With a generous gift from the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Prescott, public school children in Yavapai County will have vision and hearing screening available as of August.
The Yavapai County Education Service Agency recently accepted a $32,697.30 grant from JCF for the purchase of five Vision Screener Plusoptix S12R mobile devices, one Otoacoustic Emissions hearing screener and the appropriate training in their use and care.
Learning success, especially in early literacy, cannot be achieved if a child has unidentified physical impairments. Arizona legislatively requires hearing testing, but not vision. With its partnership with JCF, YCESA can help close that need gap.
Christine Resnick, JCF Executive Director, said, “The Jewish Community Foundation is pleased to award this grant to the YCESA. For a child to see clearly continues their success in the classroom and beyond. With all the recent cuts to education, it is our responsibility to ensure that their education is not hindered as they are truly the treasures which we proudly invest in for our future.”
YCESA will manage and coordinate vision and hearing screening in schools across the county and refer students with identified disorders to an appropriate medical professional for a comprehensive exam and treatment if warranted. A trained YCESA nurse will administer the screenings or teach school nurses to do so with the new diagnostic equipment which will be available at no charge to the schools.
Resnick adds that JCF’s belief in the potential of this project was best summarized by YCESA Nurse Jennifer Miller. On many occasions, when Ms. Miller returned to a school and saw a child with new glasses for vision correction, she would ask the student how they had changed the way he or she sees the world. The child simply explained, “When I look at a tree, I can now see its leaves, not just a large green blur.”
YCESA is tracking the number of students screened, the number referred for additional testing and the types of interventions will help planning for future programs and educational needs.
The Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Prescott was established in 1998 embracing a fundamental belief in helping others. They provide funding to agencies and organizations to meet the basic needs of the less fortunate, as well as to support initiatives that benefit their community.
Superintendent Tim Carter of YCESA extends a heartfelt thank you to the Jewish Community Foundation for their generosity in supporting pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 education success. Yavapai County’s school children, families and schools gain from JCF’s caring.
