Helping More Junior Kindergarten Students Succeed In School
McGuinty Government Takes Next Step In School Eyecare Plan
The Premier comparing glasses with a stylish JK Student.
JK Student shows off his glasses.
JK Students show off their new glasses with Premier McGuinty.
The McGuinty government is helping more Ontario children succeed in the classroom by helping them see better.
Parents of junior kindergarten students will be encouraged to bring their child in for a free eye exam at participating eye doctor offices. The Ontario Health Insurance Plan will cover the cost of the eye exams. The Province is working in partnership with the Ontario Association of Optometrists.
Jungle Eyewear (Bo Optik), Hoya Vision Care and Johnson and Johnson Vision Care will provide free glasses to junior kindergarten students who need them.
This next step is part of a larger program to ensure more than 117,000 JK students get their eyes tested province-wide by 2015. About 14,000 children are expected to need glasses.
QUICK FACTS
- One in six children has a vision problem, yet 80 per cent of children do not get eye exams before the age of five.
- Fourteen school boards will participate in the program this September.
- Uncorrected vision can affect a child’s ability to read, write and learn.
