This session includes looking at how to help children and youth develop friendships and friendship skills. Discussion will include how to manage conflict as it plays a pivotal role in the development of relationship skills. Topics will also include bullying and harassment. National Afterschool Association (NAA) Standards on human relationships will be addressed.

Contact Hours: 2 hours       Gateways Content Areas: IRE (2 hours)     CDA Content Areas: 3 (2 hours)

Using the National Afterschool Association (NAA) Standards, this module will look at the differences between “community” and a “sense of community, including ideas for creating and strengthening a sense of community. Participants will explore the ideas of the surrounding community as a resource and how to support children and youth engagement within it.

Contact Hours: 2 hours       Gateways Content Areas: FCR (2 hours)     CDA Content Areas: 3 (1 hours), 5 (1 hour)

Families are central to the lives of children and youth. It is essential that all school-age and youth programs be “family friendly” and inviting so that families feel welcomed and valued. Using the National Afterschool Association (NAA) Standards, this session will explore ways to partner with families to enhance the experience of children and youth. 

Contact Hours: 2 hours       Gateways Content Areas: CPD (1hour); FCR (1  hour)     CDA Content Areas: 4 (1 hour), 5 (1 hour)

This module will focus on how the personal and professional development of school-age and youth providers profoundly impacts the children, youth, families and colleges they work with. National Afterschool Association (NAA) Standards in human relationships and administration will be discussed. 

Contact Hours: 2 hours       Gateways Content Areas: PPD (2 hours)    CDA Content Areas: 6 (2 hours)

This online orientation is a mandatory training to be able to apply for Smart Start Workforce Grants in FY27.  The training is aimed at providing licensed center-based programs with a comprehensive understanding of Smart Start Workforce Grants. The goal is to strengthen participants’ knowledge about the grants, including the required wage floor, application requirements, and the steps to apply successfully. It will also cover grant eligibility, reporting and audit requirements, and how to access technical assistance, resources, and support. Throughout the course, intermittent assessments and scenarios will be included to enhance comprehension of the material.

Horas de contacto: 1.5      Áreas de contenido de Gateways: CPD (1.5)    Áreas de contenido de CDA: 5 (1.5)

This online orientation is a mandatory training to be able to apply for Smart Start Workforce Grants in FY27.  The training is aimed at providing licensed family and family group child care programs with a comprehensive understanding of Smart Start Workforce Grants. The goal is to strengthen participants’ knowledge about the grants, including the required wage floor for assistants, application requirements, and the steps to apply successfully. It will also cover grant eligibility, reporting and audit requirements, and how to access technical assistance, resources, and support. Throughout the course, intermittent assessments and scenarios will be included to enhance comprehension of the material.

Contact Hours: 1.5      Gateways Content Areas: CPD (1.5)     CDA Content Areas: 5 (1.5)


Esta orientación en línea es una capacitación obligatoria para poder solicitar subvenciones Smart Start Workforce Grants en el año fiscal 27.  La capacitación tiene como objetivo brindar a los programas de cuidado infantil familiares y grupales autorizados una comprensión integral de las subvenciones Smart Start Workforce. El objetivo es fortalecer el conocimiento de los participantes sobre las subvenciones, incluido el salario mínimo requerido para los asistentes, los requisitos de solicitud y los pasos para presentar una solicitud exitosa. También cubrirá la elegibilidad para subvenciones, los requisitos de informes y auditorías, y cómo acceder a asistencia técnica, recursos y apoyo. A lo largo del curso, se incluirán evaluaciones y escenarios intermitentes para mejorar la comprensión del material.

Horas de contacto: 1.5      Áreas de contenido de Gateways: CPD (1.5)    Áreas de contenido de CDA: 5 (1.5)

This training will help child care providers understand how to create chest/breastfeeding-friendly policies and environments that align with state and federal laws, Illinois licensing standards, and best practice.  This one-hour self-paced training will cover the basics on why it’s important for childcare providers to support chest/breastfeeding, how to develop policies and spaces on site that support families, and how to equitably communicate with families about these practices. The training will include links to many tools and resources that support you in these efforts!

Developed by the Illinois Public Health Institute with support from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and Illinois Department of Public Health, Office of Women's Health.

Esta capacitación está disponible en español aquí.

This training is for providers who were randomly selected to participate in a study called Understanding Vaccination Practices in Child Care.  We have created this free training on the importance of childhood vaccinations to thank these providers for taking time to participate in our study.  In this training, we cover how vaccines work, why they are important, the vaccine schedule and what each vaccination actually is for children under six, where to go for further resources, and how to protect yourself as a child care provider.  After the study is completed, we will be creating more resources like this training that will be available to all providers.

Trauma-Informed Practice for Child Care Providers explores concepts in a variety of areas including infant/early childhood mental health, social emotional development of young children, and trauma and adverse childhood experiences. You will look at indicators and benchmarks and ways to foster social emotional learning  in culturally responsive ways. This training meets the DCFS requirement for trauma-informed care.

Contact Hours: 2 hours    Gateways Content Areas: HSW (2 hours)   CDA Content Areas:  Health & Safety (1 hour) and Social/Emotional (1 hour)

Esta capacitación está disponible en español aquí.

One of the distinguishing characteristics of high-quality early childhood programs is their ability to adapt to change. Directors play a central role in leading the change process. In this course, participants will explore the concept of Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) as an essential component of exemplary organizations, the key features of this leadership philosophy, steps in the CQI process, and how to create a Continuous Quality Improvement Plan (CQIP) to guide change efforts.

This Registry-approved training is brought to you by Gateways to Opportunity®. This training is ExceleRate-approved and counts towards ExceleRate™ Illinois for licensed child care centers and DCFS licensed program training hours.

Esta capacitación está disponible en español aquí.

La Universidad de la Lactancia Materna se creó pensando en los proveedores de cuidado infantil. Cada uno de los módulos proporciona información actualizada y basada en evidencias de un equipo interdisciplinario de médicos, enfermeras, consultores de lactancia, profesionales de la salud pública, profesionales de ECE y líderes de La Leche League. Los módulos interactivos ayudarán a establecer un conocimiento sobre cómo apoyar a las familias para que alcancen sus objetivos de lactancia materna. Esta capacitación fue desarrollada por el Instituto Global de Lactancia Materna de Carolina, que es parte de la Universidad de Carolina del Norte en Chapel Hill, y se proporciona en Illinois a través de un acuerdo con INCCRRA y el Instituto de Salud Pública de Illinois.

Horas de contacto: 2 horas   Áreas de contenido de Gateways: HSW (1 hora) y FCR (1 hora) Horas CDA: 1 (1 hora) y 4 (1 hora)

This course provides information on caring for children with special needs in typical child care settings. The training helps increase the knowledge and comfort level of participants to enhance their ability to care for young children with disabilities in early childhood environments. It will discuss adaptations and modifications that will assist all children to participate in activities. This meets the DCFS requirement for early childhood providers in special care inclusion training. The course will provide 7 contact hours and/or 1/2 Gateways credential point.

Esta capacitación está disponible en español aquí.

The What is CCAP? for Child Care Centers training reviews the Illinois Department of Human Service (IDHS) Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP). The IDHS CCAP helps pay for child care expenses for income-eligible families who work or participate in eligible activities. This training describes CCAP eligibility guidelines and application requirements for child care centers. Payment determination and options for receiving payment are also explained along with additional information for both CCAP providers and families.

Contact Hours: 2 hours     Gateways Content Areas: PPD (2 hours)     CDA Content Areas: 5 (2 hours)

Esta capacitación está disponible en español aquí.

The What is CCAP? for Family Child Care training reviews the Illinois Department of Human Service (IDHS) Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP). The IDHS CCAP helps pay for child care expenses for income-eligible families who work or participate in eligible activities. This training describes CCAP eligibility guidelines and application requirements for families and family child care homes. Payment determination and options for receiving payment are also explained along with additional information for both CCAP providers and families.

Contact Hours: 2 hours     Gateways Content Areas: PPD (2 hours)     CDA Content Areas: 5 (2 hours)

Esta capacitación está disponible en español aquí.