Children’s Savings Accounts
Since 2010, Children's Savings Programs across the nation have relied on Outcome Tracker to collect child data, manage savings accounts, apply incentives, communicate with parents/guardians, and report on results. Whether your Children's Savings Account program is statewide or local, Outcome Tracker can help. Join an upcoming webinar to learn how you can benefit.
Outcome Tracker serves as the hub of your CSA program's data, bringing together
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- imported child information (usually from school systems or vital records)
- savings data for each child
- incentive amounts for each child
- data entered by parents/guardians (e.g., surveys)
Outcome Tracker allows you to choose one or more savings options, including:
Custodial Bank Accounts
Banks and/or credit unions partner with the CSA program to provide savings accounts (or sub-accounts) for each child. Custodial bank accounts are usually provided in "opt-out" programs -- every child receives an account unless their family opts out of the program.
Outcome Tracker communicates with the financial partners to set up custodial accounts and to receive daily transactions for each account. Families view their savings and incentives in the parent/guardian portal.
Pooled Savings Accounts
Instead of creating a custodial account for each child, some CSA programs create one account at a bank or credit union to hold all of the savings deposits. When the family goes to the bank to make a deposit, the transaction goes into the pooled account and is tagged with the child’s Outcome Tracker information.
VistaShare works with the financial partner to establish the teller's receipting process and to receive nightly updates of pooled savings account transactions. Student incentives and savings are included in the parent/guardian portal and in reports.
529 Accounts
The state's 529 plan serves as the savings vehicle for participating families. Outcome Tracker integrates with Ascensus College Savings and TIAA and enables the CSA program to:
- Invest each child's incentives in an Omnibus 529 account
- Allow a family to create/link a 529 account
- Allow families to manage their 529 account
- Show the growth of the child's incentives & savings
Link Your Own Account
Some CSA programs allow families to link an existing savings account from their own bank or credit union. Outcome Tracker provides the ability for the family to choose a bank, enter credentials, and link their savings account to the CSA program.
Configure Outcome Tracker for your program’s needs
We’ll help you configure Outcome Tracker for your current needs and teach you to adapt Outcome Tracker as your needs grow
- Add fields & forms
- Portals
- Activities
- Surveys & Assessments
- Reports
Reach out to clients via their computer or phone
Engage with parents and guardians online. Enable them to enter data for you. Or give them a nudge.
- Web and mobile portals
- Balance inquiry on incentives and savings accounts
- Create, manage and link 529 accounts
- Link your own savings account
- Online surveys
- Electronic Signatures
- Email messages
- Text messages
Use data to help tell the story of your impact
Use existing reports or create new ones. You don’t need to be a programmer. We’ll teach you how.
- Create queries
- Analyze with Crosstabs
- Show outcome indicators over time
- Illustrate with Charts
Exchange data with other organizations and systems
Interface your Outcome Tracker data with other systems to increase effectiveness and eliminate double entry.
- Bank or Credit Union accounts
- Ascensus or TIAA 529 accounts
- Link your own savings account
- Export to spreadsheet
- Schedule exports/imports
- Import from spreadsheet
- Synch with Emma or Constant Contact
Keep your confidential data secure
Control who sees your data and limit what they see.
- Custom user security
- Externally tested security measures
- Data stays on your country's soil (US or Canada)
Getting Started
VistaShare works with your project team to build out the Outcome Tracker platform according to your needs, train you how to use the system, and teach you how you can adapt Outcome Tracker as your needs grow.
Assessment
Your VistaShare trainer will work with you to understand your agency’s needs, including data collection (e.g., applications, surveys), outcome indicators, process flow, and reporting needs.
Configuration
You don’t need to start with a blank slate. Your trainer will create an initial configuration based on the assessment.
Training
A series of training sessions will teach your team how to use Outcome Tracker day-to-day and how to to adapt the database to meet future requirements. Self-paced tutorials are also used during the training process.
Data Conversion
VistaShare will help you to import your data into Outcome Tracker.
Following the implementation project, the Customer Support Team and the Outcome Tracker Help Desk will help you get the most out of Outcome Tracker.
Pricing
Outcome Tracker pricing consists of:
Licensing Fee
This one-time fee covers licensing plus initial implementation hours for your organization.
Professional Services
On-site and/or remote training, consulting services, custom report writing, and data conversion services are provided according to your needs.
Monthly Subscription
The monthly subscription includes product enhancements, support, and data hosting/backup/security.
Outcome Tracker pricing is tiered based on several factors, including program size. In addition to single-agency licenses, Outcome Tracker can be licensed for a network of organizations at a discounted rate. Please contact us for details.