Health, Safety & Child Development Training
Revised April 2018
Required staff:
Q. Please clarify who is required to take the Health, Safety & Child Development Training?
A. The federal regulations spell out who has to be trained as well as the specific training topics that must be completed.
In Illinois, ALL current licensed and license-exempt centers, licensed child care homes and group homes and MOST types of license-exempt child care homes receiving CCAP payment are required to take the training. License-exempt relative providers caring for school-age only children are exempt from the requirements.
- Providers who are, by marriage, blood relationship, or court decree, the grandparent, great grandparent, siblings (if such provider lives in separate residence), uncle, or aunt of the child in care are considered "relatives".
In licensed and license-exempt family child care homes and licensed group homes, only the "Primary Caregiver" is required to complete the training.
- The "Primary Caregiver" is the person who signs the CCAP application asking to be an approved provider.
For Child Care Centers:
- Director(s) - individual(s) who has primary responsibility for the daily operations management of the center
- Teachers - includes lead teachers, teachers, teacher assistants or teachers aids who are employed by a child care provider for compensation on a regular basis
- Support Staff - if an individual has responsibilities in a classroom, working directly with children, on a regular on basis
- Student Workers, part time employees, substitutes and migrant/seasonal/summer camp providers
Q. We have a cook that does NOT cover time in the classroom but she has a Gateways Registry number and ID on our Gateway staff list. What should we do with her? I am assuming she will not need the trainings; however, do we need to remove her from our Gateway staff list?
A. Support staff, such as a cook, that does not have responsibilities as a director, teacher or primary caregiver in a family or group home, is not required to take the Health, Safety & Child Development Training. We encourage support staff to become/maintain a membership to the Gateways Registry. In the Gateways Registry, please be sure support staff indicates the "indirect care" option under "Current Employment".
Q. I don't have a license; do I have to do this?
A. In Illinois, most current licensed and license exempt programs participating in the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) are required to take the training. License-exempt relative providers caring for school-age only children are exempt from the requirements. Providers who are, by marriage, blood relationship, or court decree, the grandparent, great grandparent, siblings (if such provider lives in separate residence), uncle, or aunt of the child in care are considered "relatives".
Q. Please clarify what types of child care centers are required to take the training?
A. In Illinois, ALL current licensed and license exempt child care centers participating in the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) - meaning receiving CCAP payment - are required to take the training. That includes:
- Licensed Day Care Centers (760)
- License-exempt Day Care Centers (761)
- Montessori
- Pre-Schools
- Before and After School programs
- Summer Programs
Also, all primary Caregivers in licensed and license-exempt family and group homes (762-767) are required to take the trainings.
Q. Please define "regular basis" and "on going".
A. "Regular basis" refers to anyone who has substantial contact with children, typically within a classroom setting, and is compensated by the agency/operator. These individuals usually organize, guide and implement activities in a group or individual basis, or assist a teacher or lead teacher in such activities.
- This does not include volunteers.
- Support staff, such as a cook, that do not have responsibilities as a director or teacher, is not required to take the Health, Safety & Child Development Training.
- We encourage support staff to become/maintain a membership to the Gateways Registry. In the Gateways Registry, please be sure support staff indicates the "indirect care" option under "Current Employment".
Q. Do our day camp staff who work 9 weeks in the summer need to complete the training hours required if they are only hired for day camp for a short time in order to receive the funding?
A. To be able to work with children unsupervised, new hires must complete the CPR/First Aid and Child Abuse and Neglect Mandated Reporter trainings. They will have 90 days from the date of hire to complete the rest of the training.
Q. You say "new" Directors - so what defines "new"?
A. The use of the term "new" was used to denote Child Care programs that currently are not receiving payment from the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP).
If a person is new to a director or teacher position and has a professional development record in Gateways that shows they had completed the required trainings earlier, they do not need to take the trainings again (other than re-certification of CPR/First Aid if required).
New providers/staff must complete all required training within the first 90 days that they are in the position, and must complete at least the CPR/Frist Aid and the Child Abuse and Neglect/Mandated Reporter Trainings before caring for CCAP children without being supervised by a provider who has meet all training requirements.
Annual Training Requirements:
Q. In regards to the annual training requirement, do they have to be a Gateways Approved training to count?
A. Yes.
Q. Was there a number of hours of ongoing training requirement for the LE providers to complete yearly after they complete the current training requirements?
A. More information regarding annual on-going training for License Exempt providers will be released soon.
Q. Regarding the annual training hours, does this mean that all providers will now be on the same cycle for completing their hours (Oct 1 - Sept 30)?
A. To meet the annual training hours, all providers will have 12 months from the date they complete all the required child development, health and safety training.
- All child care providers that have been approved for the CCAP prior to August 1, 2018 will have until September 30, 2018 to complete the required health, safety and child development trainings.
- Providers that were on the CCAP prior to August 1, 2018 will have 12 months, starting in October 2018, to complete the annual training requirements.
- Providers who are approved after October 1, 2018 will have 12 months, starting from the date they complete their initial training, to complete the annual training hours.
- Providers/staff that start participating in the CCAP after August 1, 2018 must complete all required training within the first 90 days that they are in the position, and must complete at least the CPR/Frist Aid and the Child Abuse and Neglect/Mandated Reporter Trainings before caring for CCAP children without being supervised by a provider who has meet all training requirements.
- They then have 12 months from the date they finished all of the required trainings to complete their annual training hours.
- See the notice from April 2018 for the various training options to meet these requirements.
- Licensed providers must continue to adhere to the training requirements as set-forth in their licensing standards.
Credentials:
Q. My staff is all school age program teachers, do they have to take ECE Level 1 or can they do School Age and Youth Development (SAYD) Level 1?
A. Providers who only care for school aged children (5-13, see definition below), can choose to complete the previously communicated 2017-2018 IDHS CCAP training requirements so that they achieve an ECE Level 1 Credential by completing all 3 tiers and may qualify for a rate add-on if they are not already receiving an add-on through the Child Care Assistance Program, OR
- Providers can complete the following training and modules of the Illinois SAYD Level 1: 4a: Health and Nutrition and 4b: Safety, CPR/First Aid certification, Child Abuse and Neglect/Mandated Reporter and for Directors only What is CCAP?. This option WILL NOT result in the attainment of a Credential nor qualify for a rate add-on. More information on this option is available on the www.ilgateways.com site.
- For the purposes of the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), a school age child is a child ages 5-13 (or through the age of 18 if approved for CCAP due to a special need or court order) who in enrolled in school. A five year old child is considered school age only when enrolled in a school based kindergarten. This enrollment does not include a before/after school program.
Q. Does a person need to apply for the ECE Level 1 Credential or is it automatically generated when a person completes all modules?
A. It is automatically awarded when they complete all the modules.
Q. Where can I find information regarding qualifying credentials?
A. https://www.ilgateways.com/
Q. Will the ECE Level 1 credential be considered a qualifying credential, even if it is over 5 years old?
A. Yes. ECE Level 1 Credential, once achieved, does not expire. Modules taken towards the ECE Level 1, but not leading to obtaining the credential, will be counted towards the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) requirement if the modules have been completed within the last 5 years. If it has been longer than 5 years, the modules have to be taken again. Some providers may need to re-take the module on transportation. INCCRRA will notify those affected.
Q. What about center staff or primary caregivers that are already credentialed? Are they exempt or do they still need the training?
A. ECE Level 1 Credential, once achieved, does not expire for any type of provider, including licensed and license-exempt family and group home providers. Modules taken
towards the ECE Level 1, but not leading to obtaining the credential, will be counted towards the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) requirement if the modules have been completed in the last 5 years. If it has been longer than 5 years, the modules have to be taken again. Some providers may need to re-take the module on transportation. INCCRRA will notify those affected.
Q. What do I need to get my CDA? I am currently working at daycare as a teacher.
A. CDAs are obtained through higher education institutions; Gateways Registry has programs that may help you with this goal. For more information, please go to http://www.ilgateways.com/index.php/financial-opportunities/scholarship
Q. I have an Associate's Degree in Child Development, would l still need this training.
A. Any one of the following Child Development Associates (CDA) meets the Child Development, Health, and Safety Basics Training requirement and must be self-reported into the Registry.
- Preschool CDA
- Infant Toddler CDA
- Family Child Care CDA
If you have a Preschool CDA then complete the following:
- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (available only online through i-learning)
- A Preventable Tragedy: Shaken Baby Syndrome (available only online through i-learning)
- Child Abuse and Neglect/Mandated Reporter Training
- CPR/First Aid Certification
- "What Is CCAP?" (for directors and primary caregivers)
If you have an Infant Toddler CDA or Family Child Care CDA then complete the following:
- A Preventable Tragedy: Shaken Baby Syndrome (available only online through i-learning
- Child Abuse and Neglect/Mandated Reporter Training
- CPR/First Aid Certification
- "What Is CCAP?" (for directors and primary caregivers)
General Training:
Q. If staff/primary caregivers have already taken mandated reporter training do they need to take it again?
A. No. Child Abuse and Neglect/Mandated Reporter Training does not expire.
If staff/primary caregivers took this training face to face prior to the announcement, the training requirement has been satisfied. Effective February 2017, all Child Abuse/Mandated Reporter Training must be satisfied with the online version.
Q. Can you clarify for individuals who completed ECE Level 1, do they need to retake the transportation section. If so, who will be responsible for notifying individuals if they need to retake the transportation section?
A. INCCRRA will notify individuals who need to retake transportation. Whether or not individuals must retake transportation will depend on when they completed the training.
Q. How will this training requirement affect Spanish speaking providers? In other words will all the training be available in Spanish?
A. Yes. Please contact your local Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) agency for availability of face to face trainings offered in Spanish. On-line trainings are either currently available in Spanish or are being translated and will be available in the spring of 2018.
Q. Is the "What is CCAP?" training going to be available online in Spanish?
A. Yes, it is currently available in Spanish.
Q. Do trainings specified here cover all the training requirements that childcare providers need to complete to remain qualified as a Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) provider?
A. To remain a CCAP provider, all child care programs receiving CCAP payment must complete the following by September 30, 2018
- CPR/First Aid Certification and
- Child Abuse and Neglect Mandated Reporter Training and
- What is CCAP? (for directors and primary caregivers)
- Child Development, Health and Safety - One of the 5 Training Routes listed in the March 2018 notice
- New providers/staff must complete all required training within the first 90 days that they are in the position, and must complete at least the CPR/Frist Aid and the Child Abuse and Neglect/Mandated Reporter Trainings before caring for CCAP children without being supervised by a provider who has meet all training requirements.
Q. Will these training requirements be on top of IDCFS Licensed provider requirements for annual training hours?
A. These requirements are for the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP). IDHS partners with IDCFS on specific child care issues. Throughout this process, IDHS has been and will continue to be in communication with IDCFS to ensure training information is shared. Licensed providers should contact IDCFS for questions about their annual training requirements.
Q. Will "non-traditional" certified American Heart Association (AHA) CPR be accepted? The class includes an online portion and face to face skills portion. First Aid would be face to face only.
A. DHS will accept the same CPR/First Aid certification programs that IDCFS does. Both CPR and First Aid segments must be taken in person.
- American Heart Association (AHA)
- American Safety & Health Institute (ASHI)
- American Red Cross (ARC)
- American Trauma Event Management (AETM)
- Emergency Care and Safety Institute (ECSI)
- Edward Atkinson/Emergency Response Health Network
- Ellis & Associates, Inc.
- EMS Safety Services
- Medic First Aid
- National Safety Council
- R.H. Sanders and Associates
Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) Policy/Procedure:
Q. What will the process be for current providers as it relates to not being approved due to trainings not being completed?
A. Cases that are approved with a provider who has not completed the training requirements by 9/30/18 will be closed out of all cases. They will need to complete the required trainings before re-applying and being re-approved.
Q. Currently, Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) families can start at a provider before the provider's background check, etc. comes in. Is this now changed where the providers must have everything before the family can start and the provider can be paid?
A. Providers will not be approved for payments until all required background check results are passed.
Q. What if a couple of employees that are required to take the trainings don't get the training completed (it could come down to the very last day). Are the families cut off Oct 1st? Is there a grace period for them to find another provider? Do we make them pay full price, eat the cost of care, or stop providing care?
A. Required training must be completed and recorded in the Registry by 9/30/2018. Providers who have not completed all required training will no longer be qualified to participate in CCAP. Providers who have staff that have not met the requirements by the given dates will be closed off of all Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) cases until all requirements are met. The provider must decide if they will continue to care for the children without CCAP funding and how to charge them for the services provided.
Q. If a provider falls out of compliance with the annual training requirements, will they be eligible for all payments missed while they were out of compliance?
A. No. Providers who do not complete their training requirements will be canceled and will not be re-approved until the requirement is met. There will be no supplemental payments for periods that were not approved. Required training must be completed and recorded in the Registry by 9/30/2018. Providers who have not completed all required training will no longer be qualified to participate in CCAP.
Tracking Training Requirements:
Q. I finished all of the required trainings but they are not showing up on my Gateways reports. I don't want to be ineligible for payments because it's not showing that I completed them. What should I do?
A. Please contact the Gateways Registry Customer Service Department at 866-697-8278 for assistance.
Q. If I already did the ECE LEVEL 1 classes 6 years ago, do I have to retake them online?
A. If you have taken some of the modules in the last five years, you will be given credit for those modules and you do not have to take them again as long as all are documented in the Gateways Registry. Since you mentioned that you took the training 6 years ago, please contact INCCRRA/Gateways at 866-697-8278 for additional information and verify the status of the training you took.
Q. I sent my completed training information to IDHS in September 30, 2017. What's the procedure to find out if you guys received on my information?
A. Verify the Gateways Completion Report and make sure all the training show a completion date and the CPR/First Aid and Child Abuse and Neglect Mandated Reporter Trainings have been self- reported. IDHS will check the Registry to ensure training compliance. Keep copies of your current training documents for five (5) years. You must able to produce a copy when requested by IDHS as proof of training completion.
Q. I would like to confirm I have completed all requirements as a teacher for the IDHS CCAP training. I double checked my report on Gateways and I think I have, but wanted to make sure.
A. You can confirm if you have completed the required training by accessing the Gateways report "Completion of IDHS CCAP Training Requirements". This report will show the training that must be completed by the deadline. In addition, it will show CPR/First Aid Certification date awarded/ expiration date and Child Abuse and Neglect/Mandated Reporter training date. These two trainings have to be self-reported in the Registry. IDHS will check the Registry to ensure training compliance. Keep copies of your current training documents in your file for five (5) years. You must able to produce a copy when requested by IDHS as proof of training completion. Verify the Gateways Completion Report and make sure all the training show a completion date and the CPR/First Aid and Child Abuse and Neglect Mandated Reporter Trainings have been self- reported.
Q. Will the Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) be checking the mandated reporter and CPR/First Aid training off of what we will self-report or will you monitor this another way?
A. Yes, initial confirmation of this training will be conducted in the Gateways Registry based on you self-reporting in that system. Confirmation of training certificates will occur during Health and Safety monitoring visits.
General Questions:
Q. What trainings do I need to complete to qualify for a rate add-on?
A. Providers may be eligible for an add-on to the CCAP daily rate as follows:
ECE Level 1, Tier 1 = 10% add-on to daily rate
ECE Level 1, Tier 1+2 = 15% add-on to daily rate
ECE Level 1, Tier 1+2+3 = 20% add-on to daily rate
There will be no add-on for providers who only complete the Child Development, Health and Safety Basics trainings.
After completion of all Training Tiers, you are eligible to apply for the Gateways to Opportunity Level 1 ECE Credential. Providers must attend a free Quality Rating System Orientation session before applying for QRS. Orientations are offered by the CCR&R agencies - contact your local CCR&R for dates and times of upcoming orientation sessions. To find a local CCR&R visit the INCCRRA website at www.inccrra.org or call 1-877-202-4453.
Licensed centers interested in add-on rates under ExceleRate, should visit the following INCCRA's page: https://www.inccrra.org/excelerate
Q. With the many due dates floating around for the required health and safety trainings for CCAP providers, I just wanted to triple check when they are all actually due. At one point, I saw that the first section was due at the end of March but I'm not seeing that date anymore…
A. Child Care Providers receiving CCAP funds are required to complete CPR/First Aid Certification, Child Abuse and Neglect Mandated Reporter Training, What is CCAP? (for directors and primary caregivers) and Child Development, Health and Safety training via one of the 5 Training Routes listed in the March 2018 notice by September 30, 2018 in order to continue receiving CCAP funds.
Q. Since license-exempt providers will now be Gateways members, will they qualify for Great START and Gateways Scholarships?
A. Being licensed by IDCFS is still a requirement of Great START and Gateways Scholarship.
Q. How many children in the state of Illinois will be receiving child care subsidies when fully implemented?
A. Since these requirements focus on health, safety and child development subjects and not family eligibility, training requirements should not affect the number of families that are eligible to participate. If a family is using a provider that does not fulfill the requirements, the family can change to a qualified provider and continue on the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP). There may be some families that prefer to use their current provider, even if CCAP will no longer pay for the care.
Q. Will there be a maximum amount of hours providers can take online?
A. For the required Health, Safety and Child Development training, no.
Q. Is this policy change for children only in licensed facilities?
A. In Illinois, ALL current licensed and license-exempt programs receiving the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) payment are required to take the training except for providers that care only for school aged children (ages 5 to 13) that are related to them.
Q. Who should providers call to voice their opinion on this new rule?
A. IDHS has established a dedicated email address for questions and comments as they pertain to changes mandated per the Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Reauthorization Act. Please send messages to DHS.CCAP-REAUTH@ILLINOIS.GOV
