If your church already has check-in, you can probably just skip this section. If you're setting it up for the first time, please read on.

Consider the location of your children's area. If there is just one point of entry and exit, you'll only need to secure that location with check-in. There should be no other entries, or, if there are, make sure they are either secured with check-in or barred for access during class time.

Larger churches with a building dedicated to classrooms can simply secure each open door.

Wherever you set up check-in, plan for the possibility of lines, and make sure they won't interfere with other foot traffic through your building. It's difficult for monitors to watch children if a crowd forms. Parents, of course, will also appreciate a short walk between the parking area and where they drop off their kids.

Finally, it goes without saying that the more kiosks you set up, the shorter your check-in lines will be. As a rule of thumb, it takes one minute for three families to check in at a single kiosk (when everything is running smoothly).

QZ tray is free. You can Install the latest versions of this now, but, if you launch check-in without them, a Realm popup window will also provide a link to the correct download.

Check-In works with both Mac and Windows. If using Windows, make sure to use Windows 8 or newer. Check-in will not work with Windows 7.

If you are scanning QR codes from Mobile Check-In, make sure you have a 2D scanner for this to work properly.

Supported Label Printers (for Printing Security Badges)

We only support the printers listed below. You will need the software and drivers installed for the printer. The printer will need to be the default printer on your machine. You may have to alter label sizes - click here for more information on printer setup.

Printers we support are:

• The Dymo Labelwriter 550 Turbo printer using authentic Dymo 30256-sized labels. Dymo 450 Labelwriter Turbo will also work, but has been discontinued.

• The Zebra GK420d Label Printer using 30256-sized labels.

• The Brother Wireless Label Printer QL810W, using Brother-Compatible DK-2205 labels.

Recommended for Quick Sign-Ins

A barcode scanner. Most kinds will work if they are of type Code 39 with hard-coded carriage returns, such as those sold here.

For detailed system requirements and links to much of the software listed here, see Set up Printers for Check-In.

Realm Group Setup Required

Realm check-in uses children's names from group rosters already set up. You may already have a group structure for your children's ministry set up. If you don't, you'll need to create a ministry area, Children's Ministry for example, with groups under it: Kindergarten, First Grade, etc. Only children on the group roster will be recognized for check in; however, two of the three check-in modes will let you add others as guests. More on that later.

If you haven't set up groups yet, see Groups.

Realm Group Events Required

Realm check-in also uses events already set up. You'll need to create events for each of your check-in service times in the appropriate groups. If you do this from the Ministry Area level, it will be quicker than creating the same event in each individual group. This will allow families to check-in their children to the correct service time.

If you've never set up group events, see Group and Ministry Area Events for details. In an ideal situation, the classes you want to secure with a single kiosk location will have their corresponding Realm groups in the same ministry area, and their class event times will coincide because they were created at the ministry area level. If they do not, you can still include them all in one Realm kiosk (explained below) and, therefore, one physical kiosk. Just add the groups to the kiosk one at a time, adjust event times, or rearrange your Realm group structure to accommodate the physical space. If you have additional classroom areas, be sure to secure them similarly.

You'll want to test everything out and run through some practice check-ins before your first launch.

Set up your physical kiosk with any computers (make sure they have all the software described in Before you Start), label printers, and scanners.

To launch kiosks, you'll need either the Manage Kiosks or the Launch Check-In Kiosks permission among your Realm responsibilities. If not, check with a person who manages Realm at your church.

With that said, let's give your check-in kiosks a try.

1. Start up your computers and label printers.
2. Open Realm on the computers you'll be using.
3. If there is not an event scheduled for one of the groups covered by your Realm kiosk, create one temporarily—for the current day and time—by going to the group's Event tab. Also, note the names of one or two members on the group Roster tab.
4. Click Check-In.
5. Point to the kiosk you set up in the previous section.
6. Click that appears to the right. Note that you can launch, edit, and delete kiosks from here.
7. Select Launch Kiosk.

1. Select a check-in mode:
   • Check-In-Only. Parents and children will be able to check themselves in. Guests (attendees not on the roster of the event group) will not be allowed to check in.
   • Check-In & Sign-Up. Parents and children will be able to check themselves in. Guests will be allowed to check in.
   • Assisted Check-In & Dashboard. Staff or volunteers should monitor these kiosks. They will be able to check-in attendees and guests. They can also edit the information on an individual's check-in profile and assign check-in numbers.
   Which mode(s) you choose depends on your church's preferences. Some churches only allow assisted check-in, others set up both types. That way, if attendees have trouble with self-check-in, they can visit an assisted kiosk for help.
2. Enter the group member's last or full name and click Enter.
3. At this point, you can also associate a barcode with this family. Click and follow the onscreen instructions. Once scanned, the barcode can be used to speed up future check-ins for this family.
4. Select a specific attendee, if asked, and then select an event.
5. Click Check In (number of) people.
6. A confirmation message lets you know if the person has been checked in. A badge prints automatically at this time.
7. Information printed on the badge is selected during the Realm kiosk setup. If needed, edit a kiosk to make changes to these and other selections.
8. Attach the first badge to the child and give the second to the parent or guardian. Be sure to match the security codes on each badge when adults arrive to pick up the kids.

Tips:

1—Some churches rely on BOTH security badges and a list of all children in a class or area. As each child is picked up, they are signed out to a guardian with a matching badge, and checked off the list.

2—Many customers recommend placing badges on children's backs where they can't easily remove them. For older children, some also use badge holders with lanyards.

Last updated: January 3, 2023