---
title: "Professionalism Training Requirements for ECE in Illinois"
id: "21242"
type: "page"
slug: "professionalism"
published_at: "2026-05-22T06:06:25+00:00"
modified_at: "2026-06-09T17:40:51+00:00"
url: "https://mybrightwheel.com/ece-professional-development/illinois/professionalism/"
markdown_url: "https://mybrightwheel.com/ece-professional-development/illinois/professionalism.md"
excerpt: "Illinois Professionalism requirement Illinois requires licensed childcare staff to complete 15 hours per year of continuing education as a condition of state licensing. Professionalism training counts toward these requirements — topics such as professional development, ethics, and career advancement are..."
---

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 › [Professionalism](https://mybrightwheel.com/ece-professional-development/illinois/professionalism/)
 › Professionalism Training Requirements for ECE in Illinois

# Professionalism Training Requirements for ECE in Illinois

## Find out how Illinois’s CE requirements apply to Professionalism training — and how brightwheel Professional Development courses count toward your compliance.

Illinois Professionalism requirement

Illinois requires licensed childcare staff to complete 15 hours per year of continuing education as a condition of state licensing. Professionalism training counts toward these requirements — topics such as professional development, ethics, and career advancement are recognized qualifying categories under the Illinois DCFS (Rule 407) continuing education requirements. brightwheel Professional Development is accepted in Illinois and offers IACET‑accredited Professionalism courses that staff can complete on demand, with all completions tracked automatically in brightwheel. brightwheel courses auto‑post completed hours directly to the Illinois Gateways Registry.

Illinois — Professionalism training at a glance

| Annual CE hours (teachers) | 15 hours per training year |
| --- | --- |
| Training period | Annual |
| Professionalism maps to | professional development, ethics, and career advancement |
| Regulatory authority | Illinois DCFS (Rule 407) |
| brightwheel approved in Illinois | ✓ Yes — accepted for Illinois CE requirements |
| Auto‑posts to Illinois Gateways Registry | ✓ Yes — completed course hours post automatically to staff registry accounts |
| Professionalism courses in Illinois | View brightwheel courses |

## About Professionalism (CDA VI)

Professionalism — CDA Competency Area VI — covers the dispositions, ethical standards, and professional practices that characterize skilled, reflective early childhood practitioners who are committed to the field and to continuous growth.

Early childhood education is a demanding profession with high turnover and competing pressures. Professionalism training gives educators the ethical framework, reflective skills, and career perspective they need to build sustainable, meaningful careers — benefiting themselves, their teams, and the children and families they serve.

## Illinois Professionalism training requirements

Illinois childcare staff must complete 15 hours of annual continuing education as a condition of maintaining a license from the Illinois DCFS (Rule 407). Professionalism training counts toward these hours — professional development, ethics, and career advancement are recognized qualifying CE topics. brightwheel Professional Development is accepted in Illinois and offers IACET‑accredited courses aligned with the Professionalism competency area.

Staff complete brightwheel’s Professionalism courses on demand — each course is 1 hour, self‑paced, and includes an assessment with a certificate of completion. All completions are recorded automatically in the brightwheel administrator dashboard, making compliance documentation straightforward for Illinois licensing audits.

## What Professionalism training covers

brightwheel’s Professionalism courses cover the knowledge and skills early childhood educators need to support children in this competency area. Topics include:

NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct and ethical decision‑making

Reflective practice and professional self‑assessment

Burnout prevention, self‑care, and sustainable practice

Professional goal‑setting and career development planning

Implicit bias awareness in teaching and interactions

Advocating for children, families, and the profession

Workforce issues: wages, equity, and professional recognition

Building collaborative and supportive workplace relationships

## ExceleRate Illinois and Professionalism

ExceleRate Illinois

✓ Professionalism training supports ExceleRate Illinois quality criteria

ExceleRate Illinois is Illinois’s Quality Rating and Improvement System. Staff professional development in CDA‑aligned competency areas is a core component of ExceleRate Illinois quality ratings — programs that demonstrate ongoing staff training earn higher ratings. brightwheel’s IACET‑accredited courses align with the professional development requirements recognized by ExceleRate Illinois, and the automatic tracking dashboard makes it straightforward to demonstrate staff training during program quality evaluations.

[ExceleRate Illinois →](https://www.childcareaware.org/resources/state-by-state-resource-map/)

## How brightwheel connects to the Illinois Gateways Registry

✓ Brightwheel automatically posts completed Professionalism course hours to the Illinois Gateways Registry for eligible staff. When a staff member completes a course, the hours are recorded in their brightwheel profile and transmitted to the Illinois Gateways Registry automatically — no manual data entry required.

[Illinois Gateways Registry →](https://registry.ilgateways.com/)

## Frequently asked questions

Is brightwheel Professionalism training accepted in Illinois?

Yes. Brightwheel Professional Development is accepted for continuing education requirements in Illinois. Courses are IACET‑accredited and cover Professionalism competencies recognized by the Illinois DCFS (Rule 407).

How many CE hours does Illinois require for childcare staff?

Illinois requires all licensed childcare staff to complete 15 hours of annual continuing education.

Does brightwheel auto‑post Professionalism course hours to the Illinois registry?

Yes. Brightwheel courses auto‑post completed hours directly to the Illinois Gateways Registry. Staff add their registry ID once in their brightwheel Professional Development profile — every course completed after that is recorded automatically.

How do I get a certificate for a brightwheel Professionalism course?

Each brightwheel course includes a final assessment. Staff who score 80% or higher receive a certificate of completion that can be used for Illinois licensing documentation and QRIS verification. Certificates are available to download from your brightwheel Professional Development profile at any time.

Does completing brightwheel’s Professionalism courses count toward a CDA credential?

Brightwheel courses are aligned with CDA VI — Professionalism — of the CDA competency framework. However, earning a CDA credential requires additional components beyond course completion, including a Professional Portfolio, a formal observation, and an exam administered by the Council for Professional Recognition. Brightwheel courses provide the continuing education component of CDA preparation but are not a standalone pathway to CDA certification.

## Other competency areas available in Illinois

[CDA I · IllinoisSafe and Healthy Environment](https://mybrightwheel.com/ece-professional-development/illinois/safe-healthy-environment/)
[CDA II · IllinoisPhysical and Intellectual Development](https://mybrightwheel.com/ece-professional-development/illinois/physical-intellectual-development/)
[CDA III · IllinoisSocial and Emotional Development](https://mybrightwheel.com/ece-professional-development/illinois/social-emotional-development/)
[CDA IV · IllinoisFamilies](https://mybrightwheel.com/ece-professional-development/illinois/families/)
[CDA V · IllinoisProgram Management](https://mybrightwheel.com/ece-professional-development/illinois/program-management/)
[CDA VII · IllinoisObservation and Documentation](https://mybrightwheel.com/ece-professional-development/illinois/observation-documentation/)
[CDA VIII · IllinoisChild Development](https://mybrightwheel.com/ece-professional-development/illinois/child-development/)
[All areas · IllinoisView all Illinois requirements →](https://mybrightwheel.com/ece-professional-development/illinois/)

## Meet Illinois Professionalism training requirements with brightwheel

Brightwheel offers IACET‑accredited Professionalism courses accepted in Illinois — with automatic tracking and Illinois Gateways Registry auto‑posting built in.

[View full course roster](https://info.mybrightwheel.com/professional-development-courses?state=illinois&course=professionalism)

[https://iacet.org/ap/140328/](https://iacet.org/ap/140328/)
**Accreditation:** Brightwheel is accredited by the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and offers IACET CEUs for its learning events that comply with the ANSI/IACET Continuing Education and Training Standard. IACET is recognized internationally as a standard development organization and accrediting body that promotes quality of continuing education and training.