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Home Daycare License Requirements in Illinois (2026)

Opening a home daycare in Illinois means getting a family child care home license from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), Division of Child Protection / Day Care Licensing. Here is exactly what that takes in 2026 — your capacity limit and ratios, the training and background checks, the application steps, and the postings and enrollment forms you need — sourced to the state’s own rules and dated.

Who needs a license — home types in Illinois

Before anything else about Illinois, two things you almost certainly believe are now wrong, and both of them changed in 2026. First, the agency: child care licensing left the Department of Children and Family Services on July 1, 2026 and now sits with the Illinois Department of Early Childhood (IDEC) under Public Act 103-594. Second, and worse for anyone who memorised citations, the rule you are looking for is no longer at 89 Ill. Adm. Code 406. Open the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules index for 89 Ill. Adm. Code 406 today and the Part is EMPTY except for its source note, which ends: "transferred to 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007 (Illinois Department of Early Childhood) pursuant to P.A. 103-594 at 50 Ill. Reg. 9832." The live rule is 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007, LICENSING STANDARDS FOR DAY CARE HOMES, Title 23 (Education and Cultural Resources), Subtitle A, Chapter XI (Department of Early Childhood), whose authority line now reads "Implementing and authorized by Public Act 103-0594, the Department of Early Childhood Act [325 ILCS 3]" and whose source line reads "Transferred from the Department of Children and Family Services (89 Ill. Adm. Code 406) to the Department of Early Childhood (23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007) pursuant to P.A. 103-0594, and recodified at 50 Ill. Reg. 9917." The same thing happened to the two neighbouring Parts: 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407 (day care centers) is now 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2008, transferred at 50 Ill. Reg. 9834, and 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408 (group day care homes) is now 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2009, transferred at 50 Ill. Reg. 9838. If you file a variance request, an appeal, or a written correction plan citing "Part 406," you are citing a shell.

Summarised from the state’s own rules. Every figure above is quoted from the regulation cited on this page.

How many children you can care for in Illinois

Before you read a single number, correct the citation you were almost certainly given: as of today the Illinois family child care capacity rules are NOT at 89 Ill. Adm. Code 406 and 408, and they are no longer administered by the Department of Children and Family Services. The JCAR text of 89 Ill. Adm. Code 406 now consists of nothing but its source note, which ends "transferred to 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007 (Illinois Department of Early Childhood) pursuant to P.A. 103-594 at 50 Ill. Reg. 9832"; the source note of 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408 ends "transferred to 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2009 (Illinois Department of Early Childhood) pursuant to P.A. 103-594 at 50 Ill. Reg. 9838". The live rules are 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007, LICENSING STANDARDS FOR DAY CARE HOMES, and 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2009, LICENSING STANDARDS FOR GROUP DAY CARE HOMES, both sitting under TITLE 23: EDUCATION AND CULTURAL RESOURCES, SUBTITLE A: EDUCATION, CHAPTER XI: DEPARTMENT OF EARLY CHILDHOOD, and every section of both parts closes with a recodification note reading "(Recodified from the Department of Children and Family Services (89 Ill. Adm. Code 406) pursuant to P.A. 103-0594, at 50 Ill. Reg. 9917)" or "(Source: Recodified from 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408 (Department of Children and Family Services) pursuant to P.A. 103-0594, at 50 Ill. Reg. 10183)". Section 2007.2 now defines "Department" as "the Illinois Department of Early Childhood" and attributes that definition to "(Section 1-15 of the Early Childhood Act)".

Summarised from the state’s own rules. Every figure above is quoted from the regulation cited on this page.

Adult-to-child ratios

Before you read a single number, correct the citation you are almost certainly carrying: there is no longer any such thing as 89 Ill. Adm. Code 406 or 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408. The JCAR index of Title 89 now lists "PART 406 LICENSING STANDARDS FOR DAY CARE HOMES (TRANSFERRED)" and "PART 408 LICENSING STANDARDS FOR GROUP DAY CARE HOMES (TRANSFERRED)", and the SOURCE note left behind at Part 406 ends with the words "transferred to 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007 (Illinois Department of Early Childhood) pursuant to P.A. 103-594 at 50 Ill. Reg. 9832", the note at Part 408 ending identically but pointing to 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2009 at 50 Ill. Reg. 9838. The live rules are 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007 (Licensing Standards for Day Care Homes) and 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2009 (Licensing Standards for Group Day Care Homes), both in TITLE 23, CHAPTER XI: DEPARTMENT OF EARLY CHILDHOOD, each carrying the authority line "Implementing and authorized by Public Act 103-0594, the Department of Early Childhood Act [325 ILCS 3]." Every section of Part 2007 closes "(Recodified from the Department of Children and Family Services (89 Ill. Adm. Code 406) pursuant to P.A. 103-0594, at 50 Ill. Reg. 9917)", and Part 2009 with the equivalent note citing 50 Ill. Reg. 10183. The statute moved too.

Summarised from the state’s own rules. Every figure above is quoted from the regulation cited on this page.

Training you must complete before licensure

START WITH THE CITATION, BECAUSE IN ILLINOIS THE RULE NUMBER IN EVERY GUIDE YOU WILL READ IS DEAD (verified 26 August 2026 against the JCAR index of parts in effect, not a pinned PDF). If your paperwork, your consultant, your CCR&R handout or your training vendor cites "89 Ill. Adm. Code 406, Licensing Standards for Day Care Homes", they are quoting a Part the General Assembly's own administrative-code database now lists as "PART 406 LICENSING STANDARDS FOR DAY CARE HOMES (TRANSFERRED)". The closing line of its SOURCE note reads, verbatim: "transferred to 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007 (Illinois Department of Early Childhood) pursuant to P.A. 103-594 at 50 Ill. Reg. 9832." The operative text today is 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007, Chapter XI, Department of Early Childhood, recodified at 50 Ill. Reg. 9917; former Part 408 is likewise 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2009 (50 Ill. Reg. 10183) and former Part 407 is 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2008 (50 Ill. Reg. 9834). The Illinois Department of Early Childhood publishes the same crosswalk on its Child Care Licensure page and states, in its own words, "Starting July 1, 2026, the Illinois Department of Early Childhood will officially become the lead agency for Child Care Licensing."

Summarised from the state’s own rules. Every figure above is quoted from the regulation cited on this page.

Ongoing (annual) training

Illinois measures ongoing training in CLOCK HOURS PER LICENSING YEAR, not per license term, and the number is fifteen. For the day care home the rule is 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.9(t): "The caregivers shall complete 15 clock hours of in-service training per licensing year in accordance with the requirements in Appendix D." For the group day care home the rule is 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2009.45(f), word for word the same but pointing at its own appendix: "The caregivers shall complete 15 clock hours of in-service training per licensing year in accordance with the requirements in Appendix G." Both appendices restate it in their closing subsection — Appendix D(d), "Licensed providers shall complete 15 clock hours of in-service training per period of the licensing year", and Appendix G(d), "Licensed providers shall meet the 15 clock hour requirements for in-service training per period of licensing year". Before you look for these Parts under the old citation, know that they have moved. Every search result and agency PDF you will find points at 89 Ill. Adm. Code 406 (day care homes) and 89 Ill. Adm. Code 408 (group day care homes).

Summarised from the state’s own rules. Every figure above is quoted from the regulation cited on this page.

Background checks

THE AGENCY CHANGED, AND SO DID THE RULE NUMBERS (verified 26 August 2026 against the JCAR index of rules in effect, not against a pinned PDF). Everything most people believe about the Illinois day care home background check is out of date. Public Act 103-594 created the Department of Early Childhood Act [325 ILCS 3], and on 1 July 2026 the Illinois Department of Early Childhood (IDEC) became the lead agency for child care licensing; DCFS's own site now carries the banner "As of July 1, 2026, child care licensure is managed by the Illinois Department of Early Childhood" and routes licensure questions to Questions.IDEC@illinois.gov. The Joint Committee on Administrative Rules index of Title 89 now shows PART 406 LICENSING STANDARDS FOR DAY CARE HOMES (TRANSFERRED), with the source note ending "transferred to 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007 (Illinois Department of Early Childhood) pursuant to P.A. 103-594 at 50 Ill. Reg. 9832", and the day care home standards are now published as 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007, recodified at 50 Ill. Reg. 9917. The background check rule split in two: 89 Ill. Adm. Code 385 was rewritten and restructured into Subparts A through G, "amended at 50 Ill. Reg. 6445, effective April 24, 2026", and then "89 Ill. Adm. Code 385.Subpart B transferred from the Department of Children and Family Services to the Department of Early Childhood (23 Ill. Adm. Code 2010) pursuant to P.A. 103-0594 at 50 Ill. Reg. 9831", recodified at 50 Ill. Reg. 10293. Subpart B was the day care subpart.

Summarised from the state’s own rules. Every figure above is quoted from the regulation cited on this page.

The application, step by step

Work through these in order — the prep packet turns them into a checklist you can tick off:

1. DECIDE FIRST WHETHER YOU NEED A LICENCE AT ALL, AND WHICH ONE. Illinois draws the line at three children, and it counts your own. Since 1 July 2026 the definition that catches you is 225 ILCS 10/2.18, which reads in full: "'Early care and education homes' means family homes which receive more than 3 up to a maximum of 12 children for less than 24 hours per day. The number counted includes the family's natural or adopted children and all other persons under the age of 12. The term does not include locations that receive only children from a single household" (Source: P.A. 104-480, eff. 7-1-26). Above twelve and up to sixteen you are a "group early care and education home" under 225 ILCS…
2. TAKE THE LICENSING ORIENTATION BEFORE YOU CONTACT ANYONE. Illinois gives you a statutory entitlement to it. 225 ILCS 10/7.10(a-5) provides that "the Department or any State agency that assumes early care and education center licensing responsibilities shall host licensing orientation programs to help educate potential early care and education center, early care and education home, and group early care and education home providers about the early care and education licensing process. The programs shall be made available in person and virtually. The Department or its successor shall offer to host licensing orientation programs at least twice annually in each Representative District in the…
3. PROVE THE BUILDING CAN HOLD A LICENCE BEFORE YOU SIGN ANYTHING. An Illinois home licence attaches to your residence and to nothing else. 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.6(a) requires that "The licensees shall be a primary caregiver or caregivers who reside in the family home", subsection (f) that "The license is valid only for the family residence of the licensee and shall not be transferred to another person or other legal entity", and subsection (e) that "Child care may be provided only in those areas specified on the license". The State's own guidance is blunter than the rule: the licensing pages served today say that home licences "are only issued in the family home of the individual(s)…
4. OPEN A FILE WITH A LICENSING REPRESENTATIVE, AND KNOW WHO YOUR COUNTERPARTY ACTUALLY IS. Since 1 July 2026 your licensor is the Illinois Department of Early Childhood, because 225 ILCS 10/3(a) now bars operating "without a license or permit issued by the Department of Children and Family Services before July 1, 2026 or issued by the Department of Early Childhood on and after July 1, 2026". The person who will actually handle you is the licensing representative, a statutory office: 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.2 defines "'Licensing representative'" as "a person authorized by the Department under Section 5 of the Child Care Act of 1969 to examine facilities for licensure", and 225 ILCS 10/5.01(c)…
5. ORDER THE RADON TEST EARLY — IT IS THE SLOWEST CHEAP THING. Radon has been a hard condition of an Illinois home licence since 2014 and it is the item applicants most often leave until last. 225 ILCS 10/5.8(a) requires that "Licensed early care and education centers, licensed early care and education homes, and licensed group early care and education homes shall have the provider tested for radon at least once every 3 years pursuant to rules established by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency," and subsection (b) makes proof of it an application document: "As part of an initial application or application for renewal of a license ... the Department of Early Childhood shall require proof…
6. TEST THE WATER FOR LEAD IF YOUR HOUSE IS OLD ENOUGH, AND START THE 120-DAY CLOCK KNOWINGLY. The statutory hook is 225 ILCS 10/5.9, which directs IDEC "in consultation with the Department of Public Health" to prescribe procedures for "assessing levels of lead in water in licensed early care and education centers, early care and education homes, and group early care and education homes constructed on or before January 1, 2000 that serve children under the age of 6" and to require proof of compliance as part of an initial application. The operative rule is 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.8(f): "Any day care home serving children under 6 years of age and housed in a building constructed on or before…
7. IF YOU ARE ON A PRIVATE WELL, TEST IT AND PLAN TO BOIL WATER DURING THE PERMIT. Rural applicants hit a requirement the suburban ones never see. 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.8(d) provides: "A safe and sanitary water supply shall be maintained. If a private water supply is used instead of an approved public water supply, the applicant shall supply written records of current test results indicating the water supply is safe for drinking. New test results must be provided prior to renewal of license. If nitrate content exceeds 10 ppm, bottled water must be used for children under 15 months of age." Nitrate is the specific hazard the rule names because of methaemoglobinaemia in infants, and 10 ppm is…
8. COMPLETE FIFTEEN HOURS OF PRE-SERVICE TRAINING, DATED WITHIN THE YEAR BEFORE YOU APPLY. This is the requirement with the most expensive silent deadline in Illinois. 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.4(b)(2) provides: "The applicants shall have completed, not more than one year prior to the application date, at least 15 hours of pre-service training listed in Appendix D, which shall include the following topics for applicants and assistants who will care for infants: A) Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS); B) Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID); C) Safe sleep recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics; D) Shaken Baby Syndrome; and E) Department approved Mandated Reporter Training for…
9. JOIN THE GATEWAYS TO OPPORTUNITY REGISTRY AND GET YOUR CREDENTIALS VERIFIED IN IT. Registry membership is an application document, not an afterthought. 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.4(b)(1)(H) lists among the contents of a complete application "proof of membership in the Gateways to Opportunity Registry by the primary caregiver and assistants in the home with all educational credentials and pre-service training entered into the Registry". The standing obligation is at 2007.6(k): "By September 1, 2012, the primary caregivers and assistants employed by the day care home shall become members of and participate in the Gateways to Opportunity Registry, with all educational and training credentials…
10. GET CERTIFIED IN FIRST AID, THE HEIMLICH MANEUVER AND INFANT/CHILD CPR — AND NOTE IT GATES THE PERMIT. Illinois names three certifications in one breath and accepts a short list of certifying bodies. 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.9(n) requires that "The licensee who is the primary caregiver shall be certified in first aid, the Heimlich maneuver and infant/child cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by the American Red Cross, the American Heart Association or other entity approved by the Illinois Department of Public Health." Subsection (o) turns it into a coverage rule for every hour you are open: "During the hours of operation of the day care home, there shall be at least one person on the…
11. ASSEMBLE THE APPLICATION PACKET — TEN ITEMS, AND EVERY ONE OF THEM IS NAMED. 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.4(a) says "A complete application shall be filed with the Department by the supervising agency on forms prescribed and provided by the Department," and 2007.4(b)(1) enumerates what complete means: "A) a completed, signed and dated Application for Home License; B) a list of persons who will be working in the day care home, including any substitutes and assistants, and members of the household age 13 and over; C) completed, signed and dated authorizations to conduct the background check for the applicants, each employee or person used to replace or supplement staff, and each member of the…
12. AUTHORISE BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR YOURSELF AND EVERY HOUSEHOLD MEMBER AGE 13 AND OVER. This is the longest pole in the tent and it is not under your control. 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.9(a) is absolute: "No individual may receive a license from the Department when the applicant, a member of the household age 13 and over, or any individual who has access to the children cared for in a day care home, or any employee of the day care home, has not authorized the background check required by 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2010 (Background Checks) and been cleared in accordance with the requirements of Part 2010." Part 2010 splits the population. Under 2010.10(a) household members aged 13 through 17 who are not…
13. BOOK THE PHYSICAL EXAMINATIONS AND TUBERCULIN TESTS FOR THE WHOLE HOUSEHOLD. Illinois does not stop at the provider. 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.24(i) requires that "Members of the household, regular substitutes, and assistants shall have a complete physical examination. The medical reports shall be submitted on forms provided by the Department," and specifies the timing precisely: "The report shall be based on an examination that occurred no earlier than 6 months prior to application, with a tuberculin test to be included in the initial exam only. If the skin test is positive, a chest x-ray is required." Immunisations and the tuberculin test for an infant "shall be given at the discretion of…
14. GET THE FIRE SAFETY INSPECTION AND WRITTEN APPROVAL — IT GATES THE PERMIT ABSOLUTELY. 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.4(d) sets out a two-track scheme and one hard rule. Track one: "The Department shall request the Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) to perform a fire safety inspection of homes when an initial application is being considered for licensure and when care will be provided on other than ground level and for homes in multi-housing units and submit a written recommendation of the inspection to the supervising agency of the day care home and to the applicant." Track two: "The fire safety inspection on single floor homes, at ground level with no unusual or complex code considerations,…
15. SURVIVE THE LICENSING STUDY — THE ON-SITE VISIT PLUS THREE WRITTEN REFERENCES PLUS A SUPERVISOR'S SIGNATURE. The decision is not the inspector's alone. 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.4(c) provides: "The supervising agency shall study each day care home under its supervision before recommending issuance of a license. The licensing study shall be conducted by a licensing representative and shall be reviewed and approved by his/her supervisor. Supervisory approval indicates recommendation for license or denial of a license and compliance or non-compliance with the standards prescribed by this Part. The study shall be in writing and shall be signed by the licensing representative performing the study…
16. HAVE THE POLICIES, PLANS AND RECORD SYSTEMS IN EXISTENCE ON DAY ONE, NOT DAY THIRTY. Illinois requires several written documents that a new provider tends to think of as post-licence housekeeping, and the licensing representative looks for them at the visit. Written emergency preparedness plans are required by 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.8(a)(19), which demands "A fire evacuation plan identifying exits from each area used for child care and specifying the evacuation route" and a plan "identifying a safe assembly area outside of the home", with the tornado and hazard plans reviewed again at every renewal under 2007.5(f). A late-pick-up policy is mandatory and prescriptive: 2007.12(h) requires "a…
17. EXPECT A TWO-MONTH PERMIT, THEN THE THREE-YEAR LICENCE — AND BUDGET FOUR TO SEVEN MONTHS END TO END. Homes do not get the six-month runway that centres get. 225 ILCS 10/5.01(e) provides that IDEC "may issue one 6-month permit to a newly established provider for early care and education to allow that provider reasonable time to become eligible for a full license. If the provider for early care and education is an early care and education home, the Department of Early Childhood may issue one 2-month permit only." Two months, once, ever: 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.7(e) states "Permits shall not be renewable," and 2007.7(b) that "A permit shall not be issued retroactively." The eight preconditions…

What you must post on your walls

• THE LICENCE ITSELF, PROMINENTLY DISPLAYED, AND NOT UNDER THE RULE NUMBER YOUR GUIDEBOOK GIVES YOU. The sentence is eight words long and it is at 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.6(i): "The license shall be prominently displayed in the home at all times." Read the citation twice, because almost every checklist circulating in Illinois still says 89 Ill. Adm. Code 406.6. As the JCAR index of rules in effect serves them on 26 August 2026, Title 23 (Education and Cultural Resources), Subtitle A, Chapter XI, is headed DEPARTMENT OF EARLY CHILDHOOD and contains PART 2007 LICENSING STANDARDS FOR DAY CARE HOMES, together with 2005 (exemptions), 2006 (day care information line), 2008 (centers), 2009 (group…
• THE PERMIT, DISPLAYED THE SAME WAY DURING YOUR FIRST TWO MONTHS. Most Illinois day care homes open on a permit, not a licence, and the permit carries its own display duty at 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.7(f): "A current permit shall be prominently displayed in the day care home at all times while the home is operating under a permit." Note the word "current." A permit is a two-month instrument — 2007.7(g), "A license shall be issued at any time within the 2 month period covered by the permit provided that the day care home achieves and maintains compliance with the Department's licensing standards" — and 2007.7(e) states flatly, "Permits shall not be renewable." When the permit lapses, taking it…
• THE RADON REPORT, POSTED NEXT TO THE LICENCE, WITH A STATUTORY PARAGRAPH YOU MAY NOT PARAPHRASE. This is the posting Illinois applicants most often miss, because it is not in the licensing checklist most people read — it is in the physical-facilities section. 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.8(a)(29): "Effective January 1, 2013, the home shall be tested for radon at least once every 3 years. The most current radon measurements shall be posted next to the license in the home, on a form provided by the Department, containing the required informative statement from Section 5.8(d) of the Child Care Act of 1969 [225 ILCS 10]." So the licence does not hang alone: it hangs beside a radon report. The…
• THE LEAD-IN-WATER RESULTS, POSTED IN A VISIBLE LOCATION EVEN WHEN THE RESULT IS CLEAN. 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.8(f)(1) is unambiguous about the "even when clean" part: "All lead in water test results (at, above or below 2.01 ppb) shall be posted in the home in a visible location and submitted by the applicant or licensee directly to his or her local licensing office." The parenthesis is the rule. A result of 0.4 ppb is still a result you post. Providers routinely file a clean report and post nothing, and that is a citation. WHO IS CAUGHT: 2007.8(f), "Any day care home serving children under 6 years of age and housed in a building constructed on or before January 1, 2000 shall be subject to…
• THE "NO FIREARMS" SIGN — FOUR INCHES BY SIX, AT THE PICK-UP DOOR, IN A PRIVATE HOME THE GUN STATUTE ITSELF EXEMPTS. 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.8(a)(17): "Handguns are prohibited on the premises of the day care home except in the possession of peace officers or other adults who must possess a handgun as a condition of employment and who reside in the day care home. The licensee shall post a 'no firearms' sign, as described in Section 65(d) of the Firearm Concealed Carry Act [430 ILCS 66/65(d)], in a visible location where parents pick up children." That is the only posting in Part 2007 with a stated audience and a stated place: parents, at the pick-up point. THE SPECIFICATION IS IN A DIFFERENT…
• EMERGENCY TELEPHONE NUMBERS — POSTED WHERE THEY ARE REACHABLE, NOT NEXT TO EVERY HANDSET. 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.8(a)(16), in full: "An operable telephone shall be available on the premises of the licensee. The number of the Poison Control Center (1-800-222-1222 or 1-800-942-5969) and other emergency numbers shall be posted in an area that is readily available in an emergency." Two commands in one sentence, and the second is looser than the equivalent rule in most states. Illinois names exactly one number — Poison Control, in two alternative forms — and then says "and other emergency numbers" without enumerating them. Compare 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2008.370(t)(2), which governs day care CENTERS…
• THE WRITTEN EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PLAN — REQUIRED IN WRITING, KNOWN BY EVERY ADULT, AND NOWHERE REQUIRED TO BE ON THE WALL. 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.8(a)(19) opens: "Written emergency preparedness plans shall be developed and shall specify the actions to be taken in the event of a fire, tornado or other emergency. Caregivers and assistants in the home shall be familiar with these plans." Then it lists eight mandatory contents, and this is the checklist an inspector reads line by line: "(A) A fire evacuation plan identifying exits from each area used for child care and specifying the evacuation route; (B) A fire evacuation plan identifying a safe assembly area outside of the home. It shall…
• THE FIRE AND TORNADO DRILL LOG — TWELVE DRILLS OF EACH KIND A YEAR, DOCUMENTED, KEPT FOR THREE YEARS. Illinois runs both drills monthly in a day care home, which is heavier than most states and heavier than an Illinois day care centre. 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.8(a)(19)(G) requires "Monthly fire drills to be conducted for the purpose of removing children from the home as quickly as possible" and (H) requires "Monthly tornado drills to be conducted for the purpose of getting children accustomed to moving to a position of safety in the event of a tornado." Then 2007.8(a)(21) fixes the paperwork and the retention in one sentence: "Fire and tornado drills shall be documented and that…
• THE MONTHLY FIRE SAFETY SELF-INSPECTION FILE — ONE YEAR, AND IT IS NOT THE DRILL LOG. Providers merge these two records constantly and lose both. 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.8(a)(20): "The licensee shall hold monthly fire safety inspections of the day care home and maintain documentation on file for a period of 1 year." That is a separate monthly act from the monthly fire drill in 2007.8(a)(19)(G) and it carries a different retention period — one year here, three years for drills under 2007.8(a)(21). A drill moves children out of the building. A fire safety inspection is you walking the house with the checklist and writing down what you found. WHAT YOU INSPECT. The rule does not enumerate, but…
• THE DAILY EXIT-ROUTE INSPECTION LOG — SIGNED BEFORE THE FIRST CHILD ARRIVES, EVERY DAY YOU OPEN. This is a third fire-safety record, distinct from the monthly drill and the monthly self-inspection, and it is the one with prescribed fields. 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.8(a)(23): "The licensee shall inspect the home daily, prior to arrival of children, ensuring that escape routes are clear and that exit doors and exit windows are operable. A log of these daily inspections shall be maintained for at least one year, and shall be available for review. The log shall reflect, at minimum, the date and time of each inspection and the full name of the person who conducted it." Three data points are…
• THE DAILY LIST OF CHILDREN IN CARE — ATTENDANCE AS AN EVACUATION TOOL, NOT AS A BILLING RECORD. Illinois does not impose a general attendance-register rule on a day care home the way it does on a centre. What it imposes is a placement rule, at 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.12(i): "The daily list of children in care shall be readily accessible in case of emergency evacuations and fire drills." The purpose clause is the whole standard. The list has to be where you can grab it on the way out of the door, which in practice means clipped by the exit you use in drills or carried in the bag that goes out with you — not in a kitchen drawer. Pair it with the drill log: an inspector who sees a drill log…
• THE VIOLATIONS LIST AND CORRECTIVE PLAN — THE POSTING NOBODY BUDGETS FOR, BECAUSE IT ONLY APPEARS WHEN YOU FAIL. 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.24(g), verbatim: "When the licensed day care home is cited for one or more substantiated violations of licensing standards by the supervising agency, the caregiver shall prominently display in the home the list of violations and the corrective plan, on a form provided by the supervising agency. The caregiver shall keep the form posted until a licensing representative has verified in writing that every violation on that form has been corrected." Read the last clause slowly. The posting does not come down when you fix the problem. It comes down when a…
• IMMUNISATION AND HEALTH RECORDS — ON FILE THE FIRST DAY, VALID TWO YEARS, AND CONFIDENTIAL RATHER THAN POSTED. Illinois does not put child health information on a wall. It puts it in a file with a hard deadline. 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.14(c): "A medical report, on forms prescribed by the Department, shall be on file for each child, on the first day of care, and shall be dated no earlier than 6 months prior to enrollment." Not within thirty days of enrolment — on the first day of care, on the Department's form, and no older than six months. 2007.14(c)(1): "The medical report shall be valid for 2 years, except that subsequent examinations for school-age children shall be in accordance with…
• ABUSE REPORTING AND THE HOTLINE — A DISTRIBUTION DUTY AND A SIGNATURE DUTY, NOT A PLACARD. The number is in the rule and providers assume it goes on the wall. It does not. 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.24(l): "Suspected child abuse and/or neglect shall be reported immediately to the Child Abuse/Neglect Hotline as required by the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act. The telephone number for the reporting hotline is 1-800-252-2873." That is a duty to report with the number attached; there is no verb of display anywhere in it, and a search of Part 2007 for posting language returns the licence, the permit, the radon report, the lead-in-water results, the emergency telephone numbers, the "no…
• WHAT ILLINOIS DOES NOT MAKE YOU POST — THE POSTER PACK YOU SHOULD NOT BUY. Five wall items that appear in almost every commercial "family child care compliance kit" are requirements of 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2008, which governs DAY CARE CENTERS, and have no counterpart anywhere in Part 2007, which governs your home. First, THE POSTED MENU. 2008.330(g) requires centres to plan menus "at least one week in advance" and to keep corrected menus "on file and available for review for one year after the meals were served"; 2008.330(g)(1) then requires that "Menus shall be posted in the kitchen, the classroom or other area accessible to parents, and made available to parents upon request." Part 2007's…
• WHO CHECKS, WHEN THEY COME, AND WHY "CLOSED TODAY" IS NOT A DEFENCE. Two short sentences govern access. 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.26(a): "Authorized representatives of the supervising agency or the Department shall be admitted to the facility during the facility's hours of operation for the purpose of determining compliance with the Child Care Act of 1969 and standards set forth in this Part." 2007.26(b): "Licensed providers are subject to periodic monitoring as long as the license is valid, whether or not child care is actually being provided." The second surprises people: holding the licence, not enrolling children, is what makes you monitorable. The statute behind it is 225 ILCS 10/5(g):…

Enrollment forms for each child

• CFS 597, APPLICATION FOR CHILD CARE FACILITY LICENSE, REV 3/2020 — AND IT HAS NO BOX FOR YOUR KIND OF HOME. This is the only licence application form Illinois publishes for a licensed facility, and as served today it is still headed "State of Illinois / Department of Children and Family Services" even though 89 Ill. Adm. Code 406 was emptied and recodified as 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007 under the Department of Early Childhood effective 1 July 2026. The rule that obliges you to file it does not name it: 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.4(a) says only that "a complete application shall be filed with the Department by the supervising agency on forms prescribed and provided by the Department", and…
• CFS 718-B-DC, AUTHORIZATION FOR BACKGROUND CHECK FOR DAY CARE, REV 5/2023 — ONE PER HUMAN BEING AGE 13 AND OVER, THREE SIGNATURES EACH. This is the form 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.4(b)(1)(C) means when it demands "completed, signed and dated authorizations to conduct the background check for the applicants, each employee or person used to replace or supplement staff, and each member of the household age 13 and over". Its instruction page is unambiguous: "This form must be completed by every person age 13 or older as part of an application to operate or reside in a day care home or group day care home, and all employees/volunteers at a day care facility regardless of age." The statutory hook is…
• CFS 718-3, BACKGROUND CHECK ROSTER, 11/2002 — THE COVER SHEET THAT PROVES YOU DID NOT LEAVE ANYONE OUT. The roster is the companion to the individual authorisations and it is the instrument by which the file is audited against your household. It is printed bilingually, English and Spanish in parallel columns, and its two directions are the whole point: "1. List all persons subject to a background check (13 years of age or older). 2. Attach a completed/signed Authorization for Background Check form for any person who has not previously undergone a background check." The columns are NAME (Print Last Name First), AGE, ROLE and SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER, and the role codes printed at the foot of…
• CFS 560, CHILD SUPPORT CERTIFICATION, REV. 7/2013 — AND THE OFFICIAL INDEX LINKS YOU TO THE SPANISH ONE. 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.4(b)(1)(D) requires that a complete application include "a completed, signed and dated Child Support Certification form", and 2007.9(e) states the substance in statutory language: "As a condition of licensure, each licensee or license applicant must certify under penalty of perjury that he or she is current or not more than 30 days delinquent in complying with a child support order. Failure to so certify may result in a denial of the license application, refusal to renew the license, or revocation of the license" (Section 10-65(c) of the Illinois Administrative…
• CFS 602, MEDICAL REPORT ON AN ADULT IN A CHILD CARE FACILITY, REV. 03/2016 — ONE FOR YOU, ONE FOR EVERY ADULT UNDER YOUR ROOF. Its own subtitle states the reach: "(Includes employees and volunteers in DCFS licensed child care facilities, operators of day care/group day care homes and other adult members of their households)". The rule requiring it is 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.24(i): "Members of the household, regular substitutes, and assistants shall have a complete physical examination. The medical reports shall be submitted on forms provided by the Department." Section 2007.9(m) applies the same duty to you and everyone living with you — caregivers and all household members must show "they…
• CFS 600, CERTIFICATE OF CHILD HEALTH EXAMINATION, REV 11/2013 — THE SCHOOL FORM, REBADGED, DUE ON DAY ONE. Two rules command it and they are not identical, so read both. 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.14(c): "A medical report, on forms prescribed by the Department, shall be on file for each child, on the first day of care, and shall be dated no earlier than 6 months prior to enrollment." 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.24(d) adds who may sign it: "the examining physician, an advanced practice nurse who has a written collaborative agreement with a collaborating physician that authorizes the advance practice nurse to perform health examinations, or a physician assistant who has been delegated the performance…
• THE IMMUNIZATION RECORD AND THE RELIGIOUS WAIVER — ONE IS A GRID ON A FORM, THE OTHER IS A LETTER NOBODY PRINTS FOR YOU. Illinois does not publish a standalone immunisation card for day care homes. The record lives on side one of the CFS 600, Certificate of Child Health Examination, whose instruction reads "IMMUNIZATIONS: To be completed by health care provider. Note the mo/da/yr for every dose administered. The day and month is required if you cannot determine if the vaccine was given after the minimum interval or age. If a specific vaccine is medically contraindicated, a separate written statement must be attached explaining the medical reason for the contraindication." The grid runs DTP…
• CFS 428, APPLICATION/RECORD OF CHILD INFORMATION, REV. 4/2001 — THE ENROLMENT RECORD, AND IT IS SIGNED BY BOTH OF YOU. This is the identifying record 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.24(c) demands: "There shall be a record of identifying information as required in Section 2007.12(b)(3) on each child received at the time the child is accepted into the home." Not within a week of acceptance — at the time. The form's fields are the emergency architecture of your home: Name of Child, Birthdate, Sex, Address, Date Child Received and Date Child Left; then, for up to two adults, PARENT OR OTHER PERSON(S) PLACING THE CHILD with relation, home address, phone, place of employment, employer address and phone,…
• CFS 593, CONSENTS TO DAY CARE PROVIDERS, REV 7/2007 — SIX CONSENTS ON ONE SHEET, AND THE RULE ASKS FOR SIX DIFFERENT THINGS. 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.24(e) is a closed list: "There shall be signed consent forms from the parent or guardian including: 1) Permission for emergency medical care and treatment if the parent is not readily available. 2) Permission to administer medication, if applicable. 3) Permission for someone other than parent or guardian to pick up child if necessary. 4) Visits, trips or excursions off the premises. 5) Transportation provided by caregiver and caregiver assistant, if applicable. 6) Permission to use the facility's swimming pool, if applicable." The CFS 593…
• CFS 534, MEDICATION ADMINISTRATION LOG, 8/2002 — THE ONLY MEDICATION FORM ILLINOIS PRINTS, AND ITS INSTRUCTIONS ARE ADDRESSED TO SOMEBODY ELSE. 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.14(e) sets five duties around medicine and prescribes a form for none of them. The consent: "(3) There shall be a signed statement by the child's parent or guardian giving permission to the caregiver to administer medication to the child" — that is the ADMINISTER PRESCRIPTION MEDICINE and ADMINISTER OVER-THE-COUNTER MEDICINE blocks of the CFS 593. The instructions: "Necessary medications shall be administered according to specific written instructions provided by the child's parents or guardians." The labelling: "(1)…
• CFS 1050-51, SUMMARY OF LICENSING STANDARDS FOR DAY CARE HOMES, REV 2/2020 — AND CFS 581, THE RECEIPT BOUND TO ITS LAST PAGE, WHICH NO INDEX LISTS. 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.24(f) makes this the one document every parent must physically receive: "The caregiver shall distribute a summary of the licensing standards, provided by the Department, to the parents or guardian of each child at the time that the child is accepted for care in the home. In addition, consumer information materials provided by the Department, including, but not limited to, information on reporting and prevention of child abuse and neglect and preventing and reporting communicable disease, shall be distributed to the…
• CANTS 22, ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF MANDATED REPORTER STATUS, REV. 5/2019 — SIGNED BEFORE THE FIRST DAY, BY YOU AND BY EVERY STAFF MEMBER. 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.24(m) is the rule and it is precise about sequence: "The licensee and each staff person shall sign a statement prescribed by the Department acknowledging his or her status as a mandated reporter of child abuse or neglect under the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act and acknowledging he or she has knowledge and understanding of the reporting requirements under that Act. The statement shall be signed and dated by the staff person PRIOR TO EMPLOYMENT, and shall be maintained by the licensee." Prior to employment means before the…
• CFS 583-B, CERTIFICATION OF INSPECTION FOR UNSAFE CHILDREN'S PRODUCTS (HOMES), REV 08/2024 — YOU SIGN IT, YOU KEEP IT, YOU DO NOT SEND IT. This is the most recently revised form in the day care home packet and one of the few that still matches its authority. The prohibition it certifies is now at 225 ILCS 10/5.2a, "Unsafe children's products; Department of Early Childhood", added by Public Act 103-594 and effective 1 July 2026: "An early care and education center, early care and education home, or group early care and education home may not use or have on the premises an unsafe children's product as described in Section 15 of the Children's Product Safety Act. This subsection (a) does not…
• CFS 585-2, CERTIFICATION OF RADON TEST, 12/2013 — NOT FILED WITH ANYONE, POSTED NEXT TO YOUR LICENCE. Radon is one of two environmental filings that gate the licence, and this form is a posting, not a submission. 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.4(b)(1)(I) puts it in the initial application: "for an initial application effective January 1, 2014 or later, proof that the home has been tested within the last 3 years for radon, as established by rules of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (32 Ill. Adm. Code 422) [225 ILCS 10/5.8]". 2007.5(i) repeats it verbatim for renewal. 2007.8(a)(29) makes it continuous: "Effective January 1, 2013, the home shall be tested for radon at least once every 3…
• CFS 452-7, CHILD CARE FACILITY ATTESTATION (CANNABIS), REV 8/2020 — CERTIFIED BEFORE THE INITIAL LICENCE AND AGAIN BEFORE EVERY RENEWAL. This one-page attestation is not mentioned anywhere in 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007, which is exactly why applicants miss it; it is an application-packet requirement carried by the form itself and by the two Public Acts it recites. Its full title on the face is "COMPLIANCE with the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Program Act (410 ILCS 130/) and Illinois Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act (410 ILCS 705/) — Child Care Facility Attestation". The three prohibitions you are attesting to are printed as bullets: "Cannabis of any type or form shall not be consumed,…
• CFS 671, CHILD CARE FACILITY DRIVER APPLICATION, REV. 4/2004 — THE FORM A DAY CARE HOME ALMOST CERTAINLY DOES NOT FILE, AND WHY THAT MATTERS. Providers copying a centre's checklist file this one needlessly. Read the authority printed on the back of the form: "Pursuant to the Child Care Act [225 ILCS 10/5.1(a)], the Department shall assure that no day care center, group home or child care institution as defined in the Act shall on a regular basis transport a child or children with any motor vehicle unless such a vehicle is operated by a person that complies with the following requirements" — six of them, beginning "is 21 years of age or older". A day care home is not in that list, and never…
• CFS 508 AND CFS 508-1 — THE MONTHLY STAFF RETURN, AND THE THREE REFERENCES THAT DECIDE YOUR LICENCE. CFS 508, "Report of Persons Employed in a Child Care Facility", Rev. 11/2012, is a monthly return with three sections: A, persons employed during the month; B, persons changing positions within the facility; C, persons leaving employment, with reason for leaving. Its footnote sets the cadence: "The facility is to submit report at the end of the month in which changes occur. The facility should retain a copy for its records", and the routing is printed twice: "ATTACH TO THIS FORM, THE CFS 508-1 FOR STAFF LISTED IN SECTIONS A OR B, AND SUBMIT TO YOUR DCFS LICENSING REPRESENTATIVE." Its…
• THE FIRE SAFETY INSPECTION, THE INCIDENT REPORT, AND THE HAZARD PLAN — THREE MANDATORY FILINGS FOR WHICH ILLINOIS PRINTS NO FORM. Stop looking for a fire inspection request form: you do not request it. 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.4(d)(1): "The Department shall request the Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) to perform a fire safety inspection of homes when an initial application is being considered for licensure and when care will be provided on other than ground level and for homes in multi-housing units". For an ordinary single-floor home at ground level with no unusual code considerations, no fire marshal comes at all: 2007.4(d)(2) provides that the inspection "shall be completed…

What's specific about getting licensed in Illinois

Three things set Illinois apart at once. First, the license is genuinely free — no application fee — which surprises applicants used to other states charging. Second, as of July 1, 2026, child care licensure moved out of DCFS to the brand-new Illinois Department of Early Childhood (IDEC), so the agency you deal with changed even though Rule 406 standards still apply. Third, Illinois mandates a radon test of the home (many states don't) and uses a distinctive '8 alone / 12 with a qualified assistant, your own kids under 12 included' ratio structure. Few states combine a no-fee license, a radon requirement, and a fresh 2026 agency handover.

How long it takes and what it costs in Illinois

Timeline: Illinois doesn't publish a fixed processing time. The rules set a 2-month permit (a temporary document that lets you start once core items clear) and a license that is then valid for 3 years. Realistically, plan several months from first contact to full license — often about 2 to 6 — with the pace set by your fingerprint background clearances (Illinois State Police + FBI), the OSFM fire-safety inspection, the radon test, and getting your 15 pre-service hours and CPR done.

Cost: The license itself is free — Rule 406.6(j) states plainly that there is no fee or charge for a day care home license, and you don't pay the state to apply. Your real out-of-pocket costs come from the supporting items: fingerprint-based background checks, a radon test, first aid/Heimlich/infant-child CPR certification, and the required medical exam/physical. Much of the required pre-service training is available free through the state's Gateways to Opportunity / INCCRRA system. Exact statewide dollar amounts for fingerprinting, radon kits, and CPR classes vary by vendor, so confirm current prices locally rather than assuming a fixed figure.

Source: Sources officielles consultées pour Illinois :

https://www.ilga.gov/agencies/JCAR/AdminCode

https://www.ilga.gov/agencies/JCAR/Parts?TitleID=023

https://www.ilga.gov/agencies/JCAR/Sections?PartID=02302007

https://www.ilga.gov/agencies/JCAR/EntirePart?titlepart=02302007

https://www.ilga.gov/agencies/JCAR/Parts?TitleID=089

https://www.ilga.gov/agencies/JCAR/EntirePart?titlepart=08900406

https://www.ilga.gov/agencies/JCAR/EntirePart?titlepart=08900405

https://www.ilga.gov/Legislation/ILCS/Articles?ActID=1293&ChapterID=24

Verified 2026-08-26. General information, not legal advice and not a guarantee of licensure — confirm with your state’s licensing agency before applying.