To help ensure that all children are ready to learn when they start school and that vision problems are detected and treated early, the N.C. General Assembly passed laws in 2005 and 2006 establishing the Early Childhood Vision Care Program. The legislation 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 the vision screening, to receive comprehensive eye examinations and to get glasses if they are prescribed. The legislation also requires that vision screenings meet certain 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.