Running the kiosk on Sunday morning
This is the screen you'll work from all morning. It covers checking in a returning family, registering a new one, handling allergy alerts, choosing who can pick up, and what the pickup code is for.
Before you start
The kiosk should be enrolled and powered on, and your service times set so check-in is open.
Finding a family
At the start screen, tap Scan QR Code to scan a family's Apple Wallet pass or printed QR card — the same scanner reads either one — or tap Phone Number and enter the last 4 digits, which lists matching families. Collisions are rare; if two families match, ask for the full number.
First time here? Tap First-Time Visitor? Register Here to register them on the spot — see Registering a first-time family at the kiosk.
Choosing who's checking in
Once the household is found, each child shows as a tappable card with a photo (or initial), name, grade, and room. A card can carry a badge:
- Allergy (red) — the child has a medical alert on file. You'll see the details on the next step.
- Pre-checked in (sage) — the family completed check-in online before arriving.
Tap a card to select it, or several to check in siblings together.
Acknowledging allergy and medical alerts
If any selected child has alerts, the kiosk shows the actual details — allergies, medications, medical notes — and asks you to tap I Acknowledge This Alert for each one before you can continue. This step matters: your acknowledgment is recorded, which is what protects everyone if something comes up later. Don't skip past it.
Choosing who can pick up
Ask the parent, "Who will be picking up today?" Tap each adult or authorized contact who'll be there at pickup. The pickup-code text goes to everyone you select, plus the primary guardian automatically — this is how a grandparent doing pickup gets the code on their own phone.
The success screen and the pickup code
A 4-character pickup code appears. If a label printer is set up, the kiosk prints labels automatically: one name tag per child, plus a guardian receipt showing the code. The kiosk resets itself after a short pause.
What the code is for: it's the release authorization. When the parent comes back, they give the code — from their text or printed receipt. At a staffed kiosk, that opens a "Check before you release" screen with the child's photo, room, and who's authorized, and the volunteer taps Release once they're satisfied. If the household has a pickup restriction on file, see Blocked-pickup entries and checkout verification for what changes at checkout.
Letting the teacher know you've arrived for pickup
On the child-selection screen, a parent arriving to collect (not checking in) can tap Let the teacher know you're here instead of Next. It pings the teacher's room screen so they can bring the child to the lobby — it doesn't release the child on its own; the pickup code is still the actual release step. See Letting the room know you're here for pickup.
If something doesn't go as expected
- "I scanned the QR but nothing happened." Try better lighting on the code, or fall back to the phone-number lookup.
- "The pass scanned but showed the wrong family." Unusual — re-scan. If it keeps happening, the family may have an old pass generated for a different household.
- "Do I have to print labels?" Only if your church has the printer set up. The pickup code is the real gate; labels are a convenience.
Messages you might see
- "Household not found" — try the other lookup method, or tap First-Time Visitor? Register Here.