Connect Child Check-In system (Legacy)

Introduction to the Child Check-In system

The Child Check-In system is designed to help register and check children into groups quickly and securely and just as easily check them out again at the end of the session. It records session attendance, helps leaders manage their sessions, and ensures that each child is returned to the correct responsible adult. The Child Check-In system is one of the Connect applications designed for use at in-person events and weekend services.

The Child Check-In system checks in your regular and visiting children and serving team members. It can be used at a central registration point in staffed and unstaffed configurations and by leaders running in-the-room check-in/out. The system automatically adds a group attendance record to the Children module. When used with a compatible Brother label printer, you can print child badges, parent pick-up badges, room badges and team badges, or disable badge printing entirely.

Configuring the Brother label printer - Mac

Step 1 of 4 - Install the Brother printer driver

Download and install the printer driver files from Brother's website. If you are using macOS version 11 or newer no printer driver installation is required, however, the printer will need to be connected to the Mac using USB and powered on.

Step 2 of 4 - Add the browser printing custom paper size

Open Google Chrome to a new page and press Option+Cmd+P to open the print pop-up. From the drop-down Paper Size list, select Manage Custom Sizes...

On the pop-up, click the " +" button to Add a custom paper size to the list. Rename the item by double-clicking it and overtyping the default name. Press <Enter> to apply the item name change.

For Small labels enter Width 62mm and Height 29mm. For Large labels enter Width 62mm and Height 100mm. All other settings are left as default. Click OK to close the pop-up and Cancel to dismiss the print pop-up.

Step 3 of 4 - Add the printer and set the default printer and paper size

From the Apple menu in the top-left corner of your screen, select System Settings.

Select Printers & Scanners (located at the bottom of the list of settings on the left) or use the setting 'search' to find the Printers & Scanners setting. Click Add Printer.

With the printer connected and powered on, select the Brother printer from the list and click Add.

Finally, set the Default printer and Default paper size. Close the pop-up when completed.

Step 4 of 4 - Select the matching label size in ChurchSuite

In ChurchSuite, head into the Children module's settings via the cogwheels icon in the top-right corner. Click into the Check-In Options tab and Edit the Session Defaults to select the corresponding Check-In Badge Size to match the default paper size selected in Step 3. Save changes before navigating away from the module settings.

The Brother printer is now ready to be used with the Child Check-In system.

Note: Since Google Chrome for Mac OS (and other Mac OS browsers) do not support a browser 'kiosk' mode with silent printing, users will need to click the Print button each time when badges are previewed during the child check-in process. The print preview is displayed for around 10 seconds before auto-closing and cycling the system, ready to check in the next child. Customers wishing to avoid needing to click Print each time should consider using a Windows check-in device running Google Chrome, which does support a silent printing user experience.

Configuring your Brother label printer - Windows

Step 1 of 3 - Install the Brother printer driver

Download and install the printer driver files for the appropriate version of Windows OS from Brother's website. Then, with the printer connected to the Windows PC using USB and powered on, the printer should be automatically added to the list of printers on your device.

Step 2 of 3 - Configure the printing settings for the Brother printer

Click on the Windows Start menu and select Settings.

Click on the Devices section.

Click into the Printers & scanners section - you should see your printer already listed; otherwise, with the printer connected using USB and powered on, click Add a printer. Once listed, click on the Brother printer, followed by Manage.

Click Set as default. Then click on Printing preferences.

On the pop-up, click on the Other tab. Set the Unit as mm. Click Apply.

Click on the Basic tab. In the Paper Size section, select the Small Address Label size (for small labels 62mm x 29mm) or the Large Address Label size (for large labels 100mm x 62mm).

Click Apply and OK to save the changes.

Step 3 of 3 - Select the matching label size in ChurchSuite

In ChurchSuite, head into the Children module's settings via the cogwheels icon in the top-right corner. Click into the Check-In Options tab and Edit the Session Defaults to select the corresponding Check-In Badge Size to match the default paper size selected in Step 2. Save changes before navigating away from the module settings.

The Brother printer is now ready to be used with the Child Check-In system.

Configuring the Child Check-In settings

Head into the Children module's settings via the cogwheels icon at the top-right corner of the page. Click on the Check-In Options tab. This tab has all the settings related to the Child Check-In system. Click to Edit the Session Defaults.

On the Session Defaults pop-up, set the default settings to be suggested when a Connect user starts a new check-in session. The user can override these defaults when they start their session. The Check-In Badge Size must match the printing preference set for the printer, as explained in the previous sections for Mac and Windows.

Continue through the settings. Next, click Edit to add an optional Welcome Message displayed on the Child Check-In home screen to greet parents/carers. This might, for example, include simple instructions for parents/carers/visitors.

Choose the preferred child Search Fields. Parents/carers can search for a child by first name, last name, or the full or last four digits from a telephone or mobile/cell number or by scanning the family's barcode. For those running unstaffed Child Check-In kiosks, you may prefer to further safeguard children's identities by restricting the check-in search fields, perhaps disabling name searches. By disabling name search, parents/carers are prevented from random name searches like "John", which would otherwise display a list of all matching children with "John" in the child or linked parent/carer name field. However, for a staffed Child Check-In kiosk, or where large numbers of children are expected, having a broader range of search options will make it quicker and easier for leaders to locate and check in each child. Click Edit to make changes to search fields.

The following section relates to customising the Child Badge and Room Badge. Click Edit to make changes. As you make changes, a visual example of each badge is shown so that you can see what a printed badge will look like. It is not possible to customise the Parent badge or Team badge.

The Visitors Settings determine which fields are shown when checking in a visiting child. You can also set which fields to Make required. Click Edit to make changes. For further information, see the related support article on Managing the details of child check-in visitors.

Note: Visitors are not automatically added to the Children module, but a separate log of their attendance is maintained in the Visitors section of the module. Visitors are deleted automatically if they have not checked in for a certain period. Using the Delete visitors after setting (see above) you can set the retention period for visitor details before they are deleted.

Add an optional Success Message to be shown after a parent/carer successfully checks in their child while the badges are printed. For example, you could display instructions on how parents/carers/visitors should collect their children at the end of the session. Click Edit to make changes.

The final Check-In Options relate to the Check-in Admin Area. This is typically accessed by leaders or the person responsible for the check-in session. The Admin Area is where leaders can overview an active Check-In session to see which children are registered and/or checked in. It's also the place where they can view parent/carer emergency contact details, important medical notes, additional needs, custom fields, photo/video consents for children, and much more - all without needing access to the Children module. The Admin Area is also the place your leaders will go to check out children at the end of the Session. See the related support article for further information about the Admin Area.

By setting an Admin PIN, you can restrict access to the Admin Area to just those who know it, making it known to those leaders who need to know. Once set, the PIN will be required to access the Admin Area and unlock child search restrictions (see earlier).

Configuring browser 'kiosk' mode

Kiosk mode enables the Child Check-In system to operate in a more secure, full-screen mode to prevent unauthorised access to other areas of the device. Silent printing is the term used to describe the skipping of printer pop-ups and dialogue boxes when the 'print' button is pressed. To print badges without parent/carer/user interruption or intervention, we recommend setting your Check-In device to operate in 'kiosk' mode with 'silent printing' enabled. This is most easily achieved using Google Chrome on a Windows device, which readily supports both features. 'Workarounds' and third-party browser extensions may be possible for other browsers and Mac devices.

Using Windows Explorer, locate the Chrome application on your device. Right-click on Google Chrome and select Copy.

Right-click on your desktop and select Paste shortcut. This will become the shortcut link that you will use for launching Child Check-In in the future. Right-click on the newly created shortcut and select Properties.

Click on the Shortcut tab.

In the Target field, position your cursor at the end of the field's content and replace the part that says \chrome.exe" with the following - where account.churchsuite.com refers to your ChurchSuite account URL. All the spaces in the Target link are important!

\chrome.exe" --kiosk --kiosk-printing https://account.churchsuite.com/connect"<br>

For example, if you access ChurchSuite using the URL kingshope.churchsuite.com, your account would be kingshope.

Click OK to save the properties for your shortcut. Next, ensure Google Chrome is not already running on your computer (use Task Manager to close all running instances of Chrome.exe - Chrome services continue to run even after closing the browser). You can now open a new instance of Google Chrome in Kiosk mode using the new shortcut link on your desktop.

Note: To exit the assigned access (kiosk) application, press Ctrl + Alt + Del, and then sign in using another account. When you press Ctrl + Alt + Del to sign out of assigned access, the kiosk application will exit automatically.

Starting a check-in session

Before children and the team can be registered and checked in, you must first start the session. Where multiple check-in devices are being used, you'll start the session on one device, and the other devices will join that active session. Once a session has been started you can then test your printer by producing a test label.

To use the Child Check-in system, a User must be either an Administrator or have Connect permissions - see our related support articles for adding and managing users.

Launch the Child Check-in system in any one of the following ways: –

• In a browser, bookmark your ChurchSuite account URL - account.churchsuite.com/connect (where the account is your subdomain name)
• In a browser, by clicking the ChurchSuite Connect "quick link" on the Dashboard page in ChurchSuite
• Use the Android Connect app, available from the Play Store, on a compatible Android device—see the related Connect App support article. There is no Connect app for iOS devices.

Once logged in to ChurchSuite Connect, select the Check-In application.

You can now select to start/join a session, choosing from one of today's session templates - or start a New Session. In the example below, there are two Sessions today (derived from the session templates we created in the previous section of this article) - click on a session to start or join the appropriate session.

However, if starting a New Session - perhaps because none of the listed Sessions applies - enter a session Name and select the Group Setup attendance is to be added for. Remember, it's also not necessary to include a "date" in the session naming convention, as the date (and check-in time stamp) is already part of the attendance data that will be recorded for each child/group for the session. For further information about session names, see the previous section of this article. Clicking + SHOW OPTIONS surfaces the same default session settings explained earlier in this article, which you can override if you wish. Click Start Session.

Starting or joining a session opens the check-in page ready to receive parents/carers, children and team members.

At this stage, it may be helpful to test your printer. Click into the Admin area and enter the Admin PIN when prompted—the Admin PIN is set in your Children module settings in the Check-In Options tab. We've produced a separate support article that explains all the Admin Area functionality.

Click into the Session section and select Print test.

On the Print test pop-up, select between Child or Team – example badges of the selected type are displayed - and click the Printer icon to test that the printer and label settings are working as expected.

Checking in children – overview of the user experience

There are several ways a parent/carer can locate their child in the Child Check-In system. Depending on the child Search Fields you have enabled in the Children module's Check-In Options, they can enter the child's first name or last name or the full or last four digits of their phone number (either mobile/cell or landline of the child or any linked primary parent/carer of the child).

From the search results, click each child to register and/or check-in. Children are checked into their assigned group in the Children module. If a child has not previously been assigned to a group, the child will be checked into the appropriate group based on the child's date of birth and the group entry/exit criteria. They are also added to that group's Member list in the Children module.

When using one-stage check-in a Check-In button is shown (see example below), and if using two-stage check-in, a Register button is shown instead. Click Check-in (or Register) to complete the process. If badges are to be produced for any of the selected children, these will now be sent to the printer, including any parent pick-up badge and room badge you have set in the session settings. The Check-In system will then auto-cycle back to the check-in page, ready for the next parent/carer/child.

Checking in visitors

Visiting children can also be checked into groups following the same process. The visitor check-in process begins with the usual name search to make sure they're not already on the system - visitor details are retained for a period, so a returning visitor can be checked in without needing to re-enter their details. Matching search results will be listed, but where the search term is not matched, the Add visitor form is shown to collect the visiting child and parent/carer details. Some of the form fields are optional and can be enabled or disabled in the Children module's settings. See the related support article on Managing details of visiting chidlren for further information. Clicking Add visitor will send a customisable Success email to the parent/carer email address (if supplied) confirming the personal details submitted through the form.

The visitor child is added and ready-ticked to be checked in. At this stage, a visiting family with multiple children add further children by clicking Add as a visitor - the previously-entered parent/carer details from the first child will be automatically populated into the form for each subsequent child added. Clicking Check-In or Register will check the visiting children in, record their attendance, and produce badges according to the group badge printing settings. The Check-In page then cycles back to the home page ready for the next parent/carer/child.

Notes for multi-site customers

• Visitors are added to the same Site as the Group Setup to which they are being checked in. Visitors are assigned to the appropriate Group based on their date of birth, the Group entry criteria, and the maximum age for the Group Setup.
• The child/visitor 'Search' will return matching results based on the logged-in Connect user's permitted sites for the active Check-In session. If a child or visitor later visits another site, their details will not be found in a child search unless the logged-in Connect user also has site permissions for that site. In this way, user site permissions can be used to constrain access to search results where site-specific granularity is important or to maximise the search results across multiple sites where helpful.

Overriding a child or visitor's default group

Sometimes, it is helpful to override a child's default group and check them into a different group, perhaps to be with a friend or sibling. You can permanently override a child's group at check-in or make a one-time override of a child's group in the Admin area after check-in by moving the child to a different group.

To permanently change a child's group, click the Unlock button in the top-right corner. Select the appropriate new group and click Lock to apply the change. The child is moved to the new group Members list in the Children module. Continue checking in the child in the usual manner.

To make a one-time override of a child's group – perhaps because they need to join an older sibling for one week only – check them into their regular group first. Next, access the Admin area, entering the Admin PIN when prompted. Navigate into the group and locate the child or visitor in the list. Using the action menu to the right of the child's details, choose Move child.

On the Move child pop-up, select the new group to which you want to move the child and click Confirm. This one-time move will not affect the child's assigned group, which is shown on their profile record in the Children module.

Checking in children using group search

As an alternative to Child Search, Group search can be useful for in-room check-in where leaders need to see a list of all the children and previous visitors that belong to their group. To switch from Child search to Group search, select the Switch to group search option to enable this functionality (or to revert to Child search).

Select the Group from the drop-down list. The list of matching group members is shown. You can then tick names (like a register) to check each child into the selected group. Child and parent badges can still be printed and visitors can still be added in the usual manner.

You can scroll the list to locate a child to be checked in. For long lists, a helpful Search within the group is provided, and additional filters to show just Boys or Girls. Matching results are filters as you type in the search bar, but you also have the option to Add as a visitor or to widen the matching to Search all groups - perhaps to find a child that has been previously moved to another group.

Checking in team members

For those wishing to manage adult-to-child group ratios, team members will need to be checked in. The team check-in functionality can optionally produce team badges so that visiting families can more readily identify authorised team members when handing over children or if they have questions. Address Book contacts and children aged 11 years and older can be checked in as Team – those under this age will not be displayed in the team check-in search results. Under 18 team members are not counted for the adult-to-child ratios. Whether a Team badge is produced is determined by the session template settings or the Printing options set when a new Check-In session is opened - see earlier in this article for further information about adding session templates and opening a new session.

Team members check in just like children. Select Team and enter the team member name in the Search.

From the matching results, select the Group to which the team member will be assigned for the session. Their previous group assignment will be selected by default, but any group can be selected. Click Check-In, and the Team badge is printed. The Check-In system then cycles back to the Child search page, ready for the next child, visitor, or team member.

Within the Check-in Admin area (see the related support article), a summary of checked-in team numbers is shown (the smaller number "+1" indicates an under-18 team member). An indicator shows progress in the adult-to-child ratio based on the currently checked-in children, visitors, and adult team. The indicator changes from green to orange to red as check-ins reach or exceed the ratio specified for the group.

Back in ChurchSuite, in the Attendance section of the Children module, team attendance is maintained, just as with child attendance. The Attendance list displays each Group 'at a glance' and the number of Children (including visitors) and Team (adults and under 18s) in attendance for the Date and Session.

Overview of the leader Admin area

Leaders often need quick access to important information during a group session, but it's not always appropriate or desirable to give leaders access to the entire Children module. Usually, they need very limited information and only for those registered or checked-in children in their care. The Child Check-In system's Admin area is purpose-designed to give them everything they might need to manage their group. Importantly, the area is only accessible by leaders when there is an active session running. The Admin area is also the place to do in-room check-in or to check children and young people out at the end of the session. There are lots of great features to help leaders ensure good safeguarding practices and solicit useful leader feedback on things that might need follow-up after the session.

Access to the Admin area requires entering the Check-In PIN, a 4-digit number that you set in your Children module's settings on the Check-In Options tab. You'll share the PIN with only those leaders who need Admin area access. The default PIN is 1234, but this should be changed to something secure and easily memorable by those who need to know.

During an active Check-In session, a leader can access the Admin Area by clicking the Admin button at the top right corner of the check-in page. When prompted, enter the Admin PIN.

From here leaders see a visual overview of the active Session. There are two tabs - Now and Total. The Now tab displays an overview of the currently checked-in children, visitors and team, while the Total tab gives the same overview based on registered children, whether currently checked in or not. An important distinction is that at any given time, not every child may yet be checked in (when two-stage Register first, check in later is used), and some children may have been checked out (at the end of the session). Some may have registered but didn't attend and were not checked in. The Now tab is your up-to-the-minute register in the event of an emergency where a "roll call" of children in your leader's care is needed.

As check-in progresses during the active session the Capacity indicator bars on the Now tab update according to either the adult-to-child ratios set for each group or the group's capacity (if a capacity has been set for the group). The indicator bar changes colour from green (within capacity) to orange as you near or reach capacity (calculated as being when the final adult of an adult-to-child ratio is reached). The bar turns red when a group is over capacity - a great way to monitor a potential need to draft in additional helpers or to cap the number of children able to attend. While young people aged 11+ can be checked in as Team members, only adult team members in your Address Book are used in calculating the progress indicator bar.

You can Edit to make changes to a group's capacity or adult-to-child ratio during an active session. On the Edit group pop-up, add or edit the Capacity and Ratio as appropriate. Changes made here will update the Group settings in the Children module.

From the Admin section, clicking through from the Now or Total tabs into a group takes you to the Group page for the active session. Four tabs show Check-Ins, DetailsAttendance, and Notes. Let's look at each tab in turn.

The Check-Ins tab lists all registered children, visitors and checked-in team members for the group. The list is scrollable, but for long lists, the Search and Boys/Girls filters may be helpful. The list can be re-ordered by clicking on a column heading. The Check-Ins page can also be printed as a Report. At a glance, for each child, leaders can see the name of each child in the group, their check-in Code (used to match against the parent/carer pick-up badge code, and helpful if a child has lost their badge), the time they were Registered for the group, and the times they were checked In or Out. Contact details for the child's primary parent/carer are also shown for each child.

Within the list are buttons for Check out, and where a child has been checked out, to Check in again - for example, if a young child is taken from the group by a parent/carer for a nappy change. The Check-in button is also used during a two-stage check-in process, where children have been previously registered but is now being checked into your care, perhaps in the room. Note that only registered children can be checked in and out - those arriving at a group who are not registered will not be able to be checked in until they register and obtain their badges. The Check-in and Check-out buttons update the child's group attendance data for the active Session back in your ChurchSuite Children module.

Clicking on a child in the list opens a pop-up with further child information, including basic Emergency Contact details, Photo/Video consent, Medical Information, Additional Needs and Additional Information, such as any children's custom fields you've set as Visible in Connect.

The Details tab provides a more detailed list of Medical, Additional Needs, Additional Info and Photo/Video Consent - ideal for checking for allergies in the group before distributing juice and biscuits to the children. Leaders cannot edit child details - only Children module Users and primary parents/carers (in My ChurchSuite) can make changes.

The Attendance tab shows recent group attendance—ideal for welcoming back a child who may have been absent for a time.

Finally, the Notes tab is great for group leaders to add feedback about their sessions.

Notes added in the Admin Area are surfaced in the Children module's Attendance section back in ChurchSuite so that children/youth ministry overseers can access all session feedback in one place.

Moving children between groups

It's sometimes necessary for a child to be moved to a different group from the one they were first registered to—perhaps to place an unsettled child with a sibling or friend or to move a child that has been incorrectly assigned to a group. Locate their entry on the Group page, click the Action menu on the right-hand side of their name, and select Move child.

On the Move child pop-up, select the new group and click Confirm. The child is moved to the new group for the active session, and their group attendance record is also moved (recorded in the Children module's Attendance section).

Reprinting badges

You can re-print badges. Locate the child on the Group page, click the Action menu on the right-hand side and select Re-print badge.

All badges, as determined by the Session printing settings, will be re-printed for the child - it is not possible to print just a parent badge or just a child badge.

Swapping, leaving, pausing and closing a session

From the Session menu in the Admin Area, leaders can SwapLeave, Pause (and Resume), close the active session, or Lock the device (see next section).

The Swap Session option is only shown if more than one session is active, enabling leaders to quickly switch to a different active session. This may be helpful during a 'crossover' period between two services when your leaders need to be able to switch to the first session that's soon closing to check the remaining children out or to switch to the second session that's just started to check in new children to their groups.

The Leave Session option is helpful to the team leader who's responsible for starting a check-in session. Once started they can leave the session, perhaps to open a different session ready for the next service.

Pausing a session prevents further children or team check-ins at any station until the session is set to run again.

From the menu, clicking Search will exit the leader from the Admin Area and return them to the Child Search page, ready for the next parent/carer or child to be checked in.

Locking a check-in device to a particular group

It's possible to lock a child check-in device to a particular group for an active session. Searching for children will still work across all groups for the session, but when checking in children they will always be checked into the group the device is locked to, regardless of the child's age or normal group assignment. To lock a device to a particular group head into the Admin area. Enter the PIN when prompted. From the Session menu, select Lock device.

On the Lock device pop-up, select the Group to lock the device to.

You can return to the Session section at any time to Unlock the device if you need to.

Checking children out

At the end of the active Session, leaders can check children out. To check children out head into the Admin area, entering the PIN when prompted. From the Now tab, click on a Group page (or click All Groups). On the Check-Ins tab and following your church's check-out processes (e.g. matching the parent pick-up Code number with a child's Code), locate the child on the list and click the red Check out button beside their name. An Out time stamp is added.