SimpleChurch CRM has the ability to securely manage the checking in and out of children and adults at your church. You can choose to use RFID cards as a means of expediting the check-out process, or you can use matching labels for parent and child.

For Label-Based Check-in

Summary:

When a child is checked in, two labels are printed out. One for the child and one for the parent. Both labels have a unique and matching number. The child is marked as present in the group he/she was checked into. A child care worker must manually match the numbers on the labels in order to check the child out. Multiple check-in stations can be run simultaneously. You will need a Brother QL-500, QL-700, or Dymo 450 label printer to use this mode.

Supported Printers:

• Brother QL-700
• Brother QL-710W
• Brother QL-720NW
• Dymo 450

We recommend one of the wireless brother printers, since they can also be used with the iOS Check-in app.

Setup:

1. In SimpleChurch CRM, navigate to: Settings > Child Check-in > Check-in Mode.
2. Set this to “Label/Manual” and save.
3. Next, navigate to: Settings > Child Check-in > Check-in Stations.
4. Add the check-in stations you’ll be using. You’ll need one station per label printer that you plan on using. Even if you will just be using one printer, but in different places at different times, setup a station for each of those places. This way, the record will accurately reflect where the child was checked-in.
5. Go to the Groups page. For each of the groups you wish to use with Child Check-in, click “Edit”, and check the “Use For Child Check-in?” box. Then Save.
6. Ensure that you have Java installed on all computers that will have label printers plugged into them.
7. Install the Drivers on these same computers. Links to the drivers can be found here.
8. Under “Permissions”, assign the ‘run child check-in’ permission to the roles that will need to access Child Check-in.
9. If you wish to be able to SMS parents, ensure that you have added your Twilio account details to the SimpleChurch CRM Settings > Services area.

Usage:

1. In SimpleChurch CRM, navigate to: Utilities > Child Check-in.
2. Choose the “Check-in Station” you’re wanting to use.
3. Launch the Label Printer application. Click “Next”.
4. Once the Application launches, choose the same check-in station you set above, and click “Set Station”.

To check a child in:

1. Search for the person who is checking in the child using a partial first / last name. The list of suggested names will filter as your type. Hit “Tab” or click the name to select it.
2. You will now be shown the names of this person’s children.
3. For each child being checked in, check the box next to their name, then choose the group he/she is being checked into.
4. Once done, click “Submit”.

For RFID-Based Check-in

Summary:

When a child is checked in, the parent is given an inexpensive RFID card that is linked to the child’s name in SimpleChurch CRM. The only way that child can be checked-out later is for that card to be read. At that time, the child care worker is shown all of the children checked-in with that card. He/she can choose which/all of the children to check out at that point. The system stores the check-in and check-out times, along with who checked the children in, so you can review that whenever necessary. Multiple check-in stations can be run simultaneously.

Setup:

1. In SimpleChurch CRM, navigate to: Settings > Child Check-in.
2. Add the check-in stations you’ll be using. You’ll need one station per RFID reader that you plan on using. Even if you will just be using one reader, but in different places at different times, setup a station for each of those places. This way, the record will accurately reflect where the child was checked-in.
3. Go to the Groups page. For each of the groups you wish to use with Child Check-in, click “Edit”, and check the “Use For Child Check-in?” box. Then Save.
4. Ensure that you have Java installed on all computers that will have RFID readers plugged into them.
5. Install the RFID Drivers on these same computers. Links to the drivers can be found here.
6. Under “Permissions”, assign the ‘run child check-in’ permission to the roles that will need to access Child Check-in.
7. If you wish to be able to SMS parents, ensure that you have added your Twilio account details to the SimpleChurch CRM Settings > Services area.

Usage:

1. In SimpleChurch CRM, navigate to: Utilities > Child Check-in.
2. Choose the “Check-in Station” you’re wanting to use.
3. Launch the Card Reader application. Click “Next”.
4. Once the Reader Application launches, choose the same check-in station you set above, and click “Set Station”.
5. In SimpleChurch CRM, You can now choose from 3 “Modes”: Check-in, Check-out, and search.

To check a child in:

1. Set the Mode to “Check-in”.
2. Search for the person who is checking in the child using a partial first / last name. The list of suggested names will filter as your type. Hit “Tab” or click the name to select it.
3. Next, wave the card over the reader that you’ll being giving to the parent, or a card that they already have.
4. You will now be shown the names of this person’s children.
5. For each child being checked in, check the box next to their name, then choose the group he/she is being checked into.
6. Once done, click “Submit”.

To check a child out:

1. Set the Mode to “Check-out”.
2. Wave the parent’s card over the reader.
3. Check the box next to the names of the children that are being checked out.
4. Click “Submit”.

To Search for a Checked in Child:

1. Set the Mode to “Search”.
2. Search using a partial first / last name for the child. The list of suggested names will filter as your type. Hit “Tab” or click the name to select it.
3. You will be shown: the group the child was checked into; the time of the check-in; and who checked the child in.

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The Child Check-in data layers on top of normal attendance data. If you go to a session (Reports > Attendance) that you used Child Check-in for, you will see one of two different colored dots next to the children’s names who are present. A Green dot shows that the child has been checked-in, but not yet checked out. A gray dot shows that the child has been checked out. Mousing over the dot will show who check the child in, where, and when, and when he/she was checked out.