Get Checking Wisconsin

The Get Checking program began in 1998 in Milwaukee County in response to a need identified by the community.  Kim Terry, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee County Housing  & Financial Management educator played a facilitating role in bringing together local banks, credit unions, social service agencies, lenders and utilities  to design the program.  The program was introduced as a six-hour educational program designed for individuals without an account with a financial institution or that had difficulty in managing a checking account.  The program was also based on a partnership model – University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension partnering with financial institutions that would agree to open accounts for program graduates.   By the time the program was introduced statewide in 2001, over 900 participants and 13 financial institutions had joined the program in Milwaukee.

Patrick Vandenberg, director of Consumer Credit Counseling Services (CCCS) in Milwaukee began promoting the program to colleagues across Wisconsin, hosting orientation sessions for financials, promoting it’s delivery as a “Community Collaborative Model – financial institutions working with University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension  and CCCS at the local level.  Kim Terry provided curriculum training to Family Living Colleagues in the summer of 2001, promoting community coalitions to deliver the program and helping define the role of UW-Extension.

Participants in Get Checking are given the opportunity to learn the elements needed to manage an account.  Since 2001 the program expanded to other counties in Wisconsin and to other states across the county.  It has also undergone a number of changes.  The participant workbook has been revised and updated regularly.  The most notable change is the formal affiliation with e-funds and ChexSystems.  In the past, when a class participant attended the Get Checking session and successfully completed the test, the educator verified the attendance at the session and successful completion of the test to e-funds and ChexSystems which was noted on their ChexSystems report.  That reporting requirement is no longer a part of the program and participation in the program is no longer formally recognized by ChexSystems.

The changes in Get Checking at a national level and the relationship with ChexSystems provided an opportunity to review the Get Checking program being offered by the University of Wisconsin Extension.  A workgroup of Family Living Educators reviewed the participant workbook and made additions to reflect some of the new banking products such as electronic banking but also looked at the logistics for providing Get Checking.  The workgroup found there was a wide variance in the fees charged to both to the participants and the financial institutions.  The length of session also varied among counties as well as the content being taught.  These inconsistencies prompted questions from the partnering financial institutions, especially those financial institutions with a presence in multiple communities.  These variations not only resulted in questions from partners, the variances in program delivery and content made evaluating the program difficult.

It is anticipated that the workgroup recommendations will standardize the Get Checking program across the state so it can be evaluated.  The recommendations also allow for unique county circumstances.  The workgroup shared the recommendations with Family Living Educators in April 2010. Workgroup members are Christine Kniep and Kristi Cutts, Winnebago County; Karen Dickrell, Outagamie County; Deb Neubauer, Dane County; Jennifer Caravella,  Waushara County;  and Pat Ludeman, Ad Hoc Financial Program

Get Checking Participating Counties

County Contact Locator