Simple Sign In - Review and Give-Away!

Last week I posted about how important it is to have a sign in/pick up policy for the

children in your ministry. (You'll find the post at this link) I said, "It is essential for every church to develop a security sign in/pick up system for their children’s ministry." Today I am very happy for the opportunity to let you know about a resource which is affordable, easy to use and provides an excellent layer of security for the children in your ministry . . . and announce a special give-away as well!

Simple Sign In was developed by a church for use in their own ministry when they were unable to find a system which "fit" their ministry. They wanted to keep Simple Sign In affordable; which they have done, and they wanted to make it user friendly, while also providing a wealth of information for their church - which they also did.

I could write more about the system, but I think instead I'll share some of the information from their site as they really do a good job of explaining what Simple Sign In is and how it works . . . 

• Every new Simple Sign In subscription comes with a FREE 30 day trial. No credit card information is necessary to sign up. You will receive an email towards the end of your trial with billing information if you are satisfied and wish to continue with Simple Sign In. You may cancel your subscription at any time and will not be billed for the next month (refunds will not be issued for partial months).
• Pricing is based on the number of Active children you have set up. Simply pick the level based on the number of children you'll have initially, then you can adjust as your church grows. No matter which level you choose, you'll be able to try out Simple Sign In absolutely FREE for 30 days. As you approach your account limit, we'll send you an email so you may either deactivate children or bump up to the next level. You may also cancel your account at any time by emailing us.
• You do not need a label printer to use Simple Sign In, however; it is recommended. One of the major features of the Simple Sign In system is the security it offers the church and parents. The labels are a part of this process, used to identify the children who have been signed in and as security tag for parents/guardians to pick up their children. You may choose to use Simple Sign In as a stand alone sign in app or use your own notification system (pagers, SMS, etc).

• There are various types of users for Simple Sign In who have different roles and responsibilities. Only admin's will need to enter email addresses. Usernames are required for all other types of users.
  Admin
  Admin's have full access to the system. They can set up service types and classrooms as well as view all of the reports. They also handle sign in and view all of the children information within a classroom.
  Parent Kiosk
  If you want to allow your parents to do self sign in, then this is the user you'll want to use. This user can ONLY sign kids in. They will not see the attendance graph or be able to see the list of attendance records.
  Sign In Worker
  This type of user is designed for handling the signing in of children. They may add new adults and kids, sign kids in, as well as switch a child's classroom.
  Classroom Worker
  This type of user is designed for the worker in the classroom. They are able to see the list of children in their classroom, as well as send a notification to request the guardian of a child.
  Notification Viewer
  This user will typically be for the tech people. They'll receive notifications so they can flash a child's number on the screen or fire off a pager.
• Since Simple Sign In is a hosted, web-based service, there’s nothing to install and no server/ platform requirements to worry about. You will need internet access and a modern web browser with Javascript turned on (IE 7 or later on the PC, and Firefox, Chrome and Safari on Mac and PC). If you're having trouble accessing Simple Sign In with your web browser, we recommend using the latest version of Chrome.

I am a very "non-tech" person, but Simple Sign In looks like it is easy to use and provides a wealth of information while also giving you a needed layer of security. I especially like how it allows you to track birthdays of children and send cards to visitors! Since you are able to try the system for FREE for 30 days, it is worth giving it a try to see if it is a good "fit" for your church and ministry!

I'm very happy to say, Simple Sign In has made available a three-month subscription to Simple Sign In for me to give away! If you are over the age of 18 and would like to be included in the drawing for three months of Simple Sign In - which will be on March 20, 2014, please let me know if you have followed on Google Friend Connect, followed by liking on facebook with the tab in the "Find us on Facebook" box ON THE BLOG or at this link (not just liking the post) and/or have followed About the Children's Department by email as you will receive one entry for each of these which you have done. Plus, if you "share" this post, you'll receive another entry (please let me know if you share). This will help me be able to draw names from among people who would like to win Simple Sign In three month subscription and it gives you several ways to enter the give-away! Thank you for reading About the Children's Department and for sharing it with the people you know!