing of early childhood
15teachers and school-age workers at day care centers.
16    (a) Early childhood teachers and school-age workers shall
17be at least 19 years of age.
18    (b) Early childhood teachers and school-age workers shall
19have a high school diploma or equivalency certificate.
20    (c) An early childhood teacher responsible for a group of
21children that includes infants, toddler, or preschool age
22children shall have achieved:
23        (1) 60 semester hours, or 90 quarter hours, of credits
24    from an accredited college or university with 6 semester
25    hours, or 9 quarter hours, in courses related directly to

 

 

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1    child care and child development from birth to age 6;
2        (2) one year, or 1,560 clock hours, of child
3    development experience in a nursery school, kindergarten,
4    or licensed day care center and 30 semester hours, or 45
5    quarter hours, of credits from an accredited college or
6    university with 6 semester hours, or 9 quarter hours, in
7    courses related directly to child care and child
8    development from birth to age 6; or
9        (3) completion of credentialing programs approved by
10    the Department in accordance with Section 7.13.
11    (d) A school-age worker shall be at least 19 years of age
12and at least 5 years older than the oldest child with whom the
13school-age worker works.
14    (e) A newly employed school-age worker responsible for
15only one group of school-age children shall have achieved:
16        (1) (A) 30 semester hours, or 45 quarter hours, of
17    credit from an accredited college or university with 6
18    semester hours, or 9 quarter hours, related to: school-age
19    child care, education, or child development, each defined
20    as inclusive of early childhood through adolescence, any
21    social or human science courses from any university
22    department, subject matter, or teaching methods courses,
23    physical education, recreation, camping, or other related
24    fields; (B) a bachelor's degree with a major focusing on a
25    human or social science or world history; or (C) a
26    secondary school education degree and subdiscipline with a

 

 

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1    focus on human or social science, including, but not
2    limited to, social studies, family studies, human ecology,
3    world history, sociology of education, or Bachelor of Arts
4    degree-socio-psycho- or ethno-linguistics/reading;
5        (2) 1,560 clock hours of experience in a recreational
6    program, licensed day care center serving school-age
7    children, or a license-exempt school-age child care
8    program operated by a public or private school and 6
9    semester hours, or 9 quarter hours, of credit from an
10    accredited college or university related to school-age
11    child care, child development, adolescent or elementary
12    education, physical education, recreation, camping, or
13    other related fields; or
14        (3) a high school diploma or equivalency certificate,
15    plus 3,120 clock hours of experience in a recreational
16    program, kindergarten, or licensed day care center serving
17    school-age children or a license-exempt school-age child
18    care program operated by a public or private school.
19    (f) Completion of a training program accredited by the
20American Montessori Society or Association Montessori
21Internationale may be substituted for the courses directly
22related to child care or child development required by this
23Section. A person holding a Montessori preprimary credential
24may supervise children through age 6. A person holding a
25Montessori primary or elementary credential may supervise
26children 6 years of age or older.

 

 

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1    (g) A person who was deemed qualified as a child care
2worker or school-age worker prior to January 1, 1985 continues
3to be deemed qualified as an early childhood teacher or
4school-age worker.
5    (h) Early childhood teachers and school-age workers are
6responsible for the planning and supervision of a group of
7children. Early childhood workers and school-age workers are
8also responsible for supervising persons assigned to assist
9their group who are not similarly qualified.
 
10    (225 ILCS 10/7.13 new)
11    Sec. 7.13. Early childhood teacher credentialing program.
12    (a) The Department shall use the following criteria to
13review and approve early childhood teacher credentialing
14programs:
15        (1) candidates must be at least 18 years of age;
16        (2) candidates must have at least a high school
17    diploma or equivalency certificate; and
18        (3) the credentialing program must require a minimum
19    of 640 clock hours of documented experience within the
20    past 5 years or 1200 clock hours working with children
21    ages zero to 12 in a public or private school operated
22    nursery school, kindergarten, licensed day care center, or
23    in a public or a private elementary school for a minimum of
24    one school year.
25    (b) The credentialing process must include:

 

 

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1        (1) the child care director's recommendation in
2    support of the candidate;
3        (2) a review of the applicant's interaction with
4    children under direct supervision by an impartial person;
5        (3) a minimum of 120 clock hours of broad-based
6    training that has been completed successfully and has been
7    documented. One semester hour of college credits in early
8    childhood education is equivalent to 15 clock hours of
9    formal in-service training. This training may be completed
10    through:
11            (A) early childhood education courses at an
12        accredited college or university; or
13            (B) documented seminars and workshops pertaining
14        to the growth and education of children zero to 12
15        years of age at educational conferences of recognized
16        national or State associations, agencies, or
17        educational institutions; and
18        (4) a professional resource file or portfolio that
19    demonstrates the understanding of core professional
20    content areas, including, but not limited to, the
21    following:
22            (A) principles of child growth and development;
23            (B) planning a safe, healthy learning environment;
24            (C) advancing children's physical and intellectual
25        development;
26            (D) supporting children's social and emotional

 

 

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1        development;
2            (E) establishing productive relationships among
3        family, school, and community;
4            (F) managing an effective program operation;
5            (G) maintaining a commitment to professionalism;
6            (H) observing and recording children's behavior;
7        and
8            (I) understanding the development of children's
9        language.