CHAPTER III: DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES
SUBCHAPTER e: REQUIREMENTS FOR LICENSURE
PART 407 LICENSING STANDARDS FOR DAY CARE CENTERS
SECTION 407.45 DEFINITIONS
Section 407.45 Definitions
"Accredited college or university" means a college or university that has been accredited by a regional or national institutional accrediting association recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or a non-governmental recognition counterpart.
"Age-appropriate safety restraint" for a child under 4 years of age means a child restraint system (infant carrier, infant/toddler seat, or convertible safety seat) that meets the standards of the United States Department of Transportation designed to restrain, seat or position children. For a child 4 years of age or older, an age-appropriate safety restraint means a child restraint system or seat belt (lap belt or lap-shoulder belt combination).
"Attendance" means the total number of children present at any one time.
"Authorized representative of the Department" means a licensing representative or any person acting on behalf of the Director of the Department.
"Background check" means:
a criminal history check via fingerprints of persons age 17 and over that are submitted to the Illinois State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for comparison to their criminal history records, as appropriate;
a check of the Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System (SACWIS) and other states' child protection systems, as appropriate, to determine whether an individual has been alleged or indicated as a perpetrator of child abuse or neglect; and
a check of the Illinois Sex Offender Registry.
"Behavior Support Plan" means a written, planned and culturally and linguistically appropriate schedule of action agreed upon by the program staff, parents/guardians, and qualified professional resources assigned:
to assist a child, a family, caregivers, programs or teachers, and directors on how the program reflects on and modifies the program, classroom, and learning environment practices; and
to address the identification of serious and repeated patterns of challenging behavior.
The behavior support plan must be fully implemented before initiating the program transition plan.
"CANTS" means the Child Abuse and Neglect Tracking System operated and maintained by the Department. This system is being replaced by the Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System (SACWIS).
"Challenging behavior" means any serious and repeated pattern of any behavior, or perception of behavior, that interferes with a child's ability to engage in developmentally appropriate self-regulation or cognitive and prosocial engagement with peers or adults.
"Child" means any person under 18 years of age. (Section 2.01 of the Child Care Act of 1969 [225 ILCS 10])
"Child care facility" means any person, group of persons, agency, association or organization, whether established for gain or otherwise, who or which receives or arranges for care or placement of one or more children, unrelated to the operator of the facility, apart from the parents, with or without the transfer of the right of custody in any facility as defined in the Child Care Act of 1969, established and maintained for the care of children. (Section 2.05 of the Child Care Act of 1969)
"Child care staff" means all staff members providing direct care to children.
"Consultant" means a person providing technical assistance or advice regarding any aspect of the program operation.
"Corporal punishment" means hitting, spanking, swatting, beating, shaking, pinching, excessive exercise, exposure to extreme temperatures, and other measures that produce physical pain.
"Cot" means a comfortable, safe and child-sized alternative bed made of resilient, sanitizable fabric, that is on legs or otherwise above the floor and can be stored to allow for air flow.
"Day care center" means any child care facility which regularly provides day care for less than 24 hours per day for more than 8 children in a family home or more than 3 children in a facility other than a family home, including senior citizen buildings. The term does not include:
programs operated by public or private elementary school systems or secondary level school units or institutions of higher learning that serve children who shall have attained the age of 3 years;
private entities on the grounds of public or private elementary or secondary schools that serve children who have attained the age of 3 years, except that this exception applies only to the facility and not to the private entities' personnel operating the program;
programs or that portion of the program which serves children who shall have attained the age of 3 years and which are recognized by the State Board of Education;
educational program or programs serving children who shall have attained the age of 3 years and which are operated by a school which is registered with the State Board of Education and which is recognized or accredited by a recognized national or multi-state educational organization or association which regularly recognizes or accredits schools;
programs which exclusively serve or that portion of the program which serves handicapped children who shall have attained the age of 3 years but are less than 21 years of age and which are registered and approved as meeting standards of the State Board of Education and applicable fire marshal standards;
facilities operated in connection with a shopping center or service, religious services or other similar facility where transient children are cared for temporarily while parents or custodians of the children are occupied on the premises and readily available;
any type of day care center that is conducted on federal government premises;
special activities programs, including athletics, crafts instruction and similar activities conducted on an organized and periodic basis by civic, charitable and governmental organizations;
part day child care facilities, as defined in Section 2.10 of the Child Care Act of 1969; or
programs or that portion of the program which:
serves children who shall have attained the age of 3 years;
is operated by churches or religious institutions as described in section 501(c)(3) of the federal Internal Revenue Code;
receives no governmental aid;
is operated as a component of religious, nonprofit elementary school;
operates primarily to provide religious education; and
meets appropriate State or local health and fire safety standards.
For purposes of this Section, "children who shall have attained the age of 3 years" shall mean children who are 3 years of age, but less than 4 years of age, at the time of enrollment in the program. (Section 2.09 of the Child Care Act of 1969)
"Department" means the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. (Section 2.02 of the Child Care Act of 1969)
"Disinfect" means to eliminate virtually all germs from inanimate surfaces through the use of chemicals or physical agents (e.g., heat). In the child care environment, a solution of ¼ cup household liquid chlorine bleach added to one gallon of tap water and prepared fresh daily is an effective disinfectant for environmental surfaces and other objects.
"Early childhood" means the years from birth through age 6.
"Early childhood assistant" means a staff member who works under the direct supervision of an early childhood teacher and does not assume responsibility for a group of children.
"Early childhood teacher" means a staff member responsible for a group of infants, toddlers or preschool children.
"Employee", as used in this Part, means any staff person employed by a child care facility and includes any substitute or assistant. This definition includes administrative, professional and support staff who have access to children in their present or prospective employment.
"Enrollment" means the total number of children served by the facility on either a part-time or full-time basis.
"Gateways to Opportunity Registry" means a program administered by the Department of Human Services to track and maintain education and training credentials of administrators and staff that allows them to establish a profile in the registry of their educational attainment and professional development.
"Governing body", as used in this Part, means the board of directors of a corporation. Otherwise, the term means the owners or other persons, agency, association or organization legally responsible for the operation of the day care center that serves as the policy-making authority and that exercises general direction over the affairs of the facility.
"Group" means a specific number of children who remain together at least 60 percent of the time they are at the facility.
"Guardian" means the guardian of the person of a minor. (Section 2.03 of the Child Care Act of 1969)
"Guidance/discipline" means the ongoing process of helping children to develop inner controls so that they can manage their own behavior in socially approved ways.
"Infant" means a child from 6 weeks through 14 months of age.
"Initial background check" means fingerprints have been obtained, as verified by a receipt from the fingerprint vendor, and the individual has cleared a check of the Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System (SACWIS) and the Illinois Sex Offender Registry.
"Intergenerational activities" means activities that involve children and adults in shared activities that occur at least monthly on a regular basis.
"Kindergarten child" means a child currently enrolled in kindergarten who is eligible to attend first grade during the next school year.
"LEADS" means the Law Enforcement Agency Data System.
"License" means a document issued by the Department that authorizes child care facilities to operate in accordance with applicable standards and the provisions of the Child Care Act of 1969.
"License study", as used in this Part, means the review of an application for license, on-site visits, interviews, and the collection and review of supporting documents to determine compliance with the Child Care Act of 1969 and the standards prescribed by this Part.
"Licensed capacity" means the maximum number of children permitted in the facility at any one time.
"Licensee" means an individual, agency, or organization who holds a license or permit issued by the Department.
"Licensing representative", for the purposes of this Part, means Department staff authorized under the Child Care Act of 1969 to examine facilities for licensure.
"Mitigation" means those activities or processes undertaken to reduce the level of lead in water below 2.01 ppb (parts per billion).
"Mitigation plan" means a written document prepared by a license applicant or licensee that identifies drinking water sources that have tested at or above 2.01 ppb for lead and the strategies and interim measures the applicant/licensee will take to reduce the lead level to below 2.01 ppb.
"Parental involvement" means parental assistance with a child care program such as participation in field trips, parties, attendance on special days for special events, or parental support and cooperation in the classroom.
"Parent" or "Parents", as used in this Part, means persons assuming legal responsibility for the care and protection of the child on a 24-hour basis; includes guardian or legal custodian.
"Partially exempt program" means a child care program for children who have attained the age of 3 years and is operated by a private entity on grounds of a public or private elementary or secondary school where children have been attending school during the day. In a partially exempt program, the physical facility is exempt from Department regulations; however, the Department regulates the personnel and operating programs.
"Passive screen viewing" means the passive, sedentary use of age-appropriate and educational media through screen-based technologies, such as television, video, DVDs, visual recordings and other non-interactive technologies.
"Permit", as used in this Part, means a one-time only document issued by the Department for a 6-month period to allow the individuals, agency, or organization to operate a day care center and to become eligible for a full license.
"Physician" means a person licensed to practice medicine in the State of Illinois or a contiguous state.
"Preschooler" means a child from 3 through 5 years of age. Children enrolled in kindergarten may be considered either preschool or school-age. Children 2 years of age may be considered preschoolers or toddlers, depending on their level of development.
"Program" means all activities provided for the children during their hours of attendance in the facility.
"Program Transition Plan" means an individualized, written and culturally and linguistically appropriate plan developed by the departing and receiving early childhood programs, detailing the individual responsibilities required to prepare for, and then execute, the child's move from the current program to a more appropriate arrangement, with as little negative impact and disruption as possible.
"Related services" refers to, but is not limited to, supportive services (psychological, medical, social, or health) for children in a facility.
"Repeated pattern of challenging behavior" means behaviors that do not respond to repeated developmentally appropriate practice interventions and results in a disrupted learning environment for other children enrolled in the program, such as, but not limited to, extreme tantrums, physical and verbal aggression, property destruction, self-injury, injury to others, or withdrawal.
"Replace or supplement staff" means a paid or unpaid individual who performs essential staff duties as evidenced by being counted in the staff-child ratio or being allowed to be alone with children outside the visual or auditory supervision of child care staff. It also includes professional contractual staff, such as physicians, nurses, therapists, etc., if the professional provides services within the facility and is allowed access to children outside the visual or auditory supervision of staff.
"Resource personnel" means physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers, speech therapists, physical and occupational therapists, educators and other technical and professional persons whose expertise is utilized in providing specialized services to children.
"Resources" may include related services mentioned above and community agencies such as, but not limited to, libraries, university laboratories and their professional staffs, audiovisual materials, museums, and parks.
"Risk management plan" means a document that outlines the process for identifying and analyzing loss exposures, examining alternative risk control methods, and making and carrying out decisions that will minimize the adverse effects of accidental losses.
"School-age" means a child up to 18 years of age who is enrolled in 1st grade or higher. Children attending kindergarten may be considered either preschool or school-age.
"School-age assistant" means a staff member who works under the direct supervision of a school-age worker.
"School-age director" means a person designated by the governing body to assume full administrative responsibility for the ongoing operation of one or more sites (not to exceed 6) and who meets the qualifications for a child care director as outlined in Section 407.130.
"School-age site coordinator" means a person responsible for implementing curriculum and ensuring that licensing standards are met at the site of a school-age program serving a maximum of 50 children and that is overseen by a school-age director responsible for multiple sites.
"School-age worker" means a staff member who has lead responsibility for a group of school-age children.
"Serious safety threat" is a behavior that jeopardizes the physical safety of the child and/or his/her classmates or staff.
"Site" means the physical location in which a day care center operates. A site may consist of more than one building if all of the buildings within the site are connected by property under the exclusive control of the day care center that is used as a playground, for parking, or for other day care related purposes.
"Support staff" means any staff member providing indirect care and services to children in a day care center, such as a driver, cook, janitor, or clerical staff.
"Swimming pool", for purposes of this Part, means any natural or artificial basin of water intended for public swimming or recreational bathing that exceeds 2'6" in depth as specified in the Illinois Swimming Pool and Bathing Beach Act and Code. The term includes bathing beaches and pools at private clubs, health clubs, or private residences when used for children enrolled in a child care facility.
"Temporary removals" means practices that involve removing the child from regular participation in the program as a result of a challenging behavior. A temporary removal should be developmentally appropriate and may only be used as a last resort if there is a serious safety threat that cannot be reduced or eliminated by the provision of reasonable modifications. The program must help the child return to full participation in a group setting as soon as safety allows.
"Toddler" means a child from 15 months to 2 years of age. The term may include a child up to 30 months of age depending upon physical or social development.
"Tummy time" means a supervised period of time when an infant is allowed to lie on his or her abdomen to help strengthen the head, neck and shoulder muscles.
"Universal precautions" means an approach to infection control. According to the concept of Universal Precautions, all human blood and certain body fluids are treated as if known to be infectious for HIV, HBV, and other blood-borne pathogens.
"Wading pool", for purposes of this Part, means any natural or artificial basin of water less than 2'6" in depth that is intended for recreational bathing, water play or similar activity as specified in the Illinois Swimming Pool and Bathing Beach Act and Code. The term includes recessed areas less than 2'6" in depth in swimming pools and includes wading pools at private clubs, health clubs and private residences when used for children enrolled in a child care facility.
"Water profile" means a building's water heater, source of water, and water supply lines.
"Water source" means any faucet used to obtain water for drinking or food preparation for day care operations. Water sources include, but are not limited to, sinks, bathtubs, hoses, drinking fountains, bubblers, and refrigerator or freezer water or ice dispensers.
(Source: Amended at 44 Ill. Reg. 16138, effective September 18, 2020)