Resources on Early Learning

FAQs

Starting a child care center offers opportunities to operate a business that can positively affect the lives of children and their families in your community. But before you start caring for young children, there are many things to consider. The following sections provide resources to help with planning your center. Factors to consider include regulations that govern child care licensing and standards in Illinois; strategies for working with parents; funding; location, equipment, and materials; and curriculum.

Contents

• What resources are available to help me get started?
• What are the legal standards and requirements for a child care center in our state?
• What are the requirements in licensing and professional standards for staff?
• What do I need to know to work well with parents?
• What funding resources are available? How are fees for child care set?
• What should I consider in planning the facility, equipment, and materials?
• Where can I find curriculum resources?
• Organizations

What resources are available to help me get started?

• The Illinois Network of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (INCCRRA) is an organization of regional Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R) agencies throughout the state of Illinois. INCCRA publishes Illinois Child Care: Developing Center-Based Programs, a publication with information on starting a child care center that you can download from their Web site or that you can request by mail. INCCRRA can also provide you with information about the rates currently charged by providers in your community and link you with training opportunities and other resources. Once your center is established, your local CCR&R will also let families know about your services.
  http://www.inccrra.org
  • Illinois Child Care: Developing Center-Based Programs is produced by INCCRRA in cooperation with other agencies and is funded by the Illinois Department of Human Services. It details 12 steps involved in starting a center, from evaluating your local child care market to recruiting initial clientele.
    http://www.inccrra.org/component/docman/doc_download/8-icc-center-based-guide
• The National Child Care Information Center (NCCIC) is another valuable information source. The NCCIC Web site links to state and national resources on planning a facility, obtaining distance education for staff, providing insurance, and much more.
  http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/topics/topic/index.cfm?topicId=54
• The Business of Early Care and Education in Illinois: Providers' Tools for Improving Quality, a publication from the McCormick Tribune Foundation, provides information for providers to help them enhance the quality of their programs. Topics covered include accreditation; curriculum, assessment, and working with families of children with special needs; family support and parental involvement; funding; Illinois policy and advocacy organizations; and professional development.
  http://www.isbe.state.il.us/earlychi/pdf/child_care_resource_guide.pdf
• The Illinois Early Learning (IEL) Project Web site is a source of evidence-based, reliable information on early care and education for parents, caregivers, and teachers of young children in Illinois. In addition to responses to "Frequently Asked Questions," such as this one, the Web site offers printable tip sheets for caregivers and parents, a customized question-answering service, a statewide calendar of events for parents and caregivers, an easy-to-use database of links to "the best of the Web" on topics related to early care and education, and periodic "Ask an Expert" events.
  http://www.illinoisearlylearning.org/index.htm
• The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is the nation's largest organization of early childhood professionals and others dedicated to improving the quality of early childhood programs for children. NAEYC offers many resources through its Web site and has an accreditation program to recognize high-quality center-based programs.
  http://www.naeyc.org
• The goal of the National Network for Child Care (NNCC) is to share knowledge about children and child care from the resources of the land-grant universities with parents, professionals, practitioners, and the general public. The NNCC Web site includes over 1,000 publications and resources related to child care. NNCC also publishes three newsletter series for child care professionals.
  http://www.nncc.org
  • Staffing the Program is a NNCC full-text article related to creating staff positions, training, and staff development.
    http://www.nncc.org/SACC/hours3.html

What are the legal standards and requirements for a child care center in our state?

• Child care centers in Illinois must be licensed by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). The DCFS Web site provides links to licensing and additional helpful information for child care providers in both English and Spanish.
  http://www.state.il.us/dcfs/daycare/index.shtml
• Contact information for local DCFS agencies is also available on the DCFS Web site. The local agency can help guide those planning a child care center through the process in addition to providing licensing information.
  http://www.state.il.us/DCFS/phoneDirectory.shtml
• The licensing standards for child care centers in Illinois are also available on the DCFS Web site. Included in the standards is information on licenses and permits, administration, staffing, program requirements, structure and safety, health and hygiene, and facilities and equipment.
  http://nrckids.org/STATES/IL/il_407.pdf
• The National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care (NRCHSCC) provides both Web and print versions of their publication Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards: Guidelines for Out-of-Home Child Care Programs: Second Edition. Their Web site also links to information on specific health and safety issues, as well as state licensing and regulations resources. NRCHSCC publications can be ordered online, by mail, or telephone.
  http://nrckids.org
  • Stepping Stones to Using Caring for Our Children, 2nd Edition includes the text of the NRCHSCC standards that have the greatest impact on disease, disability, and death (morbidity and mortality) in out-of-home child care. This publication can be downloaded at no cost or ordered in print form.
    http://nrckids.org/STEPPING/SteppingStones.pdf

What are the requirements in licensing and professional standards for staff?

• Illinois regulations establish minimum qualifications for center staff and other requirements to insure that children are properly supervised. There are more specific education requirements for child care center directors, early childhood teachers, and personnel in school-age programs. Group size and the ratio of child care staff to children present at any one time vary by the ages of the children.
  http://nrckids.org/STATES/IL/il_407.pdf
• The Gateways to Opportunity Web site explains the many career options available in early care and education in Illinois. The Gateways' Career Lattice provides information on the specific training and education needed to take advantage of the many early care and education career opportunities.
  http://www.ilgateways.com/uploadedFiles/Career_Lattice/
  forms/final%20final%20final%20career%20lattice.pdf
  • For those providers who need help in establishing professional goals, need financial support to pay for additional education, or need information to find training and coursework to qualify for a particular position, Professional Development Advisors are available throughout the state at no cost.
    http://www.ilgateways.com/professional_development_advisement.aspx
• The Council for Professional Recognition (CPR) operates the national Child Development Associate program. A Child Development Associate (CDA) is an individual who has successfully completed a CDA assessment and has been awarded the CDA Credential. In Illinois, a director of a child care center is required to have a CDA Credential plus additional education and experience. The National Directory of Early Childhood Teacher Preparation Institutions, available on the CPR Web site, contains a listing of colleges and universities in each state that provide early childhood education.
  http://www.cdacouncil.org/res_nd.htm

What do I need to know to work well with parents?

• The National Network for Child Care (NNCC) has a number of resources on their Web site related to communicating with parents.
  • Parents' rights and responsibilities regarding child care
    http://www.nncc.org/Choose.Quality.Care/rights_respons.html 
  • Suggestions on what to include in a contract, parent brochure, or handbook
    http://www.nncc.org/Families/fdc14_contracts.parents.html
    http://www.nncc.org/Business/p.contracts.policies.html
  • Links to additional articles on working with parents
    http://cyfernet.ces.ncsu.edu/nncc/index.php?mode=b&c=1053
• Connecting with Parents in the Early Years examines what we know about disseminating child-rearing and education-related information to parents and identifies what else we need to know about the information-sharing process in order to help parents get their young children ready for school.
  http://ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/pubs/connecting.html
• Communicating with Parents, an online digest adapted from Connecting with Parents in the Early Years, calls communication an intrinsic part of the relationships between parents of young children and the staff of programs that serve them.
  http://ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/eecearchive/digests/2003/mendoza03.html
• The Illinois Early Learning (IEL) Project offers easy-to-print tip sheets that providers of early care and education can share with parents.
  http://illinoisearlylearning.org/cgi-bin/iel/searchiel.asp?st=ts

What funding resources are available?
How are fees for child care set?

• The Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS) conducts a biennial Market Rate Survey of Licensed Child Care Programs in Illinois. This resource provides information on the market rates that providers are charging families for child care. The most recently published survey, December 2006, can be found on the DHS Web site at http://www.dhs.state.il.us/OneNetLibrary/27897/documents/
  HCD%20Reports/Child%20Care/MarketRateSurvey2006.pdf. DHS also published the 2007 Illinois Child Care Report available online at http://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=37932. For additional information, contact the Illinois Bureau of Child Care and Development at 217-785-2559.
• Occasionally, DHS or other state organizations will offer grants or loans for start-up or enhancement purposes to persons wanting to become a licensed child care provider. The following office may advise you of available grants or loans.
  http://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=31667
  • Illinois Facilities Fund
    (statewide, nonprofit organization that provides credit and technical assistance to community-based human service providers)
    100 N. LaSalle St.
    Chicago, IL 60602
    Telephone: 312-629-0060
    Internet: http://www.iff.org
• Your local CCR&R, which is part of the Illinois Network of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (INCCRRA), can provide funding for professional development and staff compensation through the Great Start and TEACH wage supplement programs. Quality Counts funds are also available through your CCR&R for new (and ongoing) programs to help pay for equipment, curriculum materials, and other facility needs. Reimbursement is available for programs that care for low-income children in Illinois whose parents are approved for subsidy. Other grants for professional development are also available. CCR&Rs can also provide data on rates charged for care in your area. You can find your local CCR&R by going to this page on the INCCRRA Web site: http://www.inccrra.org/find-your-local-ccrr-other or by calling INCCRRA at 800-649-1884.
  http://www.inccrra.org
• The National AfterSchool Association (NAA) is a membership association of school-age child care professionals with 35 state affiliates. NAA can help you find an affiliate group in your area that may be able to offer additional information about local funding resources and support for your project.
  http://naaweb.site-ym.com
• The National Network for Child Care also offers child care funding links.
  http://cyfernet.ces.ncsu.edu/nncc/index.php?mode=b&c=1034

What should I consider in planning the facility, equipment, and materials?

• The National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities Web site contains a list of links, books, and journal articles providing resources on design guidelines, quality indicators, and safety requirements for early childhood facilities.
  http://www.edfacilities.org/rl/earlychildcenters.cfm
• A University of Missouri article "Protecting Children from Unintentional Injuries" addresses potential hazards in children's surroundings. This article may be helpful in considering the types of equipment and materials to offer in your child care center.
  http://extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=GH6026
• The National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education (NRC) points out that playgrounds, as well as classrooms, must meet safety standards.
  http://nrckids.org/CFOC/HTMLVersion/Chapter_5.html#1026983

Where can I find curriculum resources?

The Early Childhood Block Grant Request for Proposals (RFP) on the Illinois State Board of Education Web site provides examples of evidence-based curricula, including the following:

• Creative Curriculum. Diane Trister Dodge's Creative Curriculum Web site provides detailed information about the curriculum's use in early childhood education settings (birth through grade 3). The Creative Curriculum strives to provide a comprehensive yet easy-to-use framework for planning and implementing a developmentally appropriate curriculum for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and children in the primary grades.
  http://www.teachingstrategies.com
• High/Scope Educational Approach. The research-based High/Scope educational approach is a comprehensive system of child instruction, staff development, and accountability assessment. This approach can be aligned with state and local standards for implementing program content and assessing program quality and child outcomes.
  http://www.highscope.org/Content.asp?ContentId=63
• Bank Street Approach. Many of the underlying principles that inform the Bank Street approach have their origins in the progressive movement of the early 20th century and specifically in the work of John Dewey and in the formulations of Barbara Biber and Edna Shapiro of Bank Street's "developmental interaction" approach to learning.
  http://www.bankstreet.edu/sfc/educ_philosophy.html
• Project Approach. The Project Approach is a teaching strategy that enables teachers to guide children through in-depth studies of real-world topics. Project work may be incorporated into a curriculum but is not intended to constitute the entire curriculum. Teachers can use the Project Approach to meet most of the Illinois Early Learning Benchmarks. Resources on the Project Approach are now available on the Illinois Projects in Practice (IllinoisPIP) Web site, which is designed and maintained by the Illinois Early Learning Project.
  http://illinoispip.org

Organizations

• Council for Professional Recognition
  2460 16th St. NW
  Washington DC 20009-3575
  Telephone: 800-424-4310; 202-265-9090
  Fax: 202-265-9161
  Email: webmaster@cdacouncil.org
  Internet: http://www.cdacouncil.org
• Illinois Early Learning Project
  c/o Clearinghouse on Early Education and Parenting
  University of Illinois
  Children's Research Center
  51 Gerty Dr.
  Champaign, IL 61820-7469
  Telephone: 877-275-3227
  Email: iel@illinois.edu 
  Internet: http://illinoisearlylearning.org/index.htm
• Illinois Network of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies
  207 W. Jefferson St., Suite 503
  Bloomington, IL 61701
  Telephone: 309-829-5327 or 800-649-1884 (toll-free)
  Fax: 309-828-1808
  Email: inccrra@inccrra.org
  Internet: http://www.inccrra.org
• National Association for the Education of Young Children
  1509 16th St. NW
  Washington, DC 20036-1426
  Telephone: 800-424-2460 ext. 614, or 202-328-2614
  Internet: http://www.naeyc.org
• National Child Care Information Center
  10530 Rosehaven St., Suite 400
  Fairfax, VA 22030
  Telephone: 800-616-2242
  Fax: 800-716-2242
  TTY: 800-516-2242
  Email: info@nccic.org
  Internet:http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm
• National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities
  National Institute of Building Sciences
  1090 Vermont Ave. NW, Suite 700
  Washington, DC 20005-4905
  Telephone: 202-289-7800 or 888-552-0624 (toll-free)
  Fax: 202-289-1092
  Email: ncef@nibs.org
  Internet: http://www.edfacilities.org/rl/earlychildcenters.cfm
• National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care
  UCDenver Campus Mail Stop F541
  13120 E. 19th Ave.
  Aurora, CO 80045-0508
  Telephone: 800-598-5437
  Internet:http://nrckids.org
• National AfterSchool Association(NAA)
  P.O. Box 34447
  Washington, DC 20043
  Telephone: 888-801-3622
  Fax: 888-568-6590
  Email: jnee@naaweb.oeg
  Internet: http://naaweb.site-ym.com
• Redleaf Press
  A Division of Resources for Child Caring
  450 N. Syndicate, Suite 5
  St. Paul, MN 55104-4125
  Telephone: 800-423-8309
  Fax: 800-641-0115
  Internet: http://www.redleafpress.org
• Zero to Three/National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
  734 15th St. NW, 10th Floor
  Washington, DC 20005
  Telephone: 202-638-1144
  Internet: http://www.zerotothree.org

Last updated: 2008

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