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      Import Attendance and Meal Counts for Rural Sites

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      In This Article

      Your sponsor must give you the appropriate permissions in order to be able to access this feature.

      You can import Weekly Attendance + Meal Counts forms that centers print and complete. Using this method, centers take point-of-service meal counts on paper and then submit those original records to their food program office/sponsor to scan and upload into KidKare.  An overview of the scanning process is below:

      1. Centers print the Weekly Attendance + Meal Count report each week and record daily attendance and meal counts at point-of-service.

      2. Centers send the original report to their food program office/sponsor weekly, twice monthly, or monthly. Sponsors spot-check the forms prior to scanning. This includes checking for stray marks, tears, potential issues, and so on.

      3. Center or Sponsor scans the documents with specific settings and save them to their computer.

      4. Center or Sponsor uploads the scanned documents into KidKare.

      5. If any scanning errors occur, Center or Sponsors correct them, re-scan, and upload documents again.

      6. The attendance and meal counts are updated in KidKare.

      Before you can begin using the import tool, you must first setup your scanner with the correct settings. 

       

      Scanner Settings for Import Tool

      You can use any image-based scanner to scan the Weekly Attendance + Meal Count report into KidKare. For example, you can use network copiers as a scanner. Multi-function scanner/printer/faxes also work. 

      The system reads the X's marked on the Weekly Attendance + Meal Count report and saves that information in KidKare in Attendance & Meal Counts.

      You must use specific settings when scanning the Weekly Attendance + Meal Count reports. If you do not use the settings below, the forms will still appear to scan, but the accuracy is compromised. Some scanners allow users to set up a Scanning Profile, so you do not have to remember each of these settings every time you scan. If this option is not available, ensure you are selecting each specific setting every time you scan. Make sure the scanner you plan to use meets requirements below

      1. Save the image as a .TIF.
      2. Scan in black and white (not grayscale).
      3. Use 400dpi or higher.
      4. Use 8.5 x11 document size.

       

      Import Attendance Data

      Prior to completing these steps, make sure all paper Weekly Attendance & Meal Count sheets have been scanned to your computer using the correct Scanner Settings shown above.

      1. From the menu to the left, click Import.
      2. Click Import Attendance Data.
      3. Click the blue box that says Browse files to import.
      4. Select one or multiple files that have been scanned to import into KidKare.
      5. Once the files selected show up on this screen, click Import.
      6. ​Files will show as validated or failed. 
        1. Validated files are uploaded successfully and now reflect on your Meals & Attendance screen and in reports.  No further action required.
        2. Failed files should be reviewed, fixed, re-scanned, and re-uploaded. Click on Error List to view error details.  You can fix some errors from the Error List, or you may need to re-scan for a better image. 
          1. Check scanner settings above to ensure the document meets all scanning requirements.
          2. Check to ensure the centers completed the forms correctly and there are not abstract marks, tears, etc.  Review how to fill out forms correctly in the section above. 

      Completed Import Sheet Sample - No Errors

      Completed Import Sheet Sample - With Errors

      Error 1: Top right corner is torn.  All four corners should be visible on the image.

      Error 2: There should be no marks on the page outside of Meals and Attendance boxes and there should be no color.

      Error 3, 4, & 5: These are examples of incorrect ways to mark Meals and Attendance.  Must be a solid "X" and be contained in the box that is marked. No check marks, slashes, or over sized X's that bleed into other boxes.

      Error 6: No handwritten notes, marks, or comments should be on this page.

       

      Fix Import Errors

      Once you import forms into KidKare, the program notifies you of any errors. Review all import errors and correct them.

      To correct import errors:

      1. Select the option to see errors after forms are imported. If you need to do this later, click Import from the menu to the left, and Fix Scanned Errors.  The Fixed Scanned Errors window opens.
      2. Select a specific center to view errors for or use the drop down to view multiple centers at once.
      3. Click anywhere on the row with the error you want to fix.  The row highlights in blue. Click Fix in the top right corner and the error details  appear.  Look for fields that are empty that might need to be filled in. For example, a child's name may have been written on the wrong row. In this case, you would need to match the child's name with the attendance.
      4. When finished, click Save. Once the error is resolved, it is automatically removed from the list.

      When an error shows Bad Image or Bad Form ID, this means the import did not work.  You will need to re-scan the particular page and ensure all edges are visible, scanner settings are correct, and there are no random marks on the document you are scanning. 

      IMPORTANT: When you select a row to Ignore the error for errors codes such as Bad Image or Bad Form ID, KidKare will ignore all errors with the same error code.  We suggest that you document or screenshot these errors before you mark them as ignored.