ExceleRate Illinois has training requirements for several Standards for the on-site administrator and/or teaching staff.  

Please use the pdf Training Requirements for Family Child Care Homes (479 KB)  as a guide to ensure completion of the trainings for the Circle of Quality your program is pursuing. 

For a training to be ExceleRate approved it must also be Gateways Registry approved and appear on Section 3, 4, or 5 of the individual’s Professional Development Record (PDR). 

The majority of the ExceleRate required trainings are available online through the Gateways i-learning system

ExceleRate Standards that include training not available through Gateways i-learning are included below:

Learning Environment (Standard 1A)

Introduction to the Environment Rating Scales (ERS)- accepted from 2007- June 2025. This training is no longer offered.

The anticipated roll-out of Illinois' new ERS training, 'How ERS Works,' is August/September 2025. Please read about the roll-out of “How ERS Works” training pdf here (518 KB)  - pdf Spanish (510 KB) .

Other ExceleRate-approved entities that offer ERS training:

Child Care Education Institute (CCEI)


Business Administration (Standard 3A)

Getting Ready for the Business Administration Scale (BAS)- 2nd Edition