
Rif and Vca Partner to Reach Parents
Reading Is Fundamental (Rif) and the Vision Council of America (Vca) yesterday announced a partnership designed to educate parents and teachers about the important link between healthy vision and learning. It is estimated that 80 percent of all of children's learning comes through their eyes, making healthy vision a critical tool for school success.
'Most people understand how vision and learning are linked, yet shockingly few children receive preventative vision care before entering school', said Bill Thomas, Vca Ceo and executive vice president. 'By working with Rif, we can reach millions of Americans about the importance of eye exams for school age children'.
A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that only one in three children receive a vision screening or an eye exam before entering kindergarten. This lack of vision care places children at greater risk for permanent vision loss, as well as for learning difficulties in school.
The centerpiece of the Rif-Vca partnership will be public service announcements (Psa) about the important role that vision plays in children's learning. The Psas will be distributed to print and broadcast media and will also be packaged in other formats (brochures, posters) to be distributed throughout Rif and Vca grassroots networks.
'By working together, Rif and Vca can tap into extensive networks of both literacy and vision care advocates to ensure that children have every opportunity to learn', said Carol H. Rasco, president and Ceo of rif. 'Our partnership will enable us to reach millions about the steps necessary to enable children to develop a lifelong love of reading and learning'.
Thomas agrees, stating, 'The more parents and educators we reach with this message, the better. Partnering with Rif greatly expands the scope of Vca efforts and allows us to get our messages out to new audiences across the country. As the nation's leading literacy organization, Rif is the ideal partner to take our campaign to a higher level'.
The Psa campaign is part of Vca's larger initiative, Check Yearly. See Clearly, whose objective is to educate Americans about the importance of regular vision care.