With more Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) seats available, managing student records accurately is more important than ever. This guide shares best practices and troubleshooting tips for setting up and maintaining VPK records in jmc Office to support smooth data management and accurate state reporting to the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE).
What grade 0 subgroup should I use to report VPK students?
In Minnesota > MARSS > Edit School Data, define one or more grade 0 subgroups (such as KA, KB, KC, KD) as VPK groups. Assign a separate VPK preschool grade level (PA–PJ) for each VPK schedule.
For example:
All students in PA attend M/W/F from 8–2.
All students in PB attend T/Th from 9–3.
If your district has only one schedule for all VPK students, you can choose a single PA–PJ grade level to represent the whole program.
How do I track VPK membership hours?
Go to Attendance > Calendar > Days to set up a specific calendar for each grade 0 subgroup identified as a VPK group. This setup automatically calculates attendance for students in your VPK program.
💡 Helpful Tip: Use consistent subgroup codes across years so attendance and state reporting stay aligned.
What if a student is enrolled in VPK and another program like ESCE or ECFE?
Some students may be enrolled only in VPK, while others participate in multiple programs. Follow these guidelines for tracking attendance and membership hours on a student’s MARSS record:
Students in VPK only
On the MARSS line, indicate 100% enrolled so hours are calculated from the calendar.
Students in VPK and Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE)
Add two MARSS lines on the MARSS tab, one for the VPK record and one for the ECSE record.
Manually enter attendance and membership days for both records.
Assign the student to the VPK subgroup on their overall student record.
Students in VPK and Early Childhood and Family Education (ECFE)
Add two MARSS lines, one for the VPK record and one for the ECFE record.
On the VPK MARSS line, indicate 100% enrolled so hours are calculated from the calendar.
Record ECFE hours on the early education record in Minnesota > Early Education > Edit Student Early Education.
Assign the student to the VPK subgroup on their overall student record.
Should all the students in a VPK classroom be in the same grade 0 subgroup?
Yes. All students in a classroom that receives VPK funding should be reported in the VPK group, even if not every student is awarded VPK funding. Use the correct State Aid Code (SAC) to indicate which students are not receiving VPK funding.