Click to View KVFL’s Program Brochure
Hello and welcome to Kids Vision for Life St. Louis!
Kids Vision for Life St. Louis (KVFL) believes vision is crucial to a child’s success and development. Over 80% of learning in a child’s first twelve years comes through his or hers eyes.1 Research indicates that one out of every four school aged children have a vision impairment significant enough to affect learning, yet 35% of children have never seen an eye care professional.2,3
Many schools struggle with the burden of providing vision screenings to students as well as ensuring students receive the proper follow-up care. 40% of students who fail an initial vision screening do not receive an eye exam or other follow-up care.4 One of the most common reasons parents give for not taking children to the eye doctor is the cost of care. Besides expense, families often face additional barriers to accessing vision care for their children, including limited transportation and the inability to take time off from work—barriers that leave a vulnerable student population with undiagnosed and unaddressed vision problems.
KVFL addresses these barriers by directly bringing vision services to over 40,000 students in the St. Louis area. Our team provides students with vision screenings, eye exams, and prescription glasses at over 150 elementary, middle, and high schools, eliminating the need to visit a doctor’s office. The KVFL program removes the financial burden from the parents by keeping our services at no cost for all students involved.
KVFL currently provides vision services for the following school districts in the St. Louis area: St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS), Riverview Gardens, Jennings, Ferguson-Florissant, Bayless, Normandy, Maplewood-Richmond Heights, Hancock Place, Ritenour, Pattonville, Affton, Saint Charles, Valley Park, Mehlville, University City, Confluence Academies, Kipp Academies, and Fox as well as several private and parochial schools in the area.
We are excited for you to learn more about our program and the work we do in St. Louis area schools.
Thank you for visiting,
The Kids Vision for Life St. Louis Team
ARCHS (Area Resources for Community and Human Services) is the 501(c)(3) fiscal agent for Kids Vision for Life St. Louis. ARCHS funds and strategically enhances initiatives that improve the lives of children and families facing disparities and disadvantages in St. Louis’ most impoverished communities. To learn more visit www.stlarchs.org