STUDENTS in the North East are set to benefit from free vision screening and glasses as part of the State Government's boost for the popular Glasses for Kids program.

Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes said the $6.8 million boost in the Victorian Budget 2024/25 triples the capacity of the program, and is one of many ways the government is helping busy families in the region with cost-of-living pressures.

The vision tests and glasses are being delivered to over 20 schools in North East Victoria by State Schools’ Relief, a Victorian not-for-profit organisation that manages and delivers the Glasses for Kids program.

Among the schools to receive the program are Middle Indigo Primary School, Wooragee Primary School, Wahgunyah Primary School, Chiltern Primary School, Barnawartha Primary School, Baranduda Primary School and Springhurst Primary School.

The Glasses for Kids program was expanded to support more Prep to Year 3 students with free onsite vision screening and testing and, if needed, free glasses.

It has been rolled out to another 473 eligible schools, making the program available to an additional 74,000 Prep to Year 3 students through to 2027.

The Glasses for Kids program is offered to students at Victorian government schools identified with high and medium levels of disadvantage, based on the school’s Student Family Occupation and Education (SFOE) Index.

The Victorian Budget 2024/25 provides further cost-of-living relief to families with a once-off $400 School Saving Bonus, as well as through expanded access to the School Breakfast Clubs Program to every government school to opt in for the first time.

Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes said she was delighted students across the North East will benefit from the program, which saves families money and helps students to learn and thrive.

“Too many kids fall behind in school because of undiagnosed and treatable vision problems and that’s why we’re expanding the Glasses for Kids program," she said.

“Programs like the School Saving Bonus, School Breakfast Clubs, Glasses for Kids and the Affordable School Uniforms program sit at the heart of our plan to ease cost-of-living pressures for families right across the state.”

The program will visit local schools during term two during April and May.