Center-Based Licensures & Accreditation

All GHC Center Based and Partner Network Sites must hold required operating Licensures. These licensures must be maintained on an annual basis or as required. GHC Center-Based sites must maintain both NAEYC and Excelerate accreditation and standing. All licensures and accreditation must be maintained by the assigned Site Manager.

City Business Licensure

The Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) issues business licenses in the City of Chicago and regulates industries as diverse as retail, food establishments, daycare centers, manufacturing facilities, and motor vehicle repair shops. BACP also regulates the sale of retail liquor in Chicago.

Department of Family Services Child Care Center Licensure

The Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) is responsible for licensing daycare centers. When a daycare center is licensed, it means that a DCFS licensing representative has inspected the facility, and the facility was found to meet the minimum licensing requirements. A license is valid for three years. The daycare center’s license must be posted. It will indicate the maximum number of children allowed in the facility and the areas where children may receive care.

ExceleRate Illinois Accredidation

Program Overview

ExceleRate Illinois uses a consistent set of standards organized into four domains:

Teaching and Learning
Family and Community Engagement
Leadership and Management
Qualifications and Continuing Education

All GHC Center Based and Partner sites must participate in ExceleRate. ExceleRate Illinois is a statewide quality rating and improvement system designed to make continuous quality improvement an everyday priority among early learning and development providers. Delegate agencies are accountable for ensuring that staff credentials comply with the appropriate requirement for their Circle of Quality awarded.

● The Bronze Circle of Quality requires at least 30% of teaching staff to have a minimum of Gateways ECE Credential Level 2.

● The Silver Circle of Quality requires that at least 30% of teaching staff have a minimum of a Gateways ECE Credential Level 3 AND 30% of teaching staff in infant-toddler classrooms have a Gateways Infant Toddler Credential Level 2.

● The Gold Circle of Quality requires that at least 20% of teaching staff have a minimum of a Gateways ECE Credential Level 5 (or equivalent) AND an additional 20% of teaching staff have a minimum of a Gateways ECE Credential Level 4 (or equivalent) AND 40% of teaching staff in infant-toddler classrooms have a Gateways Infant Toddler Credential Level 3 (or equivalent).

NAEYC Accreditation

Research shows a direct correlation between high-quality early learning and children's positive long-term outcomes in life, including increased educational attainment, healthier lifestyles, and more successful careers. NAEYC Accreditation helps teachers and other staff at early learning programs develop a shared understanding and commitment to quality. The accreditation process leads to increased staff morale, greater staff retention, and a more positive, energetic work atmosphere overall—enabling centers to provide a solid foundation for all children's success in life.

Chicago Department of Public Health Certification

This is a program designed to minimize the occurrence of foodborne illness and ensure that foods manufactured, processed, packaged, or stored in Illinois are safe, wholesome, have been prepared in a sanitary manner under sanitary conditions, and are properly labeled. Activities include inspection of food processing plants and food warehouses, embargo or recall of questionable food, complaint investigation, destruction of unwholesome food, technical consultation with establishment operators, food sampling and testing, and label evaluation. An annual federal contract allows the division to conduct inspections and surveillance sampling as an agent of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

CPR

A CPR certification is a credential that qualifies the holder to perform a life-saving procedure on someone who cannot breathe on their own due to a near-drowning incident, suffocation or a cardiac event.

Safe Serve/Food Handlers

The ServSafe program provides food safety training, exams and educational materials to foodservice managers. Students can earn the ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification, accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)-Conference for Food Protection (CFPM).

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