Funding
Every Prep to Year 3 student at participating schools will be eligible to receive a free vision screening and if required, follow up eye testing and glasses.
From 2024, an additional $2.9 million has been made available to continue the initiative. This builds on the $2.1 million the Victorian Government has already provided to this initiative since 2015-16. Glasses for Kids targets the most disadvantaged areas in Victoria and will enable up to 34,000 Prep to Year 3 students in 297 schools to have a vision screening for glasses.
Parental consent is required for screening, which is not compulsory. The initiative is being delivered by State Schools’ Relief and its partners, which is supported by the Department.
What the funding covers
Glasses for Kids provides free vision screening and if needed, further testing and free glasses to participating Prep to Year 3 students.
It is managed and delivered by State Schools’ Relief. Between 2024 and 2027, State Schools' Relief is intending to visit 297 schools and offer free vision screening and testing to approximately 34,000 Prep to Year 3 students.
Why it's important
Glasses for Kids contributes to achieving the Government’s Education State targets including Learning for Life, Happy, Healthy and Resilient Kids, and Breaking the Link.
The initiative removes vision impairment as a barrier to accessing education and achievement. It addresses a large social need, especially in areas with a large number of new migrant families who are often unaware of the healthcare services available in Australia.
This initiative takes the first steps in addressing the links between disadvantage, access to eye healthcare professionals and learning outcomes. While the initiative is not means-tested, the children who benefit the most come from families experiencing financial disadvantage.
If left unaddressed, a vision impairment can affect the lifelong learning capabilities of a child. Glasses for Kids helps alleviate this problem by providing an onsite service to children at their school, to address vision impairments in children who otherwise may have gone undiagnosed.
Eligibility
Glasses for Kids is delivered to targeted schools in the most disadvantaged areas across Victoria.
All Prep to Year 3 students in the targeted schools are invited to participate.
How to apply
State Schools’ Relief will invite targeted schools to participate.
The schools are targeted based on their relative levels of disadvantage in the communities in which they are located.
The parents of all Prep to Year 3 students in the targeted schools will be invited by State Schools’ Relief to participate.
When it's available
State Schools’ Relief started delivery of the initiative to schools in Term 1, 2024.
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