Gov. Jack Markell (D) and Senator Chris Coons (D) helped hand out free glasses to students at Wilmington's Shortlidge Academy Thursday morning, helping to launch Vision to Learn, a public-private partnership that provides free eye exams and eyewear to needy children.
Advocates estimate 6,000 Delaware children - and 2 million across the country - struggle with academic performance due to unaddressed vision needs.
California resident Austin Beutner founded Vision to Learn in his home state, where its helped 25,000 students solve their vision problems.
"Vision to Learn was started to address a problem that should have been solved a long time ago in America. Somewhere between 10 and 20 percent of kids in low-income communities go to school every day and they can't see the board," he said, adding the problem is an issue of access, not of coverage.
Though Medicaid is available to pay for eye-wear and vision exams, it's a reimbursement scenario and for many socioeconomic reasons, children fall through the cracks, never receiving even a simple screening.
Beutner says his group solved the issue of access by bringing the glasses to the schools. Following screenings coordinated by the school's nurse, a mobile unit staffed with an optometrist and ophthalmologist will visit every school in the state to offer free eye exams - and even follow up to ensure they are being worn.
"Give a kid a pair of glasses, they become a learner, they stay in school, they achieve," Beutner stated.
[caption id="attachment_69002" align="alignright" width="300"]
Seeing the success of the program in California, Sen. Coons moved quickly to bring it here and less than a year later, he joined Markell and WNBA star and Delaware native Elena Delle Donne to distribute the glasses to 35 Shortlidge students.
"I'm proud of Delaware," he said, "and how Delaware is a state where you can pull everyone together in one room and lay out a clear powerful intervention... and have everybody in that room say 'Yes, we're going to come together, we're going to raise the money, we're going to launch the program, we're going to start it,' and less than nine months later, here we are."
Health and Social Services Secretary Rita Landgraf says using schools to address the vision health of needy children could also help discover other health issues that serve as roadblocks to a student’s academic success.
"This is a great way to screen and assess and work collaboratively with my department," she said. "Specifically, my division for the visually impaired will be able to help that student to the next level, and maybe prevent a more serious visual impairment."
The record shows that its the poor who suffer the most. Evidence from a UCLA School of Medicine study showed that 95% of first graders from low-income communities and needing glasses went without.
Shortlidge was recently designated a Priority School and located in one of the cities more under-represented communities. 92% are enrolled in free or discounted lunch programs, and its considered one of Red Clay School District's and Delaware's neediest schools.
Red Clay Superintendent Merv Daughtry says they project a 10-15% need in his schools, adding his job is to remove obstacles that prevent kids from learning.
He calls the program a shot in the arm for the entire state.
"Think of the impact this going to make over the next five years and how its going to change the lives of thousands of young men and women who won't be misdiagnosed, will be excited about reading a book, will pay attention now in class because they can see the board," he marveled.
Vision to Learn’s Regional Director Tara Quinn says it's just the beginning now that they've got their mobile unit staffed. They plan to blanket elementary schools throughout the entire state during the school year.
"We have three other Priority schools in this area we're going to see. We'll move down to capitol School District from here. In addition to the district schools, we're also going to be seeing all the charter schools."
Daughtry said Red Clay plans follow the students success and has already gathered benchmark data, anticipating the results.
"It's just so exciting to see - not just what today is but what the future holds for this program."
