This article helps Multi-Site Admins fix missing or incorrect attendance records, resolve errors blocking subsidy submissions, and understand why attendance report counts may not match expectations.
Understanding Attendance in Multi-Site Admin
Attendance in Playground works at the individual site level, each location manages its own check-ins and check-outs, and records are stored per student per classroom. As a Multi-Site Admin you can view attendance data across all your locations via reports, but check-in and check-out events always occur at the site where a student is enrolled. Most attendance issues stem from one of three things: missing or incomplete attendance records, a mismatch between what Playground has on record and what a state subsidy portal expects, or pulling the wrong report type.
Manual Attendance Corrections
If a student has a missing or incorrect check-in or check-out time, because a family forgot to sign in, the kiosk wasn't used, or a time needs to be changed, you can correct it manually from the admin dashboard.
Add or Edit an Attendance Entry
From your Admin Dashboard, navigate to the site where the student is enrolled using the location switcher at the top of the page.
Click Students in the left navigation under My School.
Click the student's name to open their profile, then click the Activity tab.
Under Attendance Log, click Click to show attendance records to expand the log.
Use the date range filter to find the day that needs correction, then click Edit on the relevant entry to update the check-in or check-out time.
💡 If there is no attendance entry at all for a given day, click Add attendance in the top right of the Attendance Log to create a new record for that student and date.
🚨 Attendance records tied to a subsidy submission that has already been sent cannot be edited in Playground. Any corrections after submission must be made directly in your state's subsidy portal.
Mark a Student Absent
If a student was scheduled but did not attend, mark them absent rather than leave the day blank. Blank days can cause issues in subsidy reporting.
From the student's Activity tab, expand the Attendance Log.
Click Add absence in the top right of the Attendance Log, select the date, and save.
Subsidy Attendance Issues
Multi-Site Admins who submit attendance to state subsidy agencies (like CCA, TX3C, or KinderConnect) encounter a distinct set of issues related to timing, data validity, and student eligibility. See also: Troubleshoot Submitting Subsidy Attendance.
No Attendance Showing in the CCA Portal
Attendance data does not appear in the CCA Attendance portal until the pay period has officially closed. This is expected behavior, you cannot view or submit data for an open period.
From your Admin Dashboard, click the Integrations tab and select Manage next to CCA Attendance.
Select the Attendance Period and Provider ID, then click Get Attendance Data. Allow a few seconds for the data to load.
If you already submitted this period directly through your state's KinderConnect portal, the data will not be available for submission through Playground for that same period.
💡 For Texas (TX3C), submissions can be made after midnight on the day after the pay period closes.
A Student Is Not Appearing in the Attendance Portal
If a specific student is missing from the CCA Attendance upload list, their CCA ID may not be entered in their student profile.
Navigate to Students and open the student's profile.
On the Overview tab, scroll to the Custom Fields section and locate the CCA ID field.
Enter the student's CCA ID and save.
Refresh your browser and reload the CCA Attendance portal, the student should now appear.
Submit Button Is Blocked or Shows a 🚫 Cursor
If you hover over the upload button and see a 🚫 cursor or the button is unresponsive, one of the following conditions is blocking the submission.
Attendance errors present | One or more students have invalid records (e.g., missing check-out). Click Edit on the attendance row to correct it, then retry. |
Period already submitted | The period was already submitted through Playground or directly in KinderConnect. Click the View Submissions tab to confirm. |
No students selected | Students must be selected using the checkboxes before the upload button becomes active. |
Firewall blocking upload | If you're on a center Wi-Fi with a firewall, ask IT to whitelist |
Report Counts Look Wrong
The Attendance Reports section offers multiple report types. The Blank AM/PM report shows sessions with missing entries, while other reports only include students with meal posts or recorded check-ins, so totals can look different even for the same date range.
From your Admin Dashboard, navigate to Reports and click the Attendance section.
Review which report type you are using. The Daily Attendance report shows all check-ins for a date range. The Blank AM/PM report shows students who have a scheduled session but no check-in recorded.
If totals still look off, confirm that the correct date range and classroom filters are applied.
💡 To export attendance for an entire month, use the Daily Attendance report with the date range set to the full month, then click Export to download as a CSV.
FAQ
Can I submit subsidy attendance for some students but not others if some have errors?
Can I submit subsidy attendance for some students but not others if some have errors?
Yes, select individual students using the checkboxes in the CCA Attendance portal and submit only those with valid records.
For students with errors (like a missing check-out), correct the attendance first, then submit them separately.
Keep in mind that Playground can only submit to the state portal once per pay period, any subsequent corrections must be made directly in your state's subsidy system.
Can I print attendance for the whole school for a full month?
Can I print attendance for the whole school for a full month?
Navigate to Reports → Attendance and select the Daily Attendance report.
Set the date range to the full month.
Click Export to download as a CSV, or use your browser's print function to print directly from the report view.
Why does my CCA attendance show a different number than my Playground attendance report?
Why does my CCA attendance show a different number than my Playground attendance report?
The CCA Attendance portal only counts students who have a valid CCA ID entered in their profile and attendance records within the selected pay period.
Playground's attendance reports count all check-ins regardless of subsidy eligibility.
If the numbers differ, check that all subsidy-enrolled students have a CCA ID entered under Overview → Custom Fields, and that no attendance records are marked as invalid.