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Section 407.130 Qualifications for Child Care Director

a) Day care centers licensed for more than 50 children shall employ a full-time child care director to be on site in a non-teaching capacity. The director may be on site in a teaching capacity at the following times:

  1. During the first hour and last hour of a program that operates ten or more hours per day; or

  2. When attendance falls below 50 children.

b) Day care centers licensed for 50 or fewer children, or half-day programs with children attending no more than three consecutive hours per day regardless of capacity, may employ a child care director who also serves as a member of the child care staff.

  1. When the director serves in both capacities, he or she must meet the qualifications of both the director position and the teaching position.

  2. When the director attends to non-teaching responsibilities, his or her group must be supervised by a person qualified to be in charge of the group.

c) The child care director shall be at least 21 years of age.

d) The child care director shall have a high school diploma or equivalency certificate (GED).

e) In addition to meeting the requirements of Section 407.100, the child care director of a facility serving the same number of groups of pre-school and school-age children or more groups of pre-school children than groups of school-age children shall have achieved:

  1. Sixty semester hours (or 90 quarter hours) of credit from an accredited college or university with 18 semester or 27 quarter hours in courses related directly to child care and/or child development from birth to age six; or

  2. Two years (3120 clock hours) of child development experience in a nursery school, kindergarten, or licensed day care center, 30 semester hours (or 45 quarter hours) of college credits with ten semester or 15 quarter hours in courses related directly to child care and/or child development, and proof of enrollment in an accredited college or university until two years of college credit have been achieved. A total of 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) in courses related directly to child care and/or child development is required to be obtained within the total two years of college credits; or

  3. Completion of a credentialing program approved in accordance with Appendix G of this Part, completion of 12 semester (or 18 quarter hours) in courses related to child care and/or child development from birth to age six at an accredited college or university, and two years (3120 clock hours) child development experience in a nursery school, kindergarten or licensed day care center.

f) In addition to meeting the requirements of Section 407.100, the child care director of a facility serving more groups of school-age children than groups of pre-school children shall have achieved:

  1. Sixty semester hours (or 90 quarter hours) of credit from an accredited college or university with 18 semester or (27 quarter hours) in courses related to child care and/or child development, elementary education, physical education, recreation, camping or other related fields, including courses related to school-age children; or

  2. Two years (3120 clock hours) of child development experience in a recreational program, kindergarten, or licensed day care center serving school-age children or license exempt school-age child care program operated by a public or private school, 30 semester hours (or 45 quarter hours) of college credits with ten semester (or 15 quarter hours) in courses related directly to child care and/or child development, elementary education, physical education, recreation, camping or other related fields, and proof of enrollment in an accredited college or university until two years of college credit have been achieved. A total of 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) in courses related directly to child care and/or child development, elementary education, physical education, recreation, camping, or other related fields, including courses related to school-age children, is required to be obtained within the total two years of college credits.

g) Completion of a training program accredited by the American Montessori Society or Association Montessori International may be substituted for the courses directly related to child care and/or child development required by this Section. Persons holding a Montessori pre-primary credential may serve as director to children through age six. Persons holding a Montessori primary or elementary credential may serve as director to children six years of age or older.

h) Persons who were deemed qualified to serve as a child care director prior to January 1, 1985, continue to be deemed qualified for their position.

i) When a program serves only school-age children and meets the criteria of Section 407.90(c), qualifications for the school-age director responsible for multiple sites and the site coordinators shall be as follows:

  1. The school-age director and each site coordinator shall be at least 21 years of age.

  2. The school-age director shall meet both of the following requirements for education and experience:

    a) Sixty semester hours (or 90 quarter hours) of credit from an accredited college or university, with 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) in courses related to school-age child care, child development, elementary education, physical education, recreation, camping or other related fields; and

    b) At least 1560 clock hours of child development experience in a recreational program or a licensed day care center serving school-age children.

  3. The school-age site coordinators must meet one of the following qualifications:

    a) Thirty semester hours (or 45 quarter hours) of credit from an accredited college or university with 12 semester hours (or 18 quarter hours) related to school-age child care, child development, elementary education, physical education, recreation, camping or other related fields and 750 clock hours of experience in a recreational program or a licensed day care center serving school-age children or in a license exempt school-age child care program operated by a public or private school; or

    b) 1560 clock hours of experience in a recreational program or licensed day care center serving school-age children or license exempt school-age child care program operated by a public or private school and either six semester hours or nine quarter hours of credit from an accredited college or university related to school-age child care, child development, elementary education, physical education, recreation, camping or other related fields.

j) A staff member who meets the qualifications for a day care center director shall be designated to assume decision-making responsibility whenever the child care director is off site. A record of employees who meet the qualifications for director and who have been designated to assume decision-making responsibility in the director's absence shall be kept at the site. The person designated as alternate director may be in the classroom and counted in the staff/child ratio under the following circumstances:

  1. When the center meets the criteria of Section 407.130(b) above; or

  2. During the first hour and last hour of a program that operates ten or more hours per day; or

  3. When attendance falls below 50 children.

(Source: Added at 22 Ill. Reg., effective January 1, 1998)


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