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 (405 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. Other trainings can be located on the Gateways Training Calendar.

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.

How ERS Works will soon be available as an online training. Online training is scheduled to be available through ILearning in mid-February 2026, with Spanish How ERS Works available in March 2026.

*If you have previously taken Introduction to ERS for ExceleRate eligibility, you do not need to complete How ERS Works.

Illinois will soon have online modules available for the select ERS below:

  • Making ITERS-3 Work For You: Supporting Young Children’s Playful Learning – anticipated in early January 2026, with Spanish training available in February 2026.
  • Making ECERS-3 Work For You: Supporting Children’s Engagement in Learning – anticipated in mid-February 2026, with Spanish training available, mid-March.

Other ExceleRate-approved entities that offer ERS training:

Child Care Education Institute (CCEI)
Search “ITERS-3” or “ECERS-3”

Training developed by the Scale authors offered through Kaplan Early Learning Company.

From the dropdown, choose ITERS-3, ECERS-3, SACERS-U or FCCERS-R. Some versions are also available in Spanish.

These are online, self-paced training modules. After payment is made, login information will come from This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. within 1-2 days.

Business Administration (Standard 3A)

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