If your program is accredited by one of the accrediting bodies recognized in ExceleRate Illinois, you can use your accreditation status to show evidence for many of the ExceleRate Illinois Standards. Please review the crosswalk summary for details and the additional requirements for alignment with ExceleRate Illinois.

The links below outline the details regarding the alignment of ExceleRate Illinois standards with national accreditations.

To apply via an accreditation path, accreditation must cover all of the ages served within the program. 

Note: NAEYC introduced a tiered accreditation system in March 2025. The updated accreditation system includes three tiers:

Recognition
Accreditation
Accreditation + 

Accreditation + is recognized for ExceleRate Illinois participation.

Once you have reviewed the crosswalk, use the additional pdf ExceleRate Quality Standards Overview Chart (404 KB)  to find what pieces will need to be met beyond your accreditation.