Free Glasses Program For NYC School Kids Will Expand, Mayor Says

NEW YORK — New York City wants to help more kids see in school — and look good while they're there. Every kindergartner and first-grader who needs them will get free eyeglasses this year through an expanded partnership with the eyewear firm Warby Parker, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Thursday.

"These glasses are so stylish that kids will actually want to wear them," the Democratic mayor said during his annual State of the City address.

The Department of Education first joined forces in 2015 with Warby Parker, which is known for giving a pair of glasses to someone in need for each pair purchased. The mayor's office said the partnership currently serves over 100,000 students in more than 200 Community Schools, which have additional resources to serve needy kids.

With the program expanding to cover the whole city, about 33,000 kids will get free glasses and more than 140,000 will get free eye exams from the city's Department of Health, de Blasio's office said.

About a quarter of the city's students need glasses but only 5 percent of those in need get them, the mayor's office said. Poor vision can hurt kids' academic performance and their development, according to the American Optometric Association.

Also in his speech, de Blasio said the city's free pre-kindergarten classes for 3-year-olds will expand to two additional districts in Bushwick and The Bronx this fall.

The "3K For All" program was already set to launch in four additional districts in the 2019-20 school year, when the city expects 20,000 3-year-olds to be enrolled in the classes. The program is currently active in six districts, according to the mayor's office.

(Lead image: Warby Parker glasses are seen in Hollywood in August 2013. Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images for Warby Parker)