Students in Melton are seeing clearer, with the introduction of the Glasses for Kids program at Wedge Park Primary School.
More than 580 students have been targeted in the past two weeks as part of the program ran by State Schools’ Relief, aiming to remove vision impairment as a potential barrier to educational engagement for disadvantaged students.
In research conducted by State Schools’ Relief, it was revealed that more than 56 per cent of parents of disadvantaged prep students had expressed concerns about their child’s eyesight but did not attend a vision service, and approximately 8 per cent of prep students had not been seen by an optometrist in more than 12 months.
State Schools’ Relief acting chief executive Anshika Heritage said the initiative is helping alleviate disadvantage.
“This is an essential program that addresses vision impairment as a barrier to education, ensuring that every child, regardless of their background, has the opportunity to fully participate in learning from an early age,” she said.
The program involves an initial screening for children between prep to grade 3, with more comprehensive eye tests conducted for those who need it, and finally glasses distributed at no cost.
Next month, Sunshine Heights Primary School will benefit from the program too, with 221 students to be targeted from November 19 to November 21.
