Hardware

iPads

Each station is simply an iPad in a securely locked display stand. Most have an adaptor plugged into them to connect a barcode scanner & power. The home button is accessible in the stand, but the lock/power button is not. See 🧰Troubleshooting Common Issues for how to reboot a station.

Printers

We have label printers setup to print Name & Security Tags when a child is checked in (Middle School and up don't use tags).

We use Brother brand Wifi printers for tags, and each station usually has its own printer. Stations are able to share a single printer and we do that from time to time. (The Shine Room kiosk does not currently use a printer as Middle Schoolers & Shine Students do not use tags)

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These printers usually work great but–like everything–occasionally have issues. Best practice is to follow the instructions in 📍What To Do On Arrival and test the printers when you arrive.

Barcode Scanners

Each Self-Station also has a barcode scanner connected to the iPad. Parents can use the Church Center app to check-in their children on their own device, then simply scan their barcode to print their tags without any contact with the station.

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If a scanner is beeping when trying to scan a barcode but nothing is happening on the screen, press the Start Over button in the top-right or tap the input box above the keypad. There needs to be a cursor in the search box for the scanner to work.

Station Types

There are three types of stations, each meant to be used differently; Self Stations, Manned Stations, & Roster Stations.

The Check-In areas at the Connect Center & Life Center lower level lobby have one Self & one Manned Station each. The Life Center upper level has one Self Station and the Shine Room has one Roster Station.

Self Stations

Self Stations are streamlined to be used by parents/guardians without the help of an admin, so there are no options for editing family members or pre-assigned classes. Since those don't change week-to-week, a self station will usually be all someone needs.

At a Self Station, a parent can enter the last 4 digits of their phone number to pull up their family and check off children attending to print Name Tags & a Security Tag.

Alternatively, parents can can use the Church Center app on their phone to check-in children then scan their QR code using the barcode scanner to print Tags

Manned Stations

Manned Stations are can be used to make changes to a person or family. They should always be attended by an Admin Volunteer as sensitive information is available via search.

If a parent needs to do anything other than simply check-in, they’ll need some help on a manned station. That’s where you come in! To pull up the household, search the name or phone number of anyone in the household.

Things you can do on a Manned Station:

Add/remove family members
Edit personal details (age, grade, medical notes, phone number, email)
Change the class a child is assigned to (if they are in the wrong class)
Check-in a child from another family
Reprint Name Tags or Security Tag

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See Performing Common Check-in Tasks for instructions on how to do these.

Roster Stations

Roster Stations function like checklists for those attending. A teacher can check people off as they arrive or attendees can check themselves off the list. Rosters populate based on the people who have previously checked into the location or event.

How Planning Center Check-ins Works