Whether your church pre-registers for VBS or registers everyone on the first day, the goal is always a smooth registration process for parents and children. We want to help you provide a great registration experience for all of the parents and children involved in your VBS, so here are a few of our tips to make registration an enjoyable process for everyone.
Do a walk-through.
Think through the flow of your building and the structure of your VBS. Is one main registration table the best way to make sure all children are checked in for the day or is it easier to have children check in at their classrooms? Talk with last year’s VBS registration team to find out what worked and what didn’t work for them. Do a walk-through of your plan and imagine what it would be like as a new child or parent at your facility. Are classrooms difficult to find? Are there multiple main entrances to your building? This will help you know where to place signs and volunteers to help new families find where to register.
Use our online registration tool – My VBS.
Check out our free online registration tool – MyVBS. Setting up a website for pre-registration, creating classes and keeping track of children and volunteers is simple with MyVBS!
Schedule your volunteers early.
Your registration volunteers are on the front lines of VBS, especially on the first day. Be sure your volunteers arrive early to set up for registration and are equipped to answer all of the questions parents and children will have about the schedule, pick-up and more.
Set up a separate table for pre-registered kids.
If you pre-register children, make sure these children know where to go on the first day of VBS. Consider setting up a different registration table for those who have pre-registered in order to make the process simple and smooth.
Prepare for late kids.
Come up with a plan for registering/checking in children who arrive to VBS late. Make sure those at the registration table know where to send the children. If your VBS is classroom based, have one team member in each class be responsible for making sure any late arrivals are checked in for the day; this person could also be responsible for giving the number of children in the classroom to those in charge of crafts, snacks and games.
Extra, extra, extra.
Make sure you have plenty of extra registration forms, pens, clipboards, and name tags during registration. Parents will need room to fill out forms, so having an extra table set up for parents to use will expedite the registration process.
Clearly communicate pick up times and location.
Communicate with parents about when and where to pick up their children. Although VBS registration occurs at the beginning of the program, the volunteers at your registration table will probably be asked about pick-up more than once.
A smooth registration process with friendly volunteers who are prepared to answer questions will give parents peace of mind when they drop off their children. Taking time to make sure your registration table is easy to find with plenty of space for filling out forms helps parents and volunteers start VBS well!
