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We've just begun the kids check-in and are trying to work out the kinks before this next year. Sunday morning works pretty good, but we've started using it for Kids Club (which is like a childcare type of thing during other events not Sunday morning related). Here are some issues raised by one of the children's workers. We could use any information/advice anyone has out there.

 

 

I have a couple of ideas that may help:

#1 - How would you handle this with your original system? Would you have people turning in lists of who had checked in? In that case, you wouldn't have a list of who had checked out. Would you look at the lists in each room as you rounded up kids?  Do the kids ever change rooms without something being recorded?  To which location would the children evacuate? Could it be a location on campus where there is still a PC with access or perhaps near one with the printout of the daily activity?  I don't really have any good ideas on this one, but there may be other things to think about here for emergency situations.

#2 - Would Tag Comments work here?  If not, is it because there isn't enough space? Those comments are designed to be on the tags for each child and I've usually seen them used for allergies and similar.

#3 - no real ideas on this one. Perhaps add a parental cell phone # to the tag comment?  I've seen that being used in a more common manner with more and more parents having a cell phone.  Our church has pretty much ditched the pagers because of that.  (Our pastor loves this :-) )

I would like to see what others are doing in this area as well.  I'm sure that someone must have addressed these concerns before and they'll be around no matter what system is used.  You've also given me something to think about for our own children's ministry.

In Him,
-Peter Schott

Hi,

My name is Matthew and I am a Delivery Manager at Fellowship Technologies.  I have some idea's for you...

1.  My favorite report (I designed it) is M3008.  It is roster/staff check list that can be re-written to give any instructions to the workers in the classroom.  It is also used to "check in" the kids at the door.  Keep using the check in system to track attendance and generate name tags and receipts but you need the teachers to create a record of who actually made it to the classroom.  Make sure the teachers write this information down and not the parents.  

2. M3008 can also help you with this.  Now if the issues are specific to the child such as allergies they should go in the "tag comment field".  

3. have the teachers ask the parents where they will be and write it in the comments section of M3008.  

I think you will see very soon why M3008 is one of my favorites.   

Matthew, You are right, I really like this report. Our church includes allergies in the Tag Comments. Would it be possible to have the Tag Comments transfer to the Comments section of this report? Thanks so much! Jaine

I print out class"rolls" each week for the teachers to mark. 

In the database when a child is input I use the default tag line to input any special instructions or allergies and it prints on the rolls. 

We have the teachers mark their roll and it is picked up. 

Because we do not have check in availability (we are in a school) I take the rolls back to the office and post attendance (on Monday).  But the rolls themselves tell you who is in each class in case of fire.

Hope this helps

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Janna Johnson
Community Life Church
Family Ministry Assistant
972-564-5433

Could you confirm the report number of this 'Roll'.  I'm interested and haven't located the report you are talking about.

Thanks
Chris.

 

Report M1399 works for our set up.  It includes three columns that allow us to have a 9 and 11 check in.  The third column is for a memorized bible verse program we are doing.

I simply change the column names to 9::00    then 11:00    then Bible Verse

Hope this helps!

 

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Janna Johnson
Community Life Church
Family Ministry Assistant
972-564-5433

We use the tag comments for parent locations and/or special instructions: food allergies, etc.  If you can log into Fellowship One you can check the active checkin status for each class.

I ask my churches to keep an active roster in the classroom for ages birth-Kindergarten.  This is because Fellowship One's check in numbers never accurately reflect the actual number of kids in the classroom.  I know this might seem counter intuitive but if you think about it, this situation happens all the time.  A parent checks in the child at a check in station somewhere in the building.  On the way to the classroom the kid pukes on the parent or throws a fit.  In any case they do not make it to the classroom.  Fellowship One has them as in the classroom but they never made it.  You have to keep a roster in the room to show who made it and to answer your last 2 questions where the parents are and what are the special instructions can all be gathered by the volunteer putting the child's name on the roster.