IL SB2446

Requires criminal background investigations for child care facility employees and volunteers every 5 years, as mandated by the Child Care and Development Block Grant, with fingerprint checks against Illinois State Police and FBI databases

Allows day care centers and homes to hire employees on a probationary basis after completing either an FBI fingerprint check or an Illinois State Police check combined with criminal record checks from states where the person resided in the past 5 years; pending full clearance, new hires must be supervised by someone with completed background checks

Mandates the Department of Early Childhood establish a secure online background check portal by July 1, 2026, allowing applicants to submit forms electronically, check status, receive notifications about missing documents, and search for clearance history

Extends day care center, day care home, and group day care home license validity from 3 years to 5 years, and requires full monitoring and inspection reports with corrective actions to be posted in plain language on the Department's consumer education website within 30 days

Requires the Illinois State Police to publish by September 30, 2025 a list of acceptable government documentation proving a child's identity and age for enrollment purposes, and allows a 90-day grace period for parents to provide documentation after a child's first day of attendance