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