In 2005, the North Carolina Early Childhood Vision Care Program was legislated by GS 130A-440.1 and the Early Childhood Vision Care Commission was created by GS 143B-216.75. In August of 2006, the Governor signed HB 2699, which changed both the makeup of the Commission and key points of the Early Childhood Vision Care legislation. The revised law requires vision screening for children entering kindergarten in the 2007-2008 school year and provides funding for eligible children from kindergarten through third grade, who fail a vision screening, to receive comprehensive eye examinations and prescribed glasses. The legislation requires vision screening to be done in accordance with standards (PDF, 24 KB) adopted by the Commission on Early Childhood Vision Care.
The Commission on Early Childhood Vision Care (PDF, 18 KB) oversees and advises the program, which is administered by the Children and Youth Branch of the N.C. Division of Public Health. Schools, local public health departments, doctors and other eye care professionals work together to provide the vision screenings and follow-up care.
More About the Early Childhood Vision Care Program:
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