VBS Kids Registration Pro – Setup Guide

This guide is written for VBS directors who do not do tech. If you can click buttons and copy and paste one line of text, you can run this system. You do not need coding experience.

What this plugin can do

Collect kids registrations online
Collect volunteer sign-ups online
Run free or paid registration
Accept PayPal or Stripe payments
Track payment status automatically
Send parent and admin emails

Newer upgrades now included

Season management for year-to-year events
Group and crew assignment tools
Public child check-in kiosk
Attendance tracking and reporting
Volunteer admin tabs and exports
Tools and diagnostics page

Install and activate the plugin

In WordPress Admin, go to Plugins -> Add New, upload the ZIP file, install it, and activate it.

After activation, you will see a new admin menu: VBS Registration.

Create your public pages

Keep kids and volunteers on separate pages. It keeps links simple and reduces confusion.

Kids registration page

[vbs_kids_registration]

Volunteer registration page

[vbs_volunteer_registration]

Other shortcodes now available

Shortcode	Use
`[vbs_checkin]`	Public child check-in kiosk page
`[vbs_registration_compact]`	Compact registration display or call-to-action block
`[vbs_registration_status]`	Status display block
`[vbs_event_info]`	Simple event information block
`[vbs_registration_button]`	Standalone registration button

Choose your season first

Before opening registration for a new year, go to VBS Registration -> Seasons and confirm the active season. This keeps registrations, groups, and attendance organized by event season.

Use a fresh season for each VBS year. It keeps reports cleaner and prevents mixing this year’s kids with last year’s data.

Configure your event settings

Go to VBS Registration -> Settings and fill in your core event details:

Event name
Event date
Event time
Event location
Director email
Registration fee and capacity, if used

These details are reused in emails, reports, and front-end displays.

Choose free or paid registration

In Settings -> Registration Mode, choose whether parents register for free or must pay online.

Mode	What happens
Free Mode	Parent submits the form and the registration is saved as Active.
Paid Mode	Parent submits the form, the registration is saved as Pending, and the payment button appears. After successful payment, the status updates to Paid.

The plugin calculates total price automatically based on your per-child fee and the number of children entered.

Choose your payment gateway

Go to Settings -> Payment Gateway and choose PayPal or Stripe.

PayPal

Set Sandbox or Live mode
Enter your PayPal email

Stripe

Set Test or Live mode
Enter publishable key
Enter secret key
Enter webhook secret if you are using webhooks

Both gateways can update payment status automatically after successful payment confirmation.

Customize your form fields

Go to VBS Registration -> Form Fields.

You can control parent fields, child fields, and emergency contact fields. You can rename labels, turn fields on or off, and decide what appears in exports and reports.

Configure emails

Go to VBS Registration -> Email Settings.

From name
From email
Director reply-to
Parent confirmation subject and message
Admin notification toggle
Optional BCC to director

Merge tags you can use

{parent_name} {children_names} {event_name} {event_date} {event_time} {event_location} {registration_id} {payment_status} {amount_paid} {currency} {txn_id} {site_name} {site_url}

Manage registrations and volunteers

Use VBS Registration -> Registrations to search, filter, edit, update status, and review kids registrations.

Use VBS Registration -> Volunteers to review volunteer sign-ups, export lists, manage roles, and clean up volunteer records.

You can also use Bulk Email to send announcements or reminders to filtered parent groups.

Create groups and assign children

Go to VBS Registration -> Groups to create crews or age groups, assign colors or labels, and place children into groups. This is especially helpful for classroom lists, rotation planning, and printed rosters.

Run check-in and attendance

Create a check-in page using the shortcode below if you want a public kiosk or welcome desk page.

[vbs_checkin]

Use the admin Check-In and Attendance screens to record presence, review daily activity, and print attendance reports.

Export and report

Use the export pages for CSV and PDF downloads. Use Bookkeeper Reports when you need payment and revenue summaries for the event.

Use the tools and diagnostics page

If something looks off, go to VBS Registration -> Tools & Debug. This page is useful for diagnostics, logs, and checking whether the system is running correctly.

This is the first place to check if payments, emails, or data syncing seem unusual.

If the form does not show in the editor

Some page builders do not render shortcodes inside the editor preview. Save the page, open the live page in a new tab, and test there. The live page is what matters.