SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel spearheaded a new law creating education standards for childcare directors, ensuring Illinois families have peace of mind that the people watching over their children’s care and development have high-quality professional preparation.
“Safety is at the forefront of every parent’s mind when they drop their little one off at daycare,” said Loughran Cappel (D-Shorewood). “This law ensures that childcare workers have the proper training and education to provide the best care.”
When the Illinois Department of Human Services surveyed daycare centers in 2023, a majority of respondents said that it was “somewhat difficult” or “very difficult” to find qualified staff to fill open positions, including directors. Recognizing that childcare center directors are vital to the facilities staying open, Loughran Cappel led House Bill 4587.
The law allows interim conditional childcare directors to work at a daycare center for 12 months while completing educational requirements for the profession. However, the legislation only lets licensed daycare centers with a fully credentialed director hire interim childcare directors, and the centers cannot employ more than one interim director per fully credentialed director.
“We not only want to keep our children safe, but we also want to make sure there are enough daycare workers to do that,” said Loughran Cappel. “By allowing daycare centers to hire interim conditional childcare directors, we are increasing the number of workers in Illinois’ childcare industry, which will in turn keep our children safe and help parents.”
House Bill 4587 was signed into law Friday and takes effect July 1, 2027.
