PHOENIX – Many Arizona kids are heading back to school this month, and doctors say when they return to the classroom it's important to make sure they can see well.

About 80 percent of what a child learns at school happens visually. When children have undetected vision problems, said Dr. Amy Davis, a pediatric optometrist, they can miss out on major portions of their education.

"One in four school-aged children have vision problems," she said. "So it's a huge, huge issue to make sure that little people see well when they're in school."

Children who qualify for Medicaid or the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System are covered for vision exams and glasses up to age 21. For children who don't qualify for Medicaid and don't have vision insurance, a number of community programs offer free or low-cost vision screenings, including the Lion's Club's Kidsight program. More information for Arizona parents is online at eyesonlearning.org.

The American Optometric Association recommends children get their eyes checked starting at six months of age, then again at age 3. For schoolchildren, eye exams are recommended before first grade, then every two years after that.

According to Dr. Kelly Varney, an assistant professor at the Arizona College of Optometry at Midwestern University, those checks are important, even if a child isn't showing any obvious signs of poor vision.

"Kids can complain of things like headaches when they read, or they get really sleepy, and a lot of times you have no idea that the root of that could be vision," Varney said. "A lot of the issues that kids will struggle with in school don't appear to be a vision thing, because the kids won't always say, 'it's blurry when I look at something.' "

Varney added that children can have a number of vision issues beyond just nearsightedness or farsightedness. She said vision exams will test for astigmatism, eye-tracking issues and eye health.


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CORRECTION: Monthly amounts of the expanded Child Tax Credits were $250 (ages 0 to 5) to $300 (ages 6 to 17). An earlier version of this story had the incorrect amounts.. (12:40 p.m. MDT, Nov. 30, 2022)

A group of U.S. House members said Congress should not pass corporate tax breaks unless it also expands tax credits for families.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., penned a letter, signed by 57 other Democratic House members, to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, opposing tax cuts for businesses if an expansion of the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit isn't also included.

An expanded Child Tax Credit during the pandemic expired last year, after helping pull millions of families out of poverty.

April Messenger, director of family engagement and advocacy for the Washington State Association of Head Start and ECEAP, argued Congress should consider the greater good.

"When you think about the big businesses getting tax breaks, where's the relief for the families who are struggling day to day to put food on their tables?" Messenger asked. "We have to think about everybody, on both ends of the spectrum."

When it was in effect, the expanded Child Tax Credit provided monthly payments of $250 to $300 per child to families, depending on the child's age. Without the expanded program, an estimated 324,000 kids in Washington state are missing out the full Child Tax Credit. Opponents in Congress say the program contributed to inflation.

Inflation is now one major factor squeezing families. But Messenger, who works with low-income families, said an expanded tax credit would help. She pointed out families used the money not for frivolous things, but to pay off debt and for basic needs. In some cases, she added, it meant families not having to choose between rent and child care.

"Just that little bit of knowing that there was some hope at the end of the month, or coming in the mailbox, really gave people an inspiration to do things like plan ahead and make some financial decisions to help get themselves out of poverty," Messenger explained.

The expanded Child Tax Credit has become a priority for some Democrats as Congress enters its end-of-year negotiations and before Republicans take control of the House in 2023.

National Adoption Month comes to an end today, but in Tennessee, more than 9,000 children are in foster care and waiting for new families through adoption.

A nonprofit organization is working to equip children and change their experience and outcomes.

Carmen Brown, communications and marketing manager for Tennessee Kids Belong, said it starts with a family recruitment initiative, called the "I Belong Project." Children are the topics of videos presented to an online community interested in adoption. Brown pointed out 30 children were featured during the 30 days of November.

"But we also share these throughout the year," Brown explained. "Through our 'I Belong Project,' we have actually filmed over 700 children in the state of Tennessee, and we have a 55% rate of adoption if we film the child."

Brown added Tennessee Kids Belong is part of America's Kids Belong, a national nonprofit focused on three key areas of the adoption process: family recruitment, community engagement and coalition building.

At the start of the pandemic, Brown noted the number of children being placed into foster care went down, in part because fewer issues of neglect or abuse were spotted by caring adults when kids were not in school or daycare, or at doctor visits. But she emphasized the numbers are on the increase again.

Brown added their goal is to have more homes waiting for kids, than kids waiting for homes.

"We are always focused on the approximately 400 children that are eligible for adoption," Brown stressed. "Out of those 10,000, about 300 to 400 are always eligible for permanent placement. And that is where we are rallying families to open their homes and to adopt the children that need to be placed with a family."

Brown stated some misconceptions around adoption include the idea some children are not adoptable, or adoptive parents have to be "perfect." She added they never expect perfection from parents and children just need a loving home.

"We encourage anyone who has a pull at their heartstrings, anyone who has an extra bedroom, anyone who has a love of animals and can also give that love to a child," Brown said. "Anybody can be a foster parent and provide a safe and loving environment."

Brown noted there is also an app, called "Foster Friendly." It is free and lists more 450 businesses in Tennessee offering discounts on goods and services to foster families.

The Arizona New Parent Guide is a resource that is intended to help new parents meet the challenges of having a baby and support their baby's health and development within the first year of life. The guide is available fully online and in Spanish, and was put together by Arizona's early childhood agency First Things First, which saw a need for it to be digitized.

Kat Willard, senior director of family support and literacy for First Things First, said parents in Arizona need a centralized place to go for a wide-variety of information that is quick and reliable.

"Today's new parents are including Generation Z, which has never known a world without the internet or the cell phone. And First Things First did some field studies, and they realized that most knew parents are gathering information from the internet or from friends or family members, Willard said.

Willard said with so much information out there, new parents can struggle in determining what information is valid. Along with providing reputable information from area experts, the guide also provides Arizona parents with a diverse set of resources and support. From knowing who to call if someone needs help installing a car seat to inquiring about child care to meet their needs.

Willard said the resources in the guide are available statewide so it is applicable to all Arizona families. While the guide's target audience is first-time parents, she said it also is great for second- or third-time parents who may have forgotten some of the newborn or infancy phases. First Things First has prioritized having materials available in Spanish and understands that for a state like Arizona, it is key.

"It is so important for information to be available in Spanish. If we aren't including information in Spanish, we are missing so much of our population," she said.

Willard encourages soon-to-be parents to prepare as much as they can before their baby arrives, and hopes parents will use this resource to do just that.


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