# Vacation Bible School (VBS) registration: forms, volunteers and daily check-in

Source: https://backpr.com/resources/vbs-registration. Last updated: 2026-10-21.

By the BackPR team. Published October 21, 2026.

VBS week goes smoothly when the work happens before it starts: the right questions on the form, screened volunteers, crews (small groups of kids, usually by grade, who stay with the same leaders all week) sorted ahead of time and a pickup plan every volunteer knows. This guide covers how to organize the registration side of VBS, from picking dates to following up with families afterward. Rules differ by state, denomination and insurer, so use this guide as a checklist and confirm the details with your state licensing office, your denomination and your insurance company.

### 1. Set your dates, ages and limits
Decide the basics before you build a form, because they drive everything else: dates and hours, the ages you'll serve and how many kids you can take. Let your rooms and your volunteers set the limit, not the number of kids you hope for. Check your local school calendar too, so VBS doesn't land on the last days of school.

Example: 9 a.m. to noon for one week, for kids from age 3 (by June 1) through those who just finished fifth grade, with kids who just finished sixth grade and older as helpers. Up to 100 kids, with a limit for each grade. Because this includes preschoolers, it's one to check with your licensing office.

Then check whether your state's childcare licensing rules apply to you. Some states name VBS in their laws. Florida's law, for example, leaves "Bible schools normally conducted during vacation periods" out of its definition of a child care facility. Other states exempt short programs, with limits such as how many weeks a year a program runs or the ages it serves. Look up your state in our [state-by-state library](https://backpr.com/resources/states), and ask your licensing office if your VBS runs full days, serves children under school age or includes a nursery.

Ask your insurer and your denomination, if you have one, what they require for children's programs, such as volunteer screening and check-in rules. It's easier to build their requirements into registration now than to add them during VBS week.

### 2. Decide when registration opens and closes
Open registration early enough to know your numbers in time to recruit volunteers and order supplies and T-shirts in the right sizes. Open volunteer sign-ups first: the number of crew leaders you have sets how many kids you can take.

Plan for walk-ins, too. Expect some families to show up on the first morning without registering. Leave a spot or two open in each crew and set up a separate walk-in table with a sign-up link or a paper form. Don't send a child to a crew until you have a parent's phone number, the child's allergies and the names of who can pick up.

Example timeline, counting back from the first day:

- 10 to 12 weeks before: open volunteer sign-ups.
- 8 weeks before: open registration for kids. Before you open, decide whether church families can register a week early. An early window fills spots fast, which can leave less room for community families if outreach is a goal.
- 6 weeks before: start volunteer background checks, since results can take a week or more.
- 4 weeks before: T-shirt deadline. Tell families that kids who register later may get a different size.
- 1 to 2 weeks before: train volunteers.
- 2 weeks before: send a reminder asking families to cancel if their plans change, so you can offer their spots to the waitlist.
- 3 or 4 days before: close online registration, sort kids into crews and send every family a welcome message.
- The first morning: walk-ins register at their own table, away from the check-in line.

### 3. Choose free or paid, and plan for scholarships
Decide what families pay before you open registration. Free VBS removes a barrier for families who don't know your church yet. A small fee can help cover T-shirts and supplies. Options to consider:

- Free for everyone, with a limit for each grade and a waitlist.
- Free, with an optional donation at checkout to help cover supplies.
- A small fee per child, with a family maximum. Example: $15 per child, up to $40 per family.
- A free program with an optional T-shirt that families pay for.
- Free for volunteers' kids, so serving doesn't cost a family anything.
- If you charge, let any family have the fee waived privately, with a checkbox on the form or a quiet word with the director. Consider not asking for proof for a fee this small, and never mark who got help on rosters or name tags. For programs with higher fees, see [raising scholarship money](https://backpr.com/resources/raising-scholarship-money).
- If families pay by card, decide whether your church absorbs the card fee or passes it on (see [credit card fees: absorb or pass on?](https://backpr.com/resources/card-fees-absorb-or-pass-on)).
- Write a short refund policy, even for a small fee: when you refund and whether the T-shirt is included.

### 4. Build a short VBS registration form
Ask for what you need to run VBS week safely, plus a few optional questions, and nothing more. Every extra question makes the form harder to finish on a phone. Our [registration form checklist](https://backpr.com/resources/registration-form-checklist) covers the basics, and the [youth program registration form](https://backpr.com/resources/templates/youth-program-registration-form) is a free template you can print or edit. Parents can fill in their kids' details once with our [family profile](https://backpr.com/tools/family-profile) and copy from it for every sign-up.

Paper, a form builder, church management software or registration software can all work. What matters is that pickup names and allergies reach the volunteers who need them, and that payments match sign-ups. If you're comparing tools, see BackPR vs [Planning Center](https://backpr.com/compare/planning-center), [Breeze](https://backpr.com/compare/breeze), [SignUpGenius](https://backpr.com/compare/signupgenius) and [Google Forms](https://backpr.com/compare/google-forms).

What to ask:

- Child's full name, the name they go by, birth date and grade. Say which grade you mean: the one they just finished or the one they start in the fall.
- Parents' or guardians' names, phone numbers and email addresses, plus the best number to call during VBS
- At least two emergency contacts besides the parents
- Every adult allowed to pick the child up, anyone who isn't and any custody order volunteers need to know about (see the [authorized pickup form](https://backpr.com/resources/templates/authorized-pickup-form))
- Allergies and how serious they are, medications and any emergency medicine the child carries (see the [medical and allergy form](https://backpr.com/resources/templates/medical-and-allergy-form))
- "Is there anything that would help your child have a great week?" An open question can tell you about kids who need extra support, without asking families for a medical history.
- T-shirt size, in youth and adult sizes, with a link to the size chart
- A buddy request: one friend in the same grade
- Photo permission, with choices: a slideshow or bulletin board at church, the church website, social media or no photos at all. Our [photo and media release](https://backpr.com/resources/templates/photo-and-media-release) has sample wording.
- Home church, as an optional question. Include "None" as a choice.
- Permission to contact the family about future church events, as a separate checkbox
- A parent's signature on your participation agreement or waiver (ask your denomination or insurer for sample wording, or have a lawyer review it) and permission to seek emergency medical treatment

### 5. Register and screen volunteers
Give volunteers their own sign-up form, separate from the kids' form, and open it first. Ask which days they can serve and which role they want, such as crew leader, station leader (runs one activity, such as crafts or games, that crews rotate through), snacks, check-in or nursery. Ask for their T-shirt size too, and whether their own kids are coming, so you can register those kids and plan the nursery.

Then screen everyone who will work with kids, and finish before VBS week. Ask your insurer and your denomination what they require. Some denominations require background checks for volunteers who work with children, and your state may have its own rules. Our [volunteer application](https://backpr.com/resources/templates/volunteer-application) is a place to start.

- A written application from every adult who will work with kids, with references for people you don't know well.
- A short conversation with anyone who is new to children's ministry.
- A background check before the first day, with the person's written permission. If your VBS falls under your state's childcare rules, see [childcare background checks by state](https://backpr.com/resources/child-care-background-checks-by-state).
- A plan for people new to your church. One option is a waiting period, such as six months, before someone serves with kids. Until then, they can help with setup, decorations or parking.
- Youth helpers, from sixth graders to teens, are minors too. Get a parent's permission, train them and pair them with screened adults. Don't count a youth helper as one of the adults in a crew.
- Training before VBS week: your child-safety rules, check-in and pickup, allergies, emergencies and how to report suspected abuse. Use our [staff training checklist](https://backpr.com/resources/templates/staff-training-checklist).
- Reporting: teach volunteers what to do if a child tells them about abuse. Listen calmly, don't question the child or investigate and write down what the child said. If a child is in danger now, call 911. Otherwise, report to your state's child abuse hotline or the police as your state requires, and tell the VBS director. In some states every adult must report suspected child abuse, and many states list clergy among mandated reporters. In some states, telling the director doesn't replace your own report. See [mandated reporter laws by state](https://backpr.com/resources/mandated-reporter-laws-by-state).
- A signed agreement to your child-safety policy, including your rules on taking and posting photos of kids. If your church doesn't have a written child-safety policy, ask your denomination or insurer for a model policy before you recruit.
- Keep applications and check results confidential, and repeat checks on the schedule your policy sets.

### 6. Sort kids into crews by grade
Crews by grade (or by age for preschoolers) keep kids with others their age and give each child the same leaders all week. Sort them after registration closes, a few days before VBS, not the night before.

Example: with crews of 8 to 10 kids and two adults in each, 100 kids need 10 to 13 crews and 20 to 26 crew leaders. Add volunteers for check-in, snacks, stations and floaters (extra adults who fill in where needed). Plan smaller crews or more adults for the youngest kids. The [staff ratio calculator](https://backpr.com/tools/staff-ratio-calculator) can help you run the numbers.

- Set a limit for each grade, and start a waitlist when one fills.
- Honor one buddy request per child when you can, within the same grade.
- Decide whether twins share a crew, and whether kids can be in their parent's crew.
- Place kids who need extra support with an experienced leader, or add a helper to that crew.
- Two-adult rule: at least two screened adults with every crew, and no adult alone with a child out of sight of others, including on bathroom trips.
- Give each crew leader a list with every child's allergies, pickup names and photo permission, and keep it out of public view.

### 7. Plan the nursery and care for volunteers' kids
Some volunteers can't serve unless their young children have a safe place to be. A nursery or preschool room for volunteers' kids can make serving possible.

Care for babies and toddlers can fall under different rules than a program for school-age kids. Some licensing exemptions apply only to certain ages, and some states exempt care while parents are on site. Check your state in our [state-by-state library](https://backpr.com/resources/states).

- Decide who the nursery is for: volunteers' kids only, or any family with a younger child.
- Register volunteers' kids with the same form as every other child, even when it's free. They need allergy information and a pickup list too.
- Use the same check-in and check-out in the nursery, and have volunteer parents check their own kids out at the end of the day.
- Staff the nursery with at least two screened adults, and plan more adults per child than in the older crews.
- Ask parents about feeding, naps and diapering on the nursery form.

### 8. Plan for allergies, medicine and emergencies
At VBS, food shows up in snacks, crafts and sometimes science experiments or games. Plan all of it with allergies in mind.

- Check the allergies on your registrations before you buy snacks.
- Give every crew leader, the snack team and station leaders a list of kids with allergies, what a reaction looks like and what to do. Our [allergy alert roster](https://backpr.com/resources/templates/allergy-alert-roster) gives you a format.
- Share the snack menu before VBS, so parents can send a safe snack.
- Read labels on snacks, and on craft supplies that contain food, such as cereal, candy, peanut butter or homemade play dough (made with wheat flour).
- Know where each child's emergency medicine, such as an epinephrine auto-injector, is kept, and who is trained to use it.
- Get a parent's written permission and instructions before volunteers give any medicine, and follow your church's policy and any state rules that apply.
- Write an emergency plan, including when to call 911. Our [emergency action plan template](https://backpr.com/resources/templates/emergency-action-plan) is a place to start.
- Have water and shade for outdoor games, especially on hot days.

### 9. Welcome community families, in English and Spanish
If VBS is how your church meets families from the neighborhood, make sign-up easy for people who have never been inside your building.

- Explain VBS in one sentence on your sign-up page. Families who don't go to church may not know what it is. Include the dates, hours, ages, cost and where to drop off.
- Say plainly that VBS includes Bible stories, songs and prayer, so no family is surprised.
- Avoid church shorthand on the form, such as names of rooms or ministries only members know.
- Keep questions about church optional, and don't ask about membership.
- Share one link everywhere: your website, social media, local parent groups and flyers at libraries and community centers (ask about each place's rules first).
- Say how you'll use families' contact details, and ask before you add anyone to church mailing lists.
- If Spanish-speaking families live near you, offer the sign-up form, welcome message and pickup rules in Spanish. Translate the form, not just the flyer. A parent who can read the flyer but not the allergy questions can't tell you what you need to know.
- Have a fluent speaker check your translation, especially the medical and pickup questions. Our [Spanish templates](https://backpr.com/es/plantillas) include free registration, pickup, medical, photo release and volunteer forms.
- If you can, have a Spanish-speaking volunteer at check-in and pickup.

### 10. Check kids in and out every day
Use the same check-in and pickup steps every day of VBS, and train every volunteer on them. Expect the first morning to take the longest, so open check-in early and put extra volunteers at the door.

A few days before VBS, send families a welcome message: times, the drop-off spot, what to wear, the snack menu and how pickup works. Our [parent welcome letter](https://backpr.com/resources/templates/parent-welcome-letter) is a template you can edit.

- Check-in: a parent or guardian checks each child in, and a volunteer brings the child to their crew.
- Matching tags or codes: give the parent a tag or code that matches the child's, and ask for it at pickup.
- Pickup: release kids only to adults on the family's authorized pickup list, and check photo ID for anyone volunteers don't know.
- If an adult isn't on the list, the child stays with the crew while a volunteer calls the parent. Never release a child just to keep the line moving.
- Older siblings: decide whether they can pick up and from what age. Get the parent's written permission.
- Count heads every time a crew changes rooms or goes outside.
- Keep a printed backup of each day's list, with pickup names and allergies, in case phones or Wi-Fi fail. Our [daily sign-in and sign-out sheet](https://backpr.com/resources/templates/daily-sign-in-sign-out-sheet) works on paper.
- Late pickup: decide when volunteers start calling parents and emergency contacts, and keep two adults with any child still waiting.
- Write up any injury or incident the same day, and tell the parent at pickup. Use our [incident and accident report](https://backpr.com/resources/templates/incident-and-accident-report).

### 11. Follow up after VBS
The week after VBS is your best chance to thank families and learn what to change, while it's fresh.

- Thank families within a few days. Share photos only of kids whose parents said yes, and only where they said yes.
- Send a short survey. Our [end-of-program parent survey](https://backpr.com/resources/templates/end-of-program-parent-survey) has questions to start from.
- If families agreed to hear from you, invite them to one clear next step, such as a family event or your Sunday program for kids.
- Call the family of any child who had a hard week, before they call you.
- Thank volunteers, ask what to change and invite the ones you'd want back to sign up early next year.
- Write down the numbers for next year: kids registered, kids who came each day, first-time families and volunteers. Note how many T-shirts you ordered and how many were left.
- Store forms securely, ask your insurer how long to keep incident reports and delete health information you no longer need.

### How BackPR helps
BackPR runs VBS registration, payments, forms and check-in in one place. Families register every child in one checkout, in English or Spanish, and fill out waivers, photo permission and health forms (including allergies) as part of sign-up. You can make VBS free or charge a fee. Volunteers check kids in and out from their phones against each family's authorized pickup list, and you can message parents before and during VBS week. See [VBS registration in BackPR](https://backpr.com/solutions/vacation-bible-school) and [BackPR for churches](https://backpr.com/solutions/churches).

BackPR is free for nonprofits, including churches: no subscription and no BackPR fees. Card payments run on Stripe at Stripe's standard rates, and free registrations have no card fees at all. Churches don't have to apply to the IRS for recognition of tax-exempt status, so many aren't in the IRS's online search of tax-exempt organizations. If yours isn't in our [nonprofit status checker](https://backpr.com/tools/nonprofit-eligibility-checker), email support@backpr.com and we'll confirm your status another way. Other organizations get pricing by quote.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Sources for the facts about laws, the IRS and denominations, checked October 21, 2026: IRS Publication 1828, Tax Guide for Churches and Religious Organizations (https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p1828.pdf); Florida Statutes, section 402.302 (https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/402.302); Child Welfare Information Gateway: Clergy as Mandatory Reporters of Child Abuse and Neglect (https://www.childwelfare.gov/resources/clergy-mandatory-reporters-child-abuse-and-neglect/); Child Welfare Information Gateway: Mandatory Reporters of Child Abuse and Neglect (https://cwig-prod-prod-drupal-s3fs-us-east-1.s3.amazonaws.com/public/documents/manda.pdf); U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops: Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People (Article 13) (https://www.usccb.org/resources/2026.07%20Charter-rev%20-%20for%20web.pdf)