“Tracking our participants is important, especially when they are minors,” said Rose Partolan, office manager for the Santa Clara YAC. “Parents want to know where their children are and with PassagePoint we are able to tell them immediately if the child is on site and which program he or she is checked into.” It’s been a series of continual upgrades at the center, as attendance grew and security became more essential. Originally, photo ID cards were produced manually (instant camera photo with information typed onto a card and then laminated) and when participants entered the facility, they surrendered their cards, which were then filed alphabetically in a box and returned when the participant exited. “The process was very labor intensive and not very efficient,” said Partolan. As the volume of participants grew to over 1,500 in the database, with approximately 250 participants a day at the three facilities, the center took its next step by implementing a computer check-in ID system.
The company’s integrated visitor management security software included badging, Web pre-registration, photo capturing, directory link integration and access control integration. “The compatibility is what sold us on the PassagePoint system because we did not want to redesign or replace our existing photo ID system,” said Partolan. Using the barcoded ID cards already in place, each entry and exit by a participant would be verified, time-stamped and recorded in a database format. Because the three sites were networked, the center’s staff could verify in real-time who was checked in at any given location. “We are able to tell parents if their child is currently on site, when and how many times they checked in,” said Partolan, “as well as when and how many times they checked out.”