• IAN: Illinois AfterSchool Network
• Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI): Effort to promote articulation between associate and baccalaureate programs. The Early Childhood Panel of IAI, comprised of representatives from 2- and 4-year institutions, was convened in 1994 to determine a minimum core of specialized early childhood lower-division courses that could transfer between institutions of higher education. Currently, six articulated ECE classes representing up to 18 semester hours can be transferred contingent on the receiving institution accepting these credits.
• Illinois Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators (IAECTE): Illinois affiliate of the National Association for Early Childhood Teacher Education (NAECTE), a national organization of early childhood faculty from four-year higher education institutions.
• Illinois Association for the Education of Young Children (ILAEYC): A statewide nonprofit organization of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, that includes local chapters who support early childhood practitioners through advocacy and professional development opportunities.
• Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE): IBHE analyzes the aims, needs, and requirements of Illinois higher education to guide development of the state's system of public and private colleges and universities; recommends budgets for operations and grants and for capital improvements for higher education institutions and agencies; approves proposals by public university governing boards and the Illinois Community College Board for new units of instruction, research, or public service; grants authority to operate and to grant degrees for independent and out-of-state institutions; administers state and federal higher education grant programs; and maintains data about Illinois higher education.
• Illinois Community College Board (ICCB): The Illinois Community College Board has been the statewide voice for the Illinois Community College System since its inception in 1965, working closely with other higher education agencies, the Illinois Legislature, Congress, federal government, and other statewide and national associations to promote the initiatives of the community colleges and higher education. ICCB is the state coordinating board for community colleges. Its mission is to administer the Public Community College Act in a manner that maximizes the ability of the 39 community college districts (48 colleges) to serve their communities, promotes cooperation within the system, and accommodates those State of Illinois initiatives that are appropriate for community colleges.
• Illinois Community Colleges Online Initiative (ILCCO): A statewide online degree or certificate program. Its mission is to expand access to learning opportunities for all residents of Illinois independent of location and/or time. ILCCO's purpose is to provide a wide range of online learning opportunities to Illinois residents at a reasonable cost and allow students at any community college to access, through their home college, online courses and programs delivered from other Illinois community colleges.
• Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS): The state agency that oversees the regulation of child care centers, family child care homes, and family group homes, as required by the Child Care Act of 1969, as revised.
• Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS): State agency that administers a range of early childhood programs, including the Child Care Assistance Program, the statewide CCR&R system, the State Head Start Collaboration Office, the Early Intervention program, Home Visiting programs such as Healthy Families Illinois and Parents Too Soon, and others.
• Illinois Director Credential (IDC): Voluntary administrative credential for center-based early childhood directors, administered by the Illinois Network of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies. The IDC validates the achievement of competencies necessary for effective leadership and management of center-based early care and education programs.
• Illinois Division for Early Childhood (I-DEC): Professional organization promotes evidence-based practice, supports growth and development of young children with special needs.
• Illinois Early Childhood Intervention Clearinghouse: A statewide project that provides library and information services at no cost to residents of Illinois interested in early intervention. Includes information on health, educational and developmental concerns of infancy and early childhood, and publishes a free quarterly newsletter.
• Illinois Early Learning Standards: Developed by the Illinois State Board of Education, these standards document benchmarks for children from birth through five years of age. They align with the Illinois Learning Standards, which define what elementary and secondary students are expected to know and be able to do in various subject areas.
• Illinois Head Start Association (IHSA): A statewide organization that includes members from local Head Start and Early Head Start programs, their partners and community representatives. This is a state Head Start advocacy group of the National Head Start Association, a nonprofit organization dedicated to meeting and addressing the concerns of the Head Start community.
• Illinois Head Start Collaboration Office: Each state has a Head Start State Collaboration Office that is a vehicle for broad collaborations in early care and education. Illinois’ State Head Start Collaboration Office is located within the Department of Human Services’ Bureau of Child Care and Development.
• Illinois Infant Toddler Credential: Still under development, this voluntary credential will define the core competencies for Illinois professionals and paraprofessionals who work with infants and toddlers and serve as a symbol of professional achievement.
• Illinois Network of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (INCCRRA): A statewide organization funded by the Illinois Department of Human Service which works in partnership with its member Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) agencies to support child care practitioners, manage the statewide child care subsidy program, support families in locating child care and provide local and statewide professional development opportunities.
• Illinois Professional Teaching Standards: Defines expectations for all teacher and administrator candidates. Aligned with INTASC and NCATE standards, well as state standards for students (Illinois Early Learning Standards, Illinois Learning Standards).
  
  Illinois Resource Center (IRC): A not-for-profit corporation that provides a broad range of professional development services and instructional resources (spanning from early education through adult learning) for school communities throughout Illinois and the nation.
  
  Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE): Led by a nine-member Board and the State Superintendent of Education, ISBE is a state agency that administers programs pursuant to the School Code and distributes funds to school districts. ISBE administers the Early Childhood Education Block Grant, which supports three state-funded early childhood programs (Prevention Initiative, Parental Training, and State Prekindergarten for Children At-Risk of Academic Failure), as well as federally funded programs such as Early Childhood Special Education and Even Start.
• Illinois State Curriculum Center (ISCC): The collection includes curriculum guides, textbooks, videotapes and reports in the major areas of education to careers in applied academics. The Center houses Tech Prep, School to Work, Employment and Training, and other special materials. Materials are loaned for two-week or 30-day periods.
• Illinois Trainers Network (ITN): A group of trainers throughout the state of Illinois who focus on enhancing professional development and provide quality training and materials for center and family child care providers. This program is sponsored by the Illinois Network of Child Care and Resource and Referral Agencies and requires individuals to meet specific application requirements and attend required training.
• Illinois Training Directory of Early Childhood Training Organizations: Published by the Ounce of Prevention Fund, the directory describes information on Illinois organizations that offer training, education, and professional development opportunities for staff working with expecting parents and families with young children.
• Illinois Virtual Campus (IVC): An online clearinghouse that lists all the distance learning courses being offered throughout the state of Illinois on one searchable website. Web-based, compressed video, and telecourses are all listed on the IVC webpage; however, IVC does not offer degree or certificate programs nor does it include a mechanism to help students to complete such programs through more than one community college.
• Independent Institution: A college or university governed by an independently chosen board. Sometimes referred to as a private school.
• Indicator: An identified marker/benchmark or value used to indicate the level of an outcome.
• Individual Education Plan (IEP): A document specifying the goals and objectives to be attained, by the student, as a result of receiving special education services; the services to be provided, the frequency and intensity. The IEP must also document any accommodations or alternate assessments, if needed, to participate in the local, district and/or state accountability assessment system.
• Individual professional development plans: Documents that provide a framework connecting various professional development experiences to each other and to the common core of knowledge and professional standards for early education professionals. See also Early Childhood Education Professional Development: Training and Technical Assistance Glossary.
• Infant: A child under 15 months of age.
• Informal care : Refers to relative care or child care in a family home setting that is exempt from DCFS licensing requirements (see “License exempt family child care”).
• Instructional resources: Materials and credentials of people available to create learning opportunities
• Infrastructure: Connections organized to support activities.
• Instructional hour: Generally, 16 instructional hours equals 1 credit hour in the community college system
• Interdisciplinary: A term used to describe classes that include more than one discipline or field of study.
• Internship: Supervised practical training in an early childhood program.
• ISBE PreK: Early childhood program funded and regulated by the Illinois State Board of Education and offered by local school districts for children, ages 3 to 5, identified as at-risk for academic failure.
• ITERS: Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale