VBS Registration Software: How to Set Up Vacation Bible School Sign-Ups

Vacation Bible School registration has a specific problem that general event software doesn't solve well: you're collecting information about children, not adults. Parent name and phone number. Child's name, age, and grade. Allergies and medical conditions. Emergency contacts. T-shirt size. Permission for photos. Session preference if you run multiple weeks. That's a registration form with 10 to 15 fields, not a simple name-and-email RSVP.

Add to that a typical VBS enrollment of 40 to 150 children, a volunteer coordinator who is not a technology specialist, and a hard deadline on the Sunday before kickoff — and you have a clear case for purpose-built registration software rather than a Google Form or a paper sign-up sheet.

This guide covers what to look for in VBS registration software, how to structure your forms, and how to handle common complications like sibling groups, multiple weekly sessions, and last-minute enrollments.

What VBS Registration Software Needs to Do

Not all event registration software handles children's programming well. Here is what you should evaluate:

Custom fields for child-specific information

You need more than name and email. A capable VBS registration form should collect:

• Child's full name, date of birth or age, and grade entering in the fall
• Parent or guardian name, phone, and email
• Emergency contact name and phone (different from parent)
• Allergies (food and environmental) and medications
• Medical conditions relevant to staff (asthma, diabetes, seizure history)
• Photo and social media permission
• T-shirt size if your church provides shirts
• Prior VBS attendance (returning vs. first-time)
• Sibling names if registering multiple children

Look for software that supports dropdown fields (grade, shirt size), checkbox fields (permissions, allergies from a list), and free-text fields (medical notes, emergency contacts). You should be able to mark fields as required or optional.

Free or low-cost registration (no per-registration fees)

Most churches run VBS at no charge to families. Even churches that charge a small supply fee typically want to avoid a $2–$3 platform fee on a $10 registration — that's 20–30% overhead going to a software company. Look for platforms with either a free tier or a flat-subscription model that does not charge per registration.

CompleteEvent's free plan covers events up to 100 attendees with full custom form support. For larger VBS programs, the Starter plan at $15.20/mo (with the 20% nonprofit discount for 501(c)(3) churches) includes unlimited registrations.

Multiple sessions or weeks as separate events

Many churches run VBS across multiple weeks (Week 1 for ages 4–8, Week 2 for ages 9–12, for example) or offer multiple morning and evening sessions. The cleanest approach is to create a separate event for each session with its own registration link and capacity limit. Parents register for the session that fits their child, and you get separate attendee lists per session.

If your church runs multiple VBS sessions in a year, each session stays within the free plan's 100-attendee limit — the limit applies per event, not across your account.

Confirmation emails with attendance information

Parents need a confirmation they can reference. The confirmation email should include the child's name, the VBS session dates, the start time, and any information they need to bring (completed medical forms, payment if applicable, what to wear). A QR code in the confirmation email makes drop-off check-in faster and reduces the line at the door.

Check-in on the day

VBS check-in has unique requirements: you are checking in children, so you want to verify that the adult at the door is authorized to drop off. QR code scanning handles the speed problem — one scan per family, versus manually searching a paper list. A printed backup list is essential for the one parent who deletes their confirmation email.

Assign at least two volunteers to check-in. One scans; one handles special situations (first-timers, last-minute enrollments, children with medical notes that need to be communicated to their small group leader).

How to Structure Your VBS Registration Form

Form design matters for completion rate. A parent looking at a 20-question form on a phone will abandon it if the fields are not grouped logically. Here is a structure that works:

Section 1: Child information. Name, date of birth or age, grade entering in the fall, T-shirt size, prior attendance (returning or first-time).

Section 2: Parent / guardian. Parent name, relationship, phone number, email address.

Section 3: Emergency contact. Name, relationship, phone number. Specify that this should be a different person from the parent if possible.

Section 4: Medical information. Allergies (food, environmental, insect), medications and administration instructions, medical conditions relevant to staff. A free-text field for anything not covered by the dropdown options.

Section 5: Permissions. Photo permission (yes/no), permission to apply sunscreen, permission for first aid. These can be checkbox fields.

Section 6: Sibling information (optional). If registering multiple children, repeat child information for each sibling. Some platforms support repeating field groups; others require a separate registration per child. Separate registrations are cleaner for check-in and medical records.

Handling Common VBS Registration Problems

Last-minute enrollments

Churches get walk-ins on the first day. Have a paper form that mirrors your digital form ready for families who didn't register in advance. After the event, add their information to your system for your records. Keep a small supply of blank forms at check-in.

Children with significant medical needs

Medical information from the registration form needs to reach the small group leader, not just the check-in volunteer. Before VBS starts, print a one-page summary of children with allergies, medications, or medical conditions and give it to each group leader. The check-in record is not enough — leaders need to have this information with them throughout the session.

Capacity limits

If your VBS has a maximum enrollment (based on volunteer ratios or room capacity), set a hard cap on your registration form. When capacity is reached, new registrants are either turned away or added to a waitlist. Communicating the waitlist to families early is better than discovering the problem on the first day.

Multiple children in the same family

If you use separate events per age group or session, parents with children in different groups will need to submit multiple registrations. This is slightly inconvenient for parents but cleaner for your volunteer coordination. Make this explicit in your registration confirmation: “If you have children enrolling in a different session, please submit a separate registration for each.”

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there free VBS registration software?

Yes. CompleteEvent's free plan covers events up to 100 attendees with full custom form support. Most small VBS programs with 100 children or fewer per session can run entirely on the free plan. For larger programs, the Starter plan at $15.20/mo (with the nonprofit discount for 501(c)(3) churches) removes the registration cap.

Can I collect emergency contacts and medical information?

Yes. Registration forms support unlimited custom fields including text fields, dropdown selections, and checkboxes. Add fields for emergency contact name and phone, allergy lists, medication instructions, and photo permission — all in one form.

Can we run registration for multiple VBS weeks or sessions?

Yes. Create a separate event for each session. Each event has its own registration link, capacity limit, and attendee list. Parents register for their session; you manage each session independently. All events appear in your organization dashboard.

Do parents need to create an account to register?

No. Parents fill out the registration form and receive a confirmation email — no account creation required. This significantly reduces drop-off on mobile devices.

How does check-in work for VBS?

Each parent receives a QR code in their confirmation email. Volunteers scan the code at drop-off using any smartphone — no app download or dedicated hardware required. The check-in list is cached locally, so poor church WiFi doesn't slow down the process.

Set up your VBS registration with CompleteEvent — free for small programs, 20% nonprofit discount on paid plans.