Missouri CCBIS: Sending Attendance From CheckInKids to KinderConnect (2026)

The Short Version

Missouri pays child care subsidy on attendance, and attendance goes through CCBIS, the Child Care Business Information Solution. Families check in, the record has to be in the system within 12 hours, and missed times must be fixed within 15 days. CheckInKids records who made each check-in and check-out and sends the days to KinderConnect; one with no name, such as one made with the shared staff PIN, is held back. Before you switch, settle one question with DESE: the contract names the state's device or smartphone option for parent check-in, and DESE has not said publicly whether check-ins in other software meet that rule.

How CCBIS Works

DESE tells providers: "You will be required to use the CCBIS system to collect attendance for all children in care." CCBIS includes KinderConnect, the web system at ccbis.mo.gov/KinderConnect, with KinderSign on state tablets and KinderSmart on families' phones. DESE provides free tablets: up to one for every 30 subsidy-eligible children under the July 2026 contract, while its CCBIS FAQ counts all enrolled children.

Several software vendors already send Missouri attendance to KinderConnect from their own systems through KinderBridge. The contract, though, names the state device or the smartphone option for parent check-in (see below), so confirm with DESE that check-ins in your software meet that rule. Payments, remittances and sliding fees are handled separately, in DESE's Child Care Data System (CCDS) portal.

Connecting CheckInKids, Step by Step

1. Have a DESE subsidy contract and a CCBIS KinderConnect account. Contract questions go to 573-526-3011 or CCSubsidyAgreements@dese.mo.gov.
2. Ask us to turn on KinderConnect for your center at hello@checkinkids.com.
3. Contact KinderSystems Missouri support at 833-866-1709, option 9, or supportMO@kindersystems.com, and ask them to enable the KinderBridge integration for CheckInKids. They give you a Provider ID and a group password.
4. Enter them in CheckInKids on the KinderConnect page, Setup tab. Choose your start date and press Find matches. Exact matches link at once; you confirm close matches and link any other subsidy child by hand.
5. Send every day, soon after pickup. A day can be sent once the child is checked out; see the 12-hour rule below.
6. Submit after the month ends in KinderConnect under Attendance, Submit. The Missouri KinderConnect help is blunt: "Attendance submissions with Pending or Incomplete status will not be eligible for payment."

Missouri Rules That Decide Whether a Day Gets Paid

Parents check in, and verify every log

The subsidy contract effective July 1, 2026 requires the provider to have every subsidy-eligible parent, guardian or sponsor use the POS device (the state tablet) or the smartphone option to check children in and out each day the child attends. It also requires a parent or guardian verification on every attendance log: a signature, a PIN, or a check-in through the parent's own account. DESE has not said publicly whether check-ins in other software meet the first rule, so ask DESE at CCBIS@dese.mo.gov before you rely on them.

Enter attendance within 12 hours

The contract says the provider "shall enter attendance in 'real-time' or within 12 hours of the clock in or clock out of the child." A day can be sent from CheckInKids once the child is checked out, and DESE has not said publicly whether a send from other software counts as that entry, so ask DESE how the rule applies to you.

Fix missed times within 15 days

If a family missed a check-in or check-out, the provider may add a time in or a time out to that day, but not both. Missed times must be corrected within 15 calendar days of the missed attendance, or the provider is not paid for them. The CCBIS support site says providers have 45 days to correct attendance, but under the 2026 contract a missed time not corrected within 15 calendar days is not paid, so follow the 15 days. Once a month is submitted, the only route is a Payment Resolution Request within 60 days of the service month.

Absences and holidays have tight caps

An absence is excused only when the family gives notice, within five calendar days for an unplanned one. After 10 consecutive unexcused days, the provider makes two documented contact attempts and reports to DESE between days 10 and 15; after 30, the child's eligibility may end.

DESE pays at most five absences and holidays a month for children authorized for 20 or more units, or three for 3 to 19 units, and only if the child attended at least once that month. It pays at most 11 holidays per state fiscal year, and a holiday is "any day the facility is closed for any reason during normal operating hours and no children are in care."

Exact times set the units

DESE turns times into units: a part day is 30 minutes to 2:59, a half day 3:00 to 4:59, and a full day 5 to 12 hours, with separate daytime, evening and weekend bands. A few minutes can move a day into a different unit, so the times you send need to be the real ones.

Keep who dropped off and who picked up

Under 5 CSR 25-200, the register shows the name of the person who dropped off and picked up each child, recorded at the time it happened, and is kept for five years after the child's last day of subsidized care.

How CheckInKids Helps

• Parents and authorized pickups check in with the phone number on file, on your tablet or on their own phone after scanning your center QR code, so their check-ins carry their names, and KinderConnect receives those names.
• The kiosk can ask for a signature at check-in and check-out.
• Staff can use their own personal PINs, and a check-in or check-out with no name is held back instead of sent.
• Check-ins and check-outs are recorded to the second and sent to KinderConnect in the time zone saved for your center.
• A day with a problem, such as a check-in with no check-out, is held back with the reason so you fix it first.
• Days outside a child's authorization are shown but never sent.
• Each time correction is logged with who made it, the old and new times, and when.

A Practical Checklist

1. Confirm your DESE subsidy contract and your CCBIS KinderConnect login.
2. Ask DESE at CCBIS@dese.mo.gov whether check-ins in CheckInKids meet the contract's check-in rule.
3. Ask CheckInKids to turn on KinderConnect, then ask KinderSystems Missouri support to enable the integration.
4. Enter the Provider ID and group password in CheckInKids and link your subsidy children.
5. Make parent check-in the norm for subsidized children.
6. Send every day after pickup, and fix missed times within 15 days.
7. Submit each month in KinderConnect, and watch payments in CCDS.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to use CCBIS in Missouri?

Yes. DESE requires subsidy providers to collect attendance in CCBIS, which includes KinderConnect.

Can I use my own child care software instead of the state tablet?

Possibly. Several software vendors send Missouri attendance to KinderConnect through KinderBridge, but the July 2026 contract requires subsidy-eligible parents, guardians and sponsors to check children in and out on the POS device or the smartphone option, and DESE has not said publicly whether check-ins in other software meet that rule. Ask DESE at CCBIS@dese.mo.gov before relying on it.

How long do I have to fix a missed check-in or check-out?

Within 15 calendar days under the contract effective July 1, 2026. After attendance is submitted, changes go through a Payment Resolution Request within 60 days of the service month.

How many absences and holidays does Missouri pay?

At most five absences and holidays a month for 20 or more authorized units, or three for 3 to 19, and only if the child attended at least once that month. At most 11 holidays are paid per state fiscal year, and a holiday is any day the facility is closed during normal operating hours with no children in care.

Where do I see my subsidy payments?

In DESE's Child Care Data System (CCDS) portal. Payment questions go to 573-522-1385 or CCPayments@dese.mo.gov.

KinderConnect, KinderSign, KinderSmart and KinderBridge are KinderSystems products. This guide is not legal advice; confirm requirements with DESE.