Answers common California Preschool Accounting Reporting Information System or CPARIS FAQs regarding logging in, passwords, user roles, and reporting as of July 17, 2022
Frequently Asked Login and Password Questions
1. What is CAS? Is it different than CPARIS?
The Centralized Authentication System (CAS) is a separate website where usernames and passwords are established for use with California Department of Education (CDE) administered systems; CAS is also where users will go to update password information as those passwords expire.
Contractors holding both CDE and CDSS contract types may use CPARIS to view payment information. Required enrollment, attendance, and fiscal reports are also submitted in CPARIS.
2. I received the message “CPARIS access is not available to you. Contact CPARIS Support to grant you access” when I try to logon. Why don’t I have access?
This message means that the username that you are attempting to log in with has been established through the CAS but has not been granted access to CPARIS. Access to CPARIS can be granted by any Agency Admin user at your agency.
If you receive this message, contact your Agency Admin user and provide them with your username. If you do not know who the Agency Admin user is at your agency, contact your fiscal analyst.
3. I received the message “Invalid Username or Password. You must register in CAS (below) before you can logon to the System.”
You are receiving this message for one of three reasons:
- The password has been entered incorrectly.
To reset your password, refer to the instructions in question 4 below.
- The username has been typed incorrectly.
Contact your Agency Admin to verify the username.
- You have not registered a username or password.
From the CPARIS logon screen, click on “New Registration.” The web browser will be redirected to CAS to create a username and password. Follow the prompts; upon successful registration, you will receive a confirmation email. Provide the email to your Agency Admin user to be added as a user of CPARIS.
Please note, if you already have a CPARIS username, you do not need to register a new one. If you do not remember the password for your existing username, refer to the instructions in question 4 below.
4. I forgot my password. How do I reset it?
To reset a forgotten password, from the CPARIS logon screen, follow these steps:
- Select the “Forgot Password” link from the CAS User Links options. The link redirects you to CAS.
- Enter your username.
- Enter your email address.
- Select one of the two security questions that you chose when you created your user account, then enter the answer you previously chose. Note: If you do not remember either of your security questions, then we recommend attempting to answer all of the security questions until you answer one correctly as the system will not lock you out for answering a question incorrectly.
- Select Submit.
- If you entered the above information correctly, you will receive a message that an email has been sent to your email address. If you don’t receive the email, please check your junk email folder.
- The email will contain a long alphanumeric Temporary User ID. Select the "go to" link in the email.
- After the link has opened, copy and paste (or enter) the Temporary User ID from the email into the Temporary User ID field.
- Enter a new password into the second field. Passwords must meet the following criteria: at least eight characters; at least one uppercase letter; at least one lowercase letter; at least one number; and at least one special character, such as !@#$%^&*.
- Enter the new password, again, into the third field.
- Select the Enter key or Submit option.
The system will indicate in black lettering that your password reset was successful. If you do not receive this message, an error occurred and you will need to try to reset your password again.
5. Do passwords expire?
Yes, passwords expire every 90 days. After an attempt to logon, if your password has expired, the CPARIS screen will display a password expired statement in red lettering. To reset an expired password, from the CPARIS logon screen, follow these steps:
- Select the "Update" link from the CAS User Links options. The link redirects you to the CAS.
- Enter your username.
- Enter your Current Password.
- From the Menu, select Update Password.
- Enter your current password.
- Enter a new password.
- Then enter the new password, again, in the Confirm Password field.
- Select Update.
A message stating that you successfully updated your password should display. It is important to remember that CAS does not take you back to CPARIS. Once you have successfully updated your password, you must log out of CAS. Close any browser windows that were open to CAS and/or CPARIS, wait one to five minutes, then log into CPARIS with your username and new password.
Note: Please do not let your system save your password. If the password field on the CPARIS logon screen displays dots or asterisks, then it is likely your old password that is still saved there. You may have to clear the cache from your computer in order to delete the old saved password. You can consult with your agency’s technology office for assistance in clearing your cache from your particular system.
6. How do I update my user information (such as my email address)?
To update your user information, from the CPARIS logon screen, follow these steps:
- Select the "Update" link from the CAS User Links options. The link redirects you to the CAS.
- Enter your username.
- Enter your Current Password.
- From the menu, select Update Personal Information
- Update relevant information
- Select Update.
A message stating that you successfully updated your information should display. It is important to remember that CAS does not take you back to CPARIS. Once you have successfully updated your information, you must log out of CAS. Close any browser windows that were open to CAS and/or CPARIS, wait one to five minutes, then log into CPARIS with your username and password.
Frequently Asked User Role Questions
1. What is an Agency Admin user?
An Agency Admin user is a user with additional permissions. This user has the ability to view payment information, view report data, and manage users.
2. Is there a limit to the number of Agency Admin users at my agency?
No. Agencies must have at least one Agency Admin user, but they are allowed to have multiple Agency Admin users.
3. Our agency’s Agency Admin user needs to be changed. What is the process we should follow?
Agency Admin users can update roles by navigating to the User Management tab in CPARIS and selecting the username they wish to modify. Upon selection of the username, the Update User screen will appear. Select the updated role and click Save. If your agency only designates one Agency Admin user, and that person leaves the agency without designating another Agency Admin user, please contact your fiscal analyst.
4. How do I add new users at my agency?
New users must be added by an Agency Admin user. To add new users, navigate to the user management tab. Type in the username of the person you are adding and click save.
5. I have just updated my user role. Why can I not see/use my new permissions?
After a user role has been changed or added, you will need to log out and back in for the changes to take effect.
Frequently Asked Reporting Questions
1. Can I print my report?
Yes. CPARIS is a web-based system, and allows printing from within your web browser. Note that, due to the change in reporting beginning with January 2022 Enrollment, Attendance, and Fiscal Reports, each tab must be printed separately.
2. The contract I am reporting for is a quarterly reporter, do I need to report monthly in CPARIS? When I navigate to “All Report Forms” under the “Reporting” tab in CPARIS, I see monthly reports.
Reporting deadlines are specified in each contract, and have not changed with the rollout of reporting in CPARIS. Agencies who report on a quarterly basis have the option to report monthly if they so choose. By selecting “All Report Forms” under the “Reporting” tab, you will see all of the reporting periods in which you are able to enter data. If, as a quarterly reporter, you instead select “Current Forms” under the “Reporting” tab, then you will instead only see the relevant quarterly report form required for your contract.
For contracts reporting quarterly, quarterly reports should continue to be submitted using September, December, March, and June reports.
3. I’m trying to enter report data, but I see this message in red at the top of the reporting screen: Based on your user role, this information is Read Only and provided for display and communication. Any selections or data entered cannot be saved. In order to enter and save data into this report, you must have the assigned role of Data Entry Representative or Authorized Representative. Please contact any Agency Admin user at your agency to update your role.
This message means your username does not have one of the two user roles necessary for reporting assigned to you. Users whose role is to enter report data should have the role of Data Entry Representative assigned. Users whose role is to enter report data and/or certify, or electronically sign, reports, should have the role of Authorized Rep assigned.
If you see this message and you believe you should be able to enter report data, contact your Agency Admin user. Any Agency Admin user at your agency can update your permissions.
Please note, any data entered when you have view-only rights will not be saved.