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Kids Welcome Here®

About Kids Welcome Here®

Kids Welcome Here® is a multi-pronged education campaign designed by the Pennsylvania Optometric Association (POA) to increase the number of children who receive eye examinations from optometrists. The campaign is based on the premise that educated parents will take their children for early, regular comprehensive eye examinations. Further, optometrists are the key to providing the necessary education to parents and others who provide care to children.

Kids Welcome Here® consists of five major elements:

materials for optometrists to use to educate their patients who have children about the importance of early, regular eye examinations;
materials educating school nurses about the importance of regular eye exams for school-aged children;
continuing education in pediatric vision care for optometrists;
consultation with the Pennsylvania Department of Health to revise the commonwealth’s school vision screening program; and
education for school nurses regarding the revised school vision screening program as well as general eye health issues.

Details about Kids Welcome Here

Education Materials Distributed to Optometrists and Others Who Provide Care to Young Children

Target Audience: Parents

Printed Kids Welcome Here® education materials (posters, flyers and brochures) are designed for optometrists to use in their offices to educate parents about the need for pediatric eye examinations according to the Clinical Care Guidelines of the American Optometric Association. Thanks to sponsorship from Marchon Eyewear and Benedict Optical, these materials are provided free to POA members. Materials using the Children’s Vision 1-3-5^® slogan, which are a variation of the Kids Welcome Here® materials that are appropriate for non-optometric settings, are provided to Department of Health clinics and day care centers to educate parents that infants and children need routine comprehensive eye care.

Education Materials Distributed to School Nurses and Teachers

Target Audience: School Nurses, Teachers and Parents

Printed Vision is Elementary® posters were mailed to all 4,000 public and private elementary schools in Pennsylvania to be a constant reminder of the importance of vision care for school-aged children. Because a school nurse or teacher may be the first adult alerted to a child’s vision problem, it is important that they are aware and reminded that children need to have regular comprehensive eye examinations.

Pediatric Vision Care Continuing Education

Target Audience: Optometrists

POA developed a specialized six credit hour continuing education program that was offered in two locations in Pennsylvania in March of 2001. The program provides both clinical and practice management information to increase a doctor’s clinical knowledge and comfort level in seeing pediatric patients. POA continues providing pediatric vision care speakers at its educational events.

Revision of the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s School Vision Screening Program

Target Audience: Pennsylvania Association of School Nurses and Practitioners, Pennsylvania Department of Health, Division of School Health

Because each child in Pennsylvania is mandated to attend school, each child receives a vision screening from a school nurse. Through relationships with nurses established by members of POA’s Pediatric Vision Care Committee, POA was asked to participate in the revision of the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s school vision screening program. The Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Pennsylvania Association of School Nurses and Practitioners are extremely appreciative of the time and effort devoted by POA to the project and the process has created tremendous good will. After a two-year effort, the new program, implemented in September 2002, includes many of POA’s recommendations to improve the quality of school vision screenings. While POA remains consistent in its position that school vision screenings are not adequate pediatric vision care, POA recognizes school screenings are often the only vision care many children receive and it is in the best interests of Pennsylvania’s children to make them as efficacious as possible.

School Nurse Education

Target Audience: Pennsylvania’s School Nurses

In conjunction with the revision of the school vision screening program, POA has designed an education presentation detailing the rationale for the new tests as well as how to administer them for individual optometrists to present to their local nurses. The cover letter written by the Pennsylvania Department of Health that accompanies the revised school vision screening program acknowledges POA as its partner in providing training and technical assistance and refers nurses to the POA office to set up free educational programs. POA members across the state have delivered this presentation to their local school nurses at no charge. Approximately 100 of these education sessions have been presented throughout the state since July 2002.

All school nurses in the state have had the opportunity to attend this presentation, delivered by their POA members at no charge, through their school district, intermediate unit or Pennsylvania Department of Health Region.

Children’s Vision Education Program

POA has available an exclusive NEW education program, Children’s Vision: A Guide for School Nurses & Teachers, that is available for members to present to school nurses, teachers, parents, civic groups or any others who provide care to children.

School Vision Screening Education Program
As part of the Kids Welcome Here program, POA has created an education program for school nurses, providing training on the revised school vision screening guidelines.