MB 23-03 and PLIS FAQs

Contractors must determine dual language learner status for every child enrolled in the California State Preschool Program (CSPP) by one of two approaches:

• Conduct the Family Language Instrument to determine dual language learner status, or
• Obtain information on the child’s designation as an English learner in Transitional Kindergarten (TK) or kindergarten as specified below. (This approach is only possible if the child is dually enrolled in TK or kindergarten and CSPP for extended learning and care.)

If using the Family Language Instrument, contractors must complete the instrument with the parent or guardian of each child no later than upon enrollment. If using English learner designation to determine dual language learner status, contractors must obtain documentation of the designation no later than upon enrollment.

Contractors must then conduct the Family Language and Interest Interview for children identified as a dual language learner within 30 calendar days of enrollment.

A child enrolled in the CSPP is determined to be a dual language learner if a language other than English is the answer to questions 1, 3, or 4 on the Family Language Instrument.

If the answers to the Family Language Instrument questions 1, 3, or 4 indicated English only, but program staff determine within 30 calendar days, through child observations, that the child demonstrates they speak, respond to, or understand a language other than English, the contractor is required to share these observations with the family and review with the family the responses to the Family Language Instrument, updating the answers to the questions as necessary to ensure proper designation.

For children receiving extended learning and care from part-day CSPP outside of their TK or kindergarten instructional minutes, pursuant to Education Code (EC) 48000(l), the contractor may choose (but is not required) to determine the dual language learner status of the child based on their English learner designation in the Transitional Kindergarten through grade 12 (TK-12) system. The English learner designation is determined through the Initial English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC).

If contractors are unable to or choose not to determine dual language learner status based on English learner designation from the ELPAC for dually enrolled children, contractors must administer the Family Language Instrument for those children to determine dual language learner status.

Yes, the parent or guardian of each child enrolled in CSPP must complete the Family Language Instrument no later than upon enrollment unless DLL status is being determined by obtaining information on the child’s designation as an English learner in TK or Kindergarten. If using English learner designation to determine dual language learner status, contractors must obtain documentation of the designation no later than upon enrollment.

The California Department of Education (CDE) recommends the questions from the Family Language Instrument be added to the Application for Services form or other intake forms or packets, as opposed to a separate document.

It is also important to remind parents or guardians that if a language other than English is identified on the Family Language Instrument for answers to Question 1, 3, or 4, their child can be prioritized for enrollment.

If families have concerns about answering these questions, please share the language found in the Purpose and Framework of the Family Language Instrument with parents and families to help ease any concerns or answer any questions they may have around determination of status in CSPP and TK-12. Additionally, the language found within the Instructions section of the Family Language Instrument can be shared.

If a family answers more than one language on questions 1, 3, or 4 of the Family Language Instrument, the child is determined to be a DLL for the purposes of the CSPP. The order of responses does not matter, for example if they place English ahead of another language. Once the child is determined to be a DLL, the Family Language and Interest Interview must be completed for that child.

No, the Family Language and Interest Interview is only required to be completed for all children enrolled in CSPP who have been identified as a DLL. The Family Language and Interest Interview must be conducted within 30 calendar days of enrollment.

It is recommended that contractors share the language found in the Purpose and Framework of the Family Language and Interest Interview with parents and families to help ease any concerns or answer any questions around the purpose of the interview. Additionally, the language found within the Instructions section of the Family Language and Interest Interview can be shared.

The CDE recommends at least fifteen minutes be dedicated per family interview and the intent of this interview is to build a relationship with the family. However, if the formal interview setting does not work, these questions can be asked informally either at drop off or pick up or during other interactions with the family. Teachers and /or designated staff can ask the questions from the Family Language and Interest Interview in an informal setting and capture their responses after the fact. As a reminder, contractors must keep written responses to the questions from the Family Language and Interest Interview in the family data file and add pertinent information from these responses into the Preschool Language Information System (PLIS) in accordance with the PLIS Data Reporting Instructions.

Please ensure you are attempting to receive responses from the Family Language and Interest Interview as much as possible for children identified as DLL. However, if a child is identified as a DLL from the Family Language Instrument but disenrolls before responses in the Family Language and Interest Interview are received, all required DLL fields (Home Languages, Most-Used Language, Family Written Communication Preference, and Verbal Communication Preference) can be responded to with the language option "UU-Unknown" for fields where a response was not received.

If the parent or guardian initially responded English only to Questions 1, 3, and 4 of the Family Language Instrument and within 30 calendar days through child observations, the child demonstrates they speak, respond to, or understand a language other than English, the contractor must meet and share these documented child observations with the family and review the responses to the Family Language Instrument and update as necessary to ensure proper designation.

During this meeting, the following can be shared by the contractor to help to reassure and address parents and families concerned about the implications of answering the questions and about DLL identification in preschool. Specifically, contractors can:

• Share the benefits of multilingualism and home language development. These resources can be found in the MB.
• Share that proper designation can ensure that their child will be correctly assessed in their language development in the Desired Results Developmental Profile (DRDP) and the proper additional support will be provided from the program in order to develop their home language and English language skills.
• Address the concern that this designation will serve them only in preschool and is different from any identification process or program supports a child might later receive as an English learner in TK or kindergarten.
• Share that additional funding is provided to best support DLLs and this funding is used to provide teachers and staff with professional development or classroom supplies in other languages.

If at this time the parent or guardian still chooses not to update their answers to the Family Language Instrument, the child’s teacher may designate the child as a DLL through a Teacher Designation.

This Teacher Designation can only occur after 30 calendar days and after meeting with the parent or guardian. If Teacher Designation is used, contractors must include the following in the family file:

1. Written observations for how the child has demonstrated they speak, respond to, or understand a language other than English.
2. Documentation from conversation with the family about their responses to the Family Language Instrument.

In the Preschool Language Information System (PLIS), the “Teacher Designation of DLL Status” field only appears if the “Dual Language Learner (DLL)” field is marked as “Yes” or “Y.”

If the child is designated as a DLL based on Teacher Designation, through the process detailed above, contractors must change the DLL Status to “Yes” and enter a Teacher Designation of "Yes" into PLIS.

For children identified as a DLL through Teacher Designation, contractors should attempt to obtain and document responses to Questions 4,6,7, and 8 from the Family Language and Interest Interview within 30 calendar days of designation as these responses are still required.

The Date of Instrument would not change and would stay to indicate the Instrument was completed no later than upon enrollment. 

Yes, even if a full-day contractor is not seeking to claim the adjustment factor as stated in the MB, beginning January 1, 2023, this process is required to be completed for all children enrolled in CSPP.

In order for full-day CSPP to utilize the dual language learner adjustment factor, the process for identification of a dual language learner set forth in this MB must be used as of January 1, 2023.

Contractors who enroll children after January 1, 2023, must have made the determination that the child is a dual language learner as described in the Determining Dual Language Learner Status section in the MB in order to report the child under the dual language learner adjustment factor category. Documentation of dual language learner status using the process described in the Management Bulletin will support the reporting of the child days of enrollment under the dual language learner adjustment factor category.

No, contractors are encouraged to claim the three-year-old adjustment factor as the three-year-old adjustment factor is higher than the adjustment factor for a DLL and only one adjustment factor can be claimed for each child day of enrollment reported. However, all contractors, including part-day contractors, still need to have identified the child as a DLL and report them as such in the Preschool Language Information System (PLIS) as required by EC 8241.5. Reporting a DLL into the PLIS does not mean you are claiming the DLL adjustment factor, it just means this required data is being collected as required by law.

While contractors are not required to report the child days of enrollment associated with those identified as DLL under the DLL adjustment factor, the CDE would like to remind contractors that adjustment factors increase the per child reimbursement they receive, as long as the increase in reimbursement in aggregate does not exceed the contractor’s contract maximum reimbursable amount. Contractors should use these additional funds to support meeting the requirements of the tool and survey, including but not limited to recruitment of staff to support DLLs, purchasing materials or professional development to support teachers in instruction for DLLs.

Yes, these requirements must be followed by both part-day and full-day CSPP.

Contractors can put the required questions from the Family Language Instrument on any existing forms or integrate asking the required questions into any existing process as long as the requirements of the Management Bulletin (MB) are followed.

The questions in the instrument are required unless the children are dually enrolled in TK or kindergarten and documentation has been provided identifying English learner status in TK or kindergarten.

If surveys previously used in the past asked the same questions as are found in the Family Language Instrument, they can continue to be used. However, if the surveys previously used do not have the same questions, the contractor will need to ask the questions from the Family Language Instrument to the family, no later than upon enrollment.

The HLS specifically is a process used starting in Transitional Kindergarten (TK) and kindergarten, which students complete along with the English Language Proficiency Assessment for California (ELPAC) upon entry to TK or kindergarten. As a reminder, if a child enrolled in CSPP is also enrolled in either TK or kindergarten, the contractor may choose (but is not required) to determine the dual language learner status of the child based on their English learner designation in the TK-12 system. The English learner designation is determined through the ELPAC. If contractors are unable to or choose not to determine dual language learner status based on English learner designation for dually enrolled children, contractors must administer the Family Language Instrument for those children to determine dual language learner status.

Both the Family Language Instrument (Attachment A) and the Family Language and Interest Interview (Attachment B) have a Purpose and Framing section as well as an Instructions section with some language that can be shared with parents and families.

Contractors are only required to have one Family Language Instrument completed per child. If the child has two households, the family should indicate the languages spoken in both households on the Family Language Instrument and identify which language is the most used language overall for the child.

If a child is transferring from CCTR to CSPP, the Family Language Instrument must be completed no later than upon enrollment and if the child is identified to be a DLL the Family Language and Interest Interview must be completed within 30 calendar days of enrollment.

No, the family is only required to complete the Family Language Instrument and Family Language and Interest Interview, if applicable, once upon enrollment. 

No, contractors must conduct the Family Language and Interest Interview for children identified as a dual language learner within 30 calendar days of enrollment as specified in the MB. However, as stated in the MB, families can be interviewed by the child’s teacher or by other designated staff. This would allow staff that are available during enrollment to conduct the Family Language and Interest Interview. As a reminder, if the child’s teacher is not the staff conducting the interview, the staff conducting the interview must share the results with the child’s teacher in order to best support the child.

• A completed Family Language Instrument must be kept and saved in the family data file.
• For children that are dually enrolled in both CSPP and transitional kindergarten (TK), and determination of dual language learner status is obtained by using the child’s TK English Learner designation. Documentation of English Learner designation received from families or from local educational agencies (LEAs) serving the child in TK must be saved in the family data file.
• For children that are identified as dual language learners, any notes and/or responses from the Family Language and Interest Interview must be kept as part of the family data file.

The purpose of collecting the data is to provide more detailed information to programs so they can better support their dual language learners as well as providing information to state leaders so they can make informed policy and programmatic decisions. Additionally, collecting data aligns with the Legislature’s intent to connect information about dual language learners in the California Cradle-to-Career Data System.

All PLIS information will be removed when a new quarter begins. However, there is a function to download a previous quarter’s report, so if there are children that are continuing to be enrolled from quarter to quarter, you can download and reupload their information back into the PLIS. This will allow you to easily reinput classroom information.

When uploading information in this manner, contractors must review the data prior to submission to ensure it accurately reflects report data pertaining to that quarter.

There are two methods of reporting in the PLIS; you can either manually input each child, or you can upload an electronic file that is formatted to meet the PLIS Report specifications.

Upon logging in to the PLIS, your PLIS Dashboard will either say "Current Child Records" or "No Child Records were found."

If it says, “No Child Records were found,” you have not submitted any PLIS data for the current reporting quarter.

If it says "Current Child Records," it should say “Showing 1-10 of __ Child Records." Whichever number is before the "Child Records" is the number of children you have reported on in the current reporting quarter.

If the update was made mid-reporting period, please report in the current quarter’s PLIS Report. If the update was made after the submission period, please report in the following quarter’s PLIS Report.

All students need to be assessed using Attachment A – Family Language Instrument. If a child is determined to be a DLL from the Instrument, they must also be assessed using Attachment B – Family Language and Interest Interview. If a child is not determined to be a DLL from the Instrument, they do not need to utilize Attachment B for data collection.

No, but some answers to the Family Language Instrument and Family Language and Interest Interview are PLIS Report data fields for children identified as DLL, so please use the received responses from the Family Language Instrument and/or Family Language and Interest Interview to answer those questions. As a reminder, the completed Family Language Instrument and Family Language and Interest Interview or notes from it must be kept and saved in the family data file.

The PLIS Data Reporting Instructions found on the PLIS Landing Page will serve as the user manual for PLIS.

Yes, all CDMIS users will also have access to the PLIS and can submit data.

Yes, both part-day and full-day CSPP must be reported into PLIS.

Yes, all children, both DLL and non-DLL, must be reported into PLIS. In PLIS you must indicate whether a child is a DLL or not.

Please only submit the PLIS report on children whose enrollment is state funded through the CSPP; these should be the same children reported in the 801A.

Please only report children that receive CSPP services in the PLIS Report; if they are reported in the CDD-801A Report with CSPP as their Program Code, they must be reported in the PLIS Report.

This data is collected multiple times a year to account for children enrolling and disenrolling from the program and to document any changes in the program.

Yes, once you re-upload a previous quarter, you can manually modify the report for children who have been added or removed during the current quarter being reported on.

Please report the child in the PLIS report if they were enrolled for at least one day or more during the quarter. Once they have not been enrolled for an entire quarter, they must be removed from the PLIS Report.

In the PLIS Report, if a child attended multiple sites during the quarter, please report the site the child spent the majority of the reporting quarter attending. For example, if they were in Site A from January 1 through February 20, and Site B from February 21 through March 31, please report Site A’s information in the PLIS Report. You may begin reporting Site B during the following quarter if they were provided services in Site B for the majority of the quarter.

The PLIS will collect this data for CSPP children as you cannot do it in the 801A. The English Learner field in the 801A refers to the Home Language Survey for school-aged children only.

Unfortunately, due to the limitations of the CDMIS, this report could not be developed in that system.

You may utilize the export Monthly Child Care Population Report (CDD-801A) report function in order to generate the 801A and cut and paste data fields from the 801A to repurpose shared fields from the 801A to the PLIS report.

Shared fields are listed in the PLIS 801A Data Crosswalk which can be found on the PLIS Support Landing page.

Yes, the PLIS has the “Generate Previous Quarter’s Report,” which functions like the copy forward feature. This feature will allow you to download an electronic copy of the previous quarter’s data and resubmit it for the current quarter.

The 801A asks about English Learner status based on the Home Language Survey, which is only applicable for K-12 children not for CSPP children.

No, the PLIS Report is in addition to the monthly CDD-801A report.

The 801A (CDMIS) report is a monthly report that is due on the 20th of each month. The PLIS Report is an additional report that is required quarterly.

Site information is not retained within the PLIS. All site information must be reported on during each PLIS Report submission, as the information on CDMIS does not carry over to PLIS.

Upon logging in to PLIS, you can select a sub-agency. The sub-agencies in PLIS are the same as the sub-agencies in CDMIS. All sub-agencies in CDMIS carry over as options in the PLIS.

Yes, if you update your password in CDMIS, your password will automatically update in PLIS as well.

We intend to align the PLIS and CDMIS 801A language options in the near future so that all languages are offered in both systems. In the meantime, if a language is available in the PLIS but not in the CDMIS 801A, please report the specific language code in PLIS and the code 99 – Other non-English language in the CDMIS 801A. We will notify the field once the languages are aligned.

Yes, please ensure that all children in your 801A from the corresponding quarter (three months of 801A reporting) are also reported in your PLIS Report. The PLIS Support Team will provide some outreach to agencies that have unmatched data in the 801A versus the PLIS Report, but we ask agencies to diligently ensure their reporting is accurate across both systems.

No, the Primary Language for the CDD-801A report is derived from the Form-9600 Language Code section. The Most-Used Language is derived from the Family Language and Interest Interview Question 6. Please do not use the CDD-801A Primary Language data in the PLIS Report; you must use the Family Language and Interest Interview for the Most-Used Language in the PLIS Report after the child is designated a DLL.

For directions on reporting the Primary Language in the CDD-801A report, please refer to the Child Care Reporting – Child’s Primary Language web page.

For more information on reporting the Most-Used Language in the PLIS Report, please refer to the PLIS Data Reporting Instructions.

Yes, each child will need to be entered individually into the PLIS system.

You must input a FICN into the PLIS Report, in addition to the CICN. The CICN is unique to PLIS and does not currently exist in the 801A report.

Yes, the date the Family Language Instrument was provided must be input into PLIS even if the child is not designated as a DLL.

Yes, these siblings must be input into the PLIS Report separately. Siblings must have the same information in the Family tab (FICN, Head-of-Household Name, and written and verbal communication preferences, if applicable), but they must have different CICN.

The most-used language field can be answered based on the response in the Family Language and Interest Interview, Question 6, and will only accept a single language choice. The home language(s) field can accept more than one language and can be answered based on the response in the Family Language and Interest Interview, Question 4.

Yes, you can use a number generated in the CICN field as long as it is unique to each child and will be maintained from month to month. However, the PLIS does automatically generate CICN’s, so we recommend utilizing this feature by leaving the field blank.

No. The FICN should be maintained at the family level, whereas the CICN is maintained at the child level. Siblings of the same family should have the same FICN but must have a different CICN. If you are unable to maintain CICN, please leave this field blank as it will be generated automatically by the PLIS.

The child’s race and ethnicity that is submitted in the CDMIS on the CDD-801A report should match the race and ethnicity that is submitted on the PLIS Report.

If the language is not listed, please input code 99 – Other Non-English Language for now. However, we would appreciate it if you could also email the PLIS Support Inbox at PLIS@cde.ca.gov to notify us of the missing language, so that we can update the options for language codes as needed.

If the child’s name changes mid-quarter, please report the name used in the majority of CDD-801A reports for the quarter. For example, if Name A is reported in the January and February CDD-801A report, but Name B is reported in the March CDD-801A report, please report Name A in the Quarter 3 PLIS Report. You may begin reporting Name B in the Quarter 4 PLIS Report if it is used in the April, May, and June CDD-801A Reports. This applies for both First and Last Name changes.

Please ensure all other child information remains unchanged.

Please use the date in which the child enrolled in CSPP services as the Date of Enrollment. This may be the Child Start Date from the CDD-801A but can be a different date; they are not required to be the same.

The lead teacher means a person with the appropriate permit issued by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing who provides program supervision and instruction that includes supervision of a number of aides, volunteers, and groups of children.

For the purposes of reporting, a lead teacher can also mean the following: master teacher, head teacher, or any other staff with the appropriate permit issued by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing who provides program supervision and instruction that includes supervision of a number of aides, volunteers, and groups of children in the classroom.

The PLIS Data Reporting Instructions provides a definition for proficient:

• The ability to speak, read, write, and understand the language, as well as an ability to integrate the language into culturally and linguistically appropriate interactions with children.

Please report the languages of any staff who spent the majority of the quarter within the classroom for the child reported on. If the other staff change for the following quarter, please update accordingly.

Please report the languages of the lead teachers and other program staff that were in the classroom at the time during the reporting period.

Other program staff refers to adults who are hired to work in the classroom and work with the children daily (or almost daily), for a substantial portion of the day. This does not apply to parents, volunteers, therapists, or others who may interact with children for short or irregular periods of the day.

The Language Program information field indicates which program type the classroom participates in. This field is required. Below are the program types available in the PLIS:

• Dual Language Immersion Program: Dual Language Immersion Program information field indicates if the classroom or facility is a dual language immersion (DLI) program participant.
  • A dual language immersion program is a program that provides integrated language learning and academic instruction for native speakers of English and native speakers of another language, with the goals of high academic achievement, first and second language proficiency, and cross-cultural understanding. Selecting this option indicates that the classroom or facility participates in a DLI Program. Please choose one of the following language allotment types for the dual language immersion program the classroom participates in:
    • 50/50 Program (01): The 50/50 Program information field indicates if the classroom or facility is in a program where the intent is to offer a balance of English and a language other than English, where English and the other language are used equally throughout the program day.
    • Other Language Allotment (Majority Non-English) Program (03): The Other Language Allotment (Majority Non-English) Program information field indicates a classroom or facility where a proportion of more than half of content is taught in a language other than English and the remainder of content is taught in English.
• Other Language Allotment (Majority English) Program (02): The Other Language Allotment (Majority English) Program information field indicates a classroom or facility where a proportion of more than half of content is taught in English, and the remainder of content is taught in a language other than English.
• Other Language Program (99): The Other Language Program information field indicates that the classroom or facility participates in other language programs or other programs used during instruction that helps to develop home language not listed above.
• Home Language Support (04): English-only with home-language support.
• None (00): The None field indicates that the classroom or facility does not participate in a language program.

Please use the name of the specific site in the “Site Name” field; please ensure this site name is the same site name in the CDMIS and should be what is on the license.

Unfortunately, the classroom and facility information will need to be input separately for each child.

If the site name and license name are different, please report the site name consistent with what is in the CDMIS.

Please input the license number and site name in the Classroom and Facility information section of the PLIS Report. You do not need to input the Agency name.

The header row is the top row of the report that will include labels for each data field.

There is not currently a feature to download an error report.

Yes, a template is available on the PLIS site.

The report may be able to be generated from a software vendor for the first submission; however, we would recommend that if you do not utilize a software vendor for generating your CDD-801A report, it would be easier to manually input your data for the PLIS Report instead of creating an electronic file to upload.

We have notified all known software vendors of the new reporting requirements. We ask you to inquire with your specific software vendor to confirm their awareness of the new reporting requirements.

If an agency has an outstanding PLIS Report, the PLIS Support Team will send an email to the agency’s executive and program directors notifying them of the outstanding report. The PLIS Support Team will work with the agency to ensure the report is successfully submitted. The CDE has integrated PLIS reporting requirements into established payment withhold procedures, similar to the payment withhold procedures for non-submission of 801A or 801B reports. If a PLIS report has not been completed by the first of the month following the due date, the agency will have their apportionments withheld until the PLIS Report is received.

The Family Language Instrument must be completed no later than upon enrollment while the Family Language and Interest Interview must be completed within 30 calendar days. Please enter the child record into PLIS within the required reporting period. If the child is later determined to be a DLL, please update the DLL designation, and complete the Family Language and Interest Interview within the 30 days. If the reporting period has already passed, please ensure to report them in the following reporting period.