Delaware YMCA partners with Vision To Learn to provide free eye health care for summer camp members

Salisbury, Md. – A new partnership between The YMCA of Delaware and eye care nonprofit Vision To Learn is helping kids access free eye care.

Children enrolled at YMCA of Delaware summer camps are eligible for free vision screenings, eye exams and prescription eyeglasses at six locations this summer. Officials at the Y say children who need glasses will be able to choose their own frames and have them mailed directly to their home for free. Officials say this partnership is about tackling eye health early and taking health care directly to children.

“Something as simple as just needing glasses can have a tremendous impact on a child’s ability to learn, to participate and to build confidence,” Georganne Buccine said. Buccine serves as the YMCA of Delaware’s vice president of youth development. “Many families face barriers to getting care, whether it’s transportation cost or even simply finding the time. So this partnership helps remove those barriers.”

According to officials at Vision To Learn, more than 1 in 4 public school students lack access to the glasses they need to see clearly in the classroom, creating one of the most common yet overlooked barriers to learning. According to one study Vision To Learn cited, 95% of children who need glasses do not have them in low-income communities, and because nearly 80% of learning during a child’s first 12 years is visual, untreated vision issues can be detrimental to a child’s academic success and overall well being.

“More than 3 million children across the country go to school every day without the glasses they need,” said Vision To Learn Founder Austin Beutner in a statement. “When children go to school hungry, we feed them. We make sure they have the books and school supplies they need. Why not glasses? Every child in every school, everywhere in the country, should have the glasses they need to succeed in school and in life.