Community Partnerships Bring Free Vision and Health Screenings to Thousands of Students

When students experience challenges with their hearing or sight, it not only affects their ability to learn, but it also impacts their quality of life. That’s why each year Green Dot Public Schools works with local partners to provide our students with access to free routine screenings for common physical conditions–this is at the heart of our model to eliminate external barriers to learning.

According to one such partner, Vision to Learn, as many as 1.5 million children across the country lack the prescription glasses they need. Students often aren’t even aware that they need glasses, and other times they simply can’t afford them. We’ve partnered with Vision to Learn to help remove these potential barriers and provide services that our students need to be successful in the classroom. Through our partnership, Green Dot students have received more than $55,000 in prescription glasses, free of cost.

To a similar end, we’ve partnered with the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles (CHLA) to provide health screenings for over 2,000 Green Dot middle school students. These are essentially a typical doctor’s exam– common for some children and a privilege for others. Through the generosity of our registered nurse Phyllis D’Ambra, we’ve been able to provide students with nearly $100,000 in scoliosis and diabetes screenings, also free of cost.

In the face of overwhelming need, it takes the dedication and compassion of every part of a community to fulfill our mission. At Green Dot, all means all, which includes the entire community — partnering with community members like D’Ambra and local organizations, like Vision to Learn and CHLA, unlocks the latent energy in every neighborhood and connects it to students. Together, we can ensure all students receive the resources they need to be successful.

Read More About Green Dot’s Work to Support the Whole Student