Child Development Management Information System (CDMIS)
August 2, 2004
Improvements Are Coming!
Welcome to the first in a series of periodic CDMIS Updates, where we’ll be sharing many improvements that are being made to the Child Development Management Information System. As CDMIS users log on to the system, they’ll be reminded to check for the latest edition of the CDMIS Update. Copies will also be available online and can be accessed at CDMIS Updates.
Some of the system improvements currently in development include:
- Automated edit checks that will help agencies improve the quality of the data they submit
- Improved Help screens
- Improvement of existing and development of new data quality reports that will provide information for agencies as well as California Department of Education
- An improved format for the CDD-801B submission to make agency data entry staff’s job easier
- A new “No Services” section on the Agency/Sub-Agency information screen so that Super Users will be able to report periods of “no services” online by simply placing a check mark in the appropriate box
- Additional data fields that will enable CDE to automate the CDD-800 process (see story below)
In addition to the changes that agency users will see, many improvements are being made “behind the scenes” that will speed up Web access and remove technical barriers that have been identified over the last year.
As new features are ready for use, they will be described in CDMIS Updates, so keep an eye out for the latest edition!
Automation of CDD-800 Submissions
CDMIS staff had hoped that methods could be developed for using monthly data submissions so that agencies would no longer need to submit a separate CDD-800 report of annual unduplicated counts. After careful investigation, it was concluded that the monthly CDD-801A does not currently contain the information needed to be able to derive the CDD-800 count. Three new fields in the monthly CDD-801A submission are needed in order to accomplish this. Programmers are presently at work to add those fields to the database so that the required data can be collected beginning with the October 2004 reporting period, which is the first month of the required 2005 federal report.
Agencies need to alert their data management staff, as well as vendors if they use software products from outside vendors, that the three new fields will be required beginning with the October 2004 reporting period.
The three new fields are:
- A start date for the family
- A start date for the child
- A start date for the setting
To reduce the burden on agencies, all families, children, and settings can begin with an October 1, 2004 start date. However, if an agency wishes to insert the actual start dates from its files, the system will accept the actual dates.
For agencies that use Electronic File Transfer to upload monthly data, in mid-August CDE will be modifying the “Instructions and Electronics File Format Specifications” on the CDMIS Web site to indicate precisely where the three new fields will be added. Vendors and agencies will be notified through CDMIS Updates of instructions for accessing a test site that will be available in October.
With the addition of the three fields, CDE will be able to automate the CDD-800 report. Beginning with October 2004 through September 2005 data, agencies will no longer need to submit a separate CDD-800 report.
Key steps and dates for this new process are as follows:
| Time Frame | Action |
|---|---|
| Now | Agencies begin to modify their data collection to add three new fields as described above. |
| Mid-August 2004 | CDE posts new file format on Web site. |
| October 2004 | Test facilities are available to agencies and vendors to test new file format and uploads. |
| October 1, 2004 | Agencies are prepared to collect three new data elements as part of the enrollment and record keeping process. |
| November 2004 | Agencies submit October’s monthly CDD-801A data, including three new data fields (NOTE: CDE will automatically add a start date of October 1, 2004 for users who input their data via the Web. Users who upload their data via Electronic File Transfer may use October 1, 2004 as start date.) |
| December 2004 | Agencies submit November’s monthly CDD-801A data. This is the first month that agencies with new families, children, and/or settings will need to enter new start dates. |
Watch for future issues!
For more details about the CDD-800 Automation and to learn about more improvements to the system. CDMIS staff welcomes your comments, as well as suggestions for topics to be discussed in these CDMIS Updates.
