VSP will donate up to $20,000.
(Press Release) RANCHO CORDOVA, CA – VSP Vision Care and Prevent Blindness launched Vision to Share: “Clicks for Kids” as a way to help bridge the gap in access to care for a population whose need for eyecare is often unmet. With every click or share, VSP will donate $1, up to $20,000 in total, so that Head Start children ages 3, 4 and 5 years old, in 25 underserved communities across the U.S., have increased access to vision screenings and comprehensive eye examinations, and treatment as needed before they enter school.
A vision screening will assess a child’s vision for the most common vision problems and refer the child to an eyecare professional for further evaluation. The screening can also help introduce the conversation around eye health to the child and their parent/guardian to ensure the child’s eyes stay safe and healthy — for example by receiving regular comprehensive eye exams as their child grows.
To ensure each child identified with a potential vision issue has access to a comprehensive eye exam, each Head Start center will also receive VSP Global Eyes of Hope gift certificates. The certificates provide vulnerable Head Start families with access to comprehensive eye exams and glasses from a local VSP network doctor at no cost.
“Head Start is the national commitment to give every child, regardless of circumstances at birth, an opportunity to succeed in school and in life. We offer vulnerable families a unique whole child program model designed to enhance their child’s growth and development,” said Yasmina Vinci, executive director of the National Head Start Association. “With support from insightful partners such VSP, Head Start provides children with the critical health services that are essential to our comprehensive approach to early childhood development.”
“In the United States, one in five Head Start children has a vision problem,” said Hugh R. Parry, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness. “With support from VSP, we’ll be able to provide Head Start programs with new equipment and training to help them as they identify possible vision problems and support families in accessing comprehensive eye exams and glasses for their children.”
At the end of the campaign VSP will provide one of the 25 Head Start centers with additional vision screening equipment and educational toys to make learning fun. To enter, the center must submit a photograph via e-mail to ClickforKidsVision@preventblindness.org by Oct. 31, 2017. The email submission should demonstrate the importance of vision and learning in their program. The winning Head Start center will be announced in November.