Permanent recruiting for preschools and child care centers across Illinois.
Since July 1, 2026, the new Illinois Department of Early Childhood (IDEC) handles licensing, CCAP and Preschool for All in one place. If your contacts or forms changed this summer, that’s why.
Every new staff member who works with children has to join the Gateways to Opportunity Registry within 30 days of hire, and Smart Start Workforce Grants set a wage floor for teachers and assistant teachers in grant-funded classrooms. We ask candidates for their Gateways information before you interview them.
Preschool for All teachers need a Professional Educator License (PEL) with an early childhood endorsement, though for now a Gateways ECE Credential Level 5 works while they finish the PEL. Classrooms are capped at 20 children with a 1:10 ratio. PEL holders who are willing to work outside a school district are hard to find, so we reach out to them directly.
Illinois has the seventh-largest child care center workforce in the country.
Private centers with paid staff across the state.
Average annual pay per child care employee in 2025, including part-time staff (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
We recruit for every role in Illinois centers, from lead and assistant teachers and floaters to cooks, assistant directors and center directors. Every hire is a permanent placement on your payroll.
Anywhere in the state. Recent searches have included Chicago (Lincoln Park, Roscoe Village, Ravenswood, River North) and suburbs including Naperville, Schaumburg, Lombard, Oakbrook Terrace, Warrenville, Skokie, Northbrook, Gurnee and Elgin.
On roles we have recruited for in Illinois, posted teacher pay has ranged from about $15 to $25 an hour, and center director pay from $62,000 to $80,000 a year. Pay depends on the role, credentials and the school.
Directors must be 21, with an associate in child development or ECE (or 64 semester hours, 21 in the field) plus a Gateways Director Credential Level I or administration coursework. Centers licensed for more than 50 children need a full-time, non-teaching director. See the full Illinois director rules.
A lead teacher must be at least 19 with a high school diploma or GED, plus 60 semester hours of college credit (6 in child development), 30 semester hours (6 in child development) and a year of experience in a licensed center, or a CDA, CCP or Gateways ECE Credential Level 3 or higher. See the full Illinois teacher rules.
Under 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2008 (formerly 89 Ill. Adm. Code 407.190), ratios are (max group size in parentheses): infants 6 weeks to 14 months 1:4 (12); toddlers 15 to 23 months 1:5 (15); 2-year-olds 1:8 (16); 3- and 4-year-olds 1:10 (20); 5-year-olds 1:20 (20); school age 1:20 (30). The youngest child sets the ratio. The Illinois Department of Early Childhood took over licensing in July 2026, so watch for updated rules.
ExceleRate Illinois rates programs as Licensed, Bronze, Silver or Gold. Bronze is earned largely through staff qualifications and training, and Gold adds ratio and group size benchmarks, so credentialed teachers move your rating.
We contact you within 24 hours of your request, and our sourcing team starts after a short intake call. Book a call to talk through your open roles.
We handle the search so you can run your school. From single classrooms to multi-site networks, we find the people who fit.