ChildSight® Contract with NYC Department of Education

In September 2004, the New York City Department of Education (DOE) awarded HKI's ChildSight® program a new contract to provide free vision screenings and free prescription eyeglasses to students living in high poverty districts. Under the new contract, the DOE will provide $400,000 per year for each of the next four years, benefiting up to 60,000 students each year.

Near- and far-sightedness and astigmatism, collectively known as "refractive error," affects approximately 25% of the population by age 15, with onset typically occurring as early as age ten. Consequences for students with undiagnosed refractive error include decreased academic achievement and impaired social adjustment. The consequences for an individual can result in lifelong social and economic struggles.

ChildSight® eliminates two primary barriers to vision care services for children in need: (1) access to screening and diagnosis; and (2) prohibitive expense. The program brings a trained team into the public schools, performs the vision screenings and provides free eyeglasses to those students who need them, thereby “bringing education into focusTM.”

Under this contract, ChildSight® will target middle school students attending schools designated as academically at risk. No other program in New York City provides students with free, prescription eyeglasses immediately after an in-school vision assessment by a licensed optometrist. The DOE's support of ChildSight® signifies an understanding of the well-established correlation between improved vision and academic achievement.

Established in 1994, the flagship New York City program has served as a constant source of innovation within ChildSight's® national network. Last school year, ChildSight's® national network conducted vision screenings for approximately 100,000 students and provided free eyeglasses to 10,531 children in need.

To find out more about ChildSight®, please click here.