Victoria’s state government says it is easing cost-of-living pressures for families and giving students the best chance to succeed at school, with the Glasses for Kids program delivering free glasses for students that need them.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Education Ben Carroll has visited Victorian College of the Deaf to announce that 10,000 pairs of free glasses have now been given out to students across the education state.
A media release said the program provided free vision screening and, if needed, further testing and free glasses to participating Prep to Year 3 students. Families can save up to $600 depending on the type of vision issue.
By supporting students with undiagnosed vision impairments, Glasses for Kids was helping students achieve their best at school and beyond, the release said.
That includes students like Toby, a Year 7 student at the Victorian College of the Deaf, who couldn’t access an optometry clinic without an Auslan interpreter. This program brought the eye test to his school, revealing short-sightedness, dramatically improving his ability to see and communicate.
The Government tripled the program with a $6.8 million expansion in the Victorian Budget 2024/25. The program is now available to 770 eligible schools and 74,000 more Prep to Year 3 students through to 2027.
During the 2024 school year alone, 110 schools were visited across Victoria with more than 6,700 students receiving a vision screening and over 1,800 free glasses dispensed.
The Glasses for Kids program is run by State Schools’ Relief and supports students from Victorian Government schools in disadvantaged areas.
Carroll said: “Vision shouldn’t be a barrier to learning. Too many kids fall behind in school because of undiagnosed and treatable vision problems and 10,000 students now have the glasses they need to stay focused and succeed.”
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