DUBUQUE, Iowa (KCRG-TV9) – Some Dubuque and Jackson County students are seeing clearer all because of a community effort.
The Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque and national non-profit “Vision To Learn” has provided free eye exams and new pairs of glasses to dozens of Iowa children. It’s all part of a pilot program to help students see so they can succeed in the classroom.
According to Vision To Learn, 1.5 million students in the U.S. need glasses, but don’t have them. Twenty thousand students in Iowa need glasses, but don’t have them. Vision To Learn and Theisen’s Farm Home Auto have provided 178 exams to kids in Jackson and Dubuque Counties.
About 30 students at Fulton Elementary School are now seeing better wearing their glasses. Educators says students who can’t see, struggle to read. The ability to read by 3rd grade has long been a reliable predictor of any child’s future success. During an assembly at the Fulton School, one by one each student tried on their brand new glasses.
Program directors say students don’t often verbalize their need to see better and often parents and teachers can miss the signs that a student is struggling because of vision issues.
LA Clippers and Vision To Learn Team Up to Help Inglewood Students Get Free Glasses