Q: What record keeping tools do you provide?
A: We offer two primary record keeping tools: 1. An Attendance record sheet that keeps track of a child’s attendance, Bible, Truthbook, and Standard (award sash) and 2. An Award record sheet that details a child’s progress through his/her Truthbook.
Q: Why aren’t your Award record sheets more detailed?
A: Because we want to encourage the workers to spend less time with records and more time with the children. We’d rather have people investing time into relationships instead of record keeping. Also, we want the record keeping to be as simple and easy as possible.
Q: What if children lose their books? Are the records detailed enough to know exactly where a child left off?
A: No, they’re not quite that detailed. 
The Award record sheet does not detail curriculum units or pages completed; rather, it records the date on which a child earns each award patch. There are five patch awards per doctrinal theme for the Developers, Detectives, and Defenders. Here are the 5 awards per doctrinal theme the Award record sheet details:
- Award 1 — first five Top Q&A recited one-at-a-time (each curriculum unit is built around one of the Top Q&A and is always the “Memorize It!” component of the curriculum. Also, boys and girls are usually required only to memorize and recite the ANSWER portion of the Top Q&A. Please check with your local club to make sure.)
- Award 2 — second five Top Q&A recited one-at-a-time
- Award 3 — first five Top Q&A recited simultaneously (we want boys and girls to learn the material well enough to say the answers 5 at a time!)
- Award 4 — second five Top Q&A recited simultaneously
- Bonus Award — varies
Q: What if a child “remembers” exactly where they were?
A: That’s wonderful! But defer to the Award record sheet, please. Point out to the child his/her last completed award and have him begin work on achieving the next award. So, if he has completed Award 1, he should begin work on the 6th curriculum unit. If he has completed Award 2, he should study to say the first 5 Q&A for that doctrinal theme at one time.
Remember:
- Award 1 — first five Q&A staggered
- Award 2 — second five Q&A staggered
- Award 3 — first five Q&A simultaneously
- Award 4 — second five Q&A simultaneously
But what if the child has earned Award 1 and remembers that he has already completed 4 out of the 5 Q&A necessary to earn his next award? Well, that’s tough. They shouldn’t have lost their book! Our recommended award system discourages children from losing their Truthbooks. So, the “worst” case scenario if a child loses his/her book is that they would have to go back and repeat 4 curriculum units by re-reciting the Top Q&A from each unit. Now really, is that too tough?
Q: How can I tell what Award record sheet I need?
A: There are 9 different Award record sheets. The award record sheets correspond to each one of the 9 Truthbooks. At the top of each Award record sheet is a small image of the Truthbook to which it corresponds as well as a description of that particular Truthbook. All 9 sheets are included in the one Award record sheet PDF: http://equipu.kids4truth.com/files/folders/awards/entry156.aspx
Q: Who should keep the records?
A: We recommend that the small group leaders keep the records. We recommend this because we’d rather have leaders that are closer to the children than an aloof secretary. Also, this record keeping strategy may encourage the small group leaders to have more interaction with moms and dads about the progress/behavior/etc. of their child. In the club I direct, we have set up the small group leaders with notebooks that include both Attendance and Award record sheets. At the end of the year, we utilize the Award record sheets to help us determine which year-end award each child should receive.
Q: How do I know which year-end award each child has won?
A: You can refer to the right side of each Award record sheet where it details precisely what a child must accomplish for the different year-end awards.
Q: I don’t care for your record keeping philsophy very much! I still want very detailed records—what should I do?
A: That’s fine. You don’t need to “buy into” everything we say. These are all recommendations. If you want to keep more detailed records, please allow me to direct you to some designed by the very talented Mike Betancourt.
http://equipu.kids4truth.com/files/folders/generalcontributions/entry215.aspx
(this is one of the blessings of having the collaborative ability of the EquipU website. Thanks, Mike!) 