I. Overview

CAPSDAC 2.0 is a statewide reporting initiative led by the California Department of Education (CDE). It standardizes how child, enrollment, and educator data is collected and reported for the California State Preschool Program (CSPP).

Agencies are required to submit CAPSDAC 2.0 data by July 1, 2026, if the agency:

• Is a Local Educational Agency (LEA)
• Holds an active CSPP contract

CareConnect currently supports 2 out of the 14 standardized CAPSDAC 2.0 domains:

• Child
• Enrollment

This article explains how CAPSDAC 2.0 works in CareConnect and why each setup step is required before generating and exporting reports.

II. Configuring CAPSDAC Reports

Before generating CAPSDAC 2.0 reports, your agency must complete several configuration steps. These settings tell CareConnect that your agency is CAPSDAC-eligible and define which organizations, sites, and programs should be included in reporting.

1. Mark Your Organization as an LEA

Where to go:
Admin > Organization > Profile Tab

How:
Go to the Admin Module, then open Organization > Profile. Make sure the Local Education Agency (LEA) box is checked.

Why:
CAPSDAC 2.0 reporting applies to agencies that are designated as Local Educational Agencies. Checking this box tells CareConnect that your organization is eligible for CAPSDAC reporting and allows the system to recognize your agency as an LEA for reporting purposes.

2. Enable CAPSDAC Reporting

Where to go:
Admin > Organization > Settings Tab

How:
From the Admin Module, go to Organization > Settings and make sure CAPSDAC reporting is enabled.

Why:
Enabling CAPSDAC reporting activates the CAPSDAC-related reporting options in CareConnect. This allows the system to collect, validate, and generate the required Child and Enrollment domain data.

3. Add Site-Level LEA Identifiers

Where to go:
Admin > Sites > Profile Tab

How:
Go to Admin > Sites, open each site’s Profile, and enter the required LEA identifiers:

• LEA County Code
• LEA District Code
• LEA School Code

Why:
CAPSDAC requires site-level LEA identifiers so student records can be correctly associated with the appropriate county, district, and school. Without these identifiers, records may be incomplete or invalid when submitted to the CDE CAPSDAC portal.

4. Add CDE as the Program Funding Source

Where to go:
Admin > Eligibility > 801A Programs

How:
Go to Admin > Eligibility > 801a Programs and make sure CDE is added as the funding source for the applicable program.
 

Why:
The funding source determines which programs are available when generating CAPSDAC reports. Adding CDE as the funding source ensures that the program appears as an option in the CAPSDAC report generation window.

III. Capturing CAPSDAC Data

Student enrollment and eligibility records are the primary data sources for the CAPSDAC Child and Enrollment domains. CareConnect uses information from student profiles, site enrollments, and eligibility records to compile the required report data.

To generate accurate reports, agencies should make sure all required student information is complete before running CAPSDAC reports.

1. Complete Student Personal and Enrollment Information

Where to go:
Students > Site Enrollments > Personal Info Tab

How:
Open the student record and complete the required personal and enrollment fields under Students > Site Enrollments > Personal Info.

Complete the following fields:

• First Name
• Middle Name, if applicable
• Last Name
• Date of Birth
• Gender
• Birth Country
• Birth City
• Birth State
• Race
• Ethnicity
• Enroll Date
• End Date, if applicable
• Enrollment End Reason, required when a child leaves the program

Why:
This information identifies who the student is, when the student was enrolled, and which demographic details must be reported. These fields are core data elements used in the CAPSDAC Child and Enrollment domains.

If any required fields are missing or invalid, the report may display validation errors that must be corrected before submission.

2. Complete Student Eligibility Information

Where to go:
Students > Site Enrollments > Eligibility > Student

How:
Open the student’s eligibility record and complete the required eligibility fields under Students > Site Enrollments > Eligibility > Student.

Complete the following fields:

• Start Date
• IEP, Individualized Education Program indicator
• CSPPID
• Race Specifications
• SSID

Why:
Eligibility information links the student to funding, services, and required program indicators. CAPSDAC 2.0 uses these details to determine how the student should be reported within the supported domains.

Completing this section helps ensure that the student’s record is properly included in the CAPSDAC report and reduces the chance of missing or invalid data during verification.

IV. Generating CAPSDAC 2.0 Reports

After the required organization, site, program, student, and eligibility information has been completed, you can generate CAPSDAC 2.0 reports in CareConnect.

CareConnect currently supports the following CAPSDAC 2.0 domains:

• Enrollment
• Child

IV. Open the CAPSDAC 2.0 Reports

Where to go:
Students Module > Reports

How:
Go to the Students Module, then open the Reports section. Locate the CAPSDAC 2.0 report domains for Enrollment and Child.

Click Generate for each domain you need to create.

Why:
Each CAPSDAC domain must be generated separately because each report contains a different set of required data. Generating the reports allows CareConnect to compile the data from the related student, enrollment, eligibility, site, and program records.

2. Select Report Criteria

How:
Within the report generation window, select the appropriate criteria:

Program:
This is a multiple-selection field. It displays programs that have CDE listed as the funding source.

Site / Provider:
This is a multiple-selection field. It displays the sites and providers available under your user permissions.

Report Month:
Select the report month. Report month options begin from 07/2026 and continue onward.

Why:
These selections tell CareConnect which student records should be included in the report. Selecting the correct program, site/provider, and report month ensures the report reflects the correct reporting population and time period.

3. Open the Generated Report

How:
Once the report is generated, click the green icon to open and view the Report Detail page.

Why:
The Report Detail page allows you to review the report data before submission. This helps your agency identify missing, incomplete, or invalid information before exporting the final file.

Why:
Verification helps agencies find data issues before submitting the report to the CDE CAPSDAC portal. This reduces the risk of rejected files or required corrections after submission.

2. Correct Missing or Invalid Data

How:
If a record needs correction, click View & Edit on the applicable row.

CareConnect will automatically validate required fields. Missing or invalid fields will display a red exclamation mark with a message explaining what needs to be fixed.

Why:
Correcting data directly from the report detail workflow helps ensure that each student record meets CAPSDAC reporting requirements. The validation messages guide users to the specific fields that need attention, making it easier to resolve issues before export.

VI. Exporting CAPSDAC Reports

After all incorrect, missing, or invalid data has been corrected, the report is ready to export.

Export the Report

Where to go:
Report Detail Page

How:
Within the Report Detail page, click Export to download the report as a CSV file.

Why:
The exported CSV file is the file your agency will submit to the CDE CAPSDAC portal. Exporting should be done only after the report has been reviewed and verified to help ensure the data is complete and ready for submission.

VII. Summary

To successfully generate CAPSDAC 2.0 reports in CareConnect, agencies should first configure organization, site, and program settings. Then, agencies should complete the required student personal, enrollment, and eligibility data.

Once setup and data entry are complete, CareConnect can generate the supported CAPSDAC 2.0 domains, verify missing or invalid data, and export the final CSV file for submission to the CDE CAPSDAC portal.