Customizing Your Church Check-In System: Fields, Reports, and More

Every church and childcare program is unique. If your check-in software only collects basic info like names and numbers – or forces you to use certain features – it’s not doing enough. You might need to record allergies, special needs, pickup notes – details that really matter for safety and personal touch. A one-size-fits-all check-in system simply won’t cut it when you have specific needs. In this article, we’ll show you why having a check-in system with custom fields is a game-changer and how you can tailor your system to fit your ministry or daycare.

Why Custom Fields Matter for Church Check-Ins

Does your system have a place to note every child’s allergy or special needs? If not, you’re either scrambling with sticky notes or hoping volunteers remember every detail – not exactly ideal. Custom fields solve this by letting you capture exactly the information you need at check-in. They’re extra data fields you define yourself, beyond the standard name, grade, and contact info.

Common custom fields churches use:

• Allergies/Medical Info: Flag if a child has a peanut allergy, asthma, etc., so staff are aware of health needs .

• Authorized Pick-Up Persons: List who is allowed to pick up each child, or add a pickup note like “Grandma picking up on 10/5.”

• Family or Household ID: Tie siblings to the same family number or code for quicker check-ins and easier tracking in your database.

• Special Needs/Accommodations: Note if a child has autism, sensory sensitivities, or other needs requiring special attention – this helps volunteers provide better care.

Without custom fields, important details can slip through the cracks. Every church and daycare has different needs. If your current system lacks this flexibility, you’re stuck trying to fit your ministry into someone else’s mold. And that’s frustrating for you and unsafe for the kids.

Upgrade to Kidddo for flexibility. No more workarounds or missing info – Kidddo lets you add unlimited custom fields to track what matters most. Our platform was built knowing one size doesn’t fit all in ministry.

Tailoring Check-Ins Beyond Basic Fields

Adding custom form fields is just one part of making a check-in system truly yours. The best solutions let you tweak other aspects of the check-in experience to fit your workflows:

• Customizable Name Tags & Labels: When printing name tags you should be able to include the info that’s important to you. For example, some systems can print name tags with custom fields from member profiles like a child’s allergy or special code right on the label. With Kidddo, you can design labels to show exactly what you need – child’s name, unique pickup code, classroom, allergy alert.

• Turn Features On/Off: Every organization operates differently. You might not need certain features – or you may need all of them. A good check-in system lets you enable what you use and disable what you don’t, so the interface stays uncluttered and volunteer-friendly.

• Customized Reports & Data Export: Tracking attendance is great – but what about filtering or reporting on those custom fields? Maybe you want to see attendance over a certain time frame – or identify those that haven’t attended in a while. Flexible software will let you run reports using your custom data, or export it for analysis. That means no more manual counting or separate spreadsheets.

• Workflow & Permissions: Consider how check-in actually happens at your church. Do you do self-service check-in on a kiosk or do volunteers handle it? Can parents add information themselves? A customizable system lets you adjust the check-in flow and information required.

By customizing all these elements – from what data you collect, to what prints on labels, to how you get insights from it – you create a check-in experience that fits your ministry. Every chruch is unique and shouldn’t have to conform to inflexible software. Your check-in system should adapt to you, not the other way around.

Ready for a better check-in experience? Try Kidddo – it’s built to flex. Add custom fields on the fly, tailor your labels and reports, and run check-ins your way. Start your free trial and see the difference in minutes.

Choosing a Check-In System That Adapts to You

What should you look for when evaluating a new check-in system with customization in mind? Here’s a quick checklist to keep you on track:

1. Unlimited Custom Fields: Make sure the system lets you create as many extra fields as you need (some older systems cap the number of custom fields, which can be a headache if you outgrow them). Ideally, fields can be tailored for children vs guardians too.

2. Easy Field Management: You shouldn’t need a developer to add a new data field. The interface for creating or editing fields should be simple – think drag-and-drop or form builder style. Adding a field like “Allergy Notes” or “School Grade” should take seconds, not hours.

3. Flexible Label Printing: Check that you can customize what goes on the child name tags or pickup slips. At minimum, you want the option to include guardian codes and any critical alerts like an allery. Bonus if you can style the labels with your church logo or branding.

4. Reporting & Exporting: Verify that all the data you collect –  including custom fields –  can be viewed in reports or exported.

5. User-Friendly Workflow Settings: Look at how the system handles different check-in scenarios. Can it do self check-in kiosks and admin-led check-ins? Can you set certain fields as required or optional? The more control you have, the more you can streamline things on Sunday morning.

6. Support and Updates: Choose a provider that listens to churches’ needs. Features like custom fields came about because people like you asked for them. Make sure the company offers a good support team and a track record of improving the product over time.

We built Kidddo with all of the above in mind. Our mission was to make a child check-in system that’s powerful yet simple. That’s why Kidddo includes custom fields as part of its full feature set – right alongside essentials like secure pickup codes and SMS alerts. We’ve seen firsthand how churches use this flexibility – one ministry tracks allergy info and prints an “⚠️” symbol on any name tag where the child has an allergy; another uses a custom field to note which service (9am vs 11am) the family usually attends, helping them follow up if someone goes missing for a few weeks.

Conclusion: The Freedom of a Custom-Fit Check-In

Your church’s needs aren’t generic, so why should your check-in system be? When you have the freedom to add custom fields and tailor each part of the process, you end up with smoother check-ins, better safety, and data that actually means something. It empowers your team to serve families better – no more missing allergy alerts or scrambling for info.

Don’t compromise. The right child check-in system will bend and flex to fit your ministry. Take the time to find a solution that lets you capture the details that matter most. We’re confident that once you experience a truly customizable check-in, you’ll never look back.

Ready to see it in action? Give Kidddo a try for free and discover how a custom-fit check-in system can transform your Sunday morning experience. Your team – and the families you serve – will thank you for it!