CHILDREN’S VISION AND LEARNING MONTH
2024
BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
A PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS, as children across North Carolina prepare for the start of another school year, many of them will begin their studies with undiagnosed and untreated vision problems; and
WHEREAS, research shows that vision disorders are the primary limiting condition of children, with as many as one in four school age children reportedly having vision problems that could interfere with learning, according to the nonprofit international association of eye care professionals, College of Optometrists in Vision Development; and
WHEREAS, 60 percent of students identified as “problem learners” have undetected vision problems; 18 million children will not have an eye examination by an eye doctor by the time they enter school; and
WHEREAS, all children deserve the opportunity to learn and to achieve their full potential, and public awareness about learning-related vision problems is necessary to ensure that young people receive the prompt vision treatment they need to enhance their lives; and
WHEREAS, parents, educators, school nurses, and all concerned adults are encouraged to recognize the critical role good vision plays in the learning process and to work together to help prevent or reduce the impact untreated vision problems can have on our children’s ability to read and learn;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, ROY COOPER, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim August, 2024, as “CHILDREN’S VISION AND LEARNING MONTH” in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.
________________________________________
Roy Cooper
Governor
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina at the Capitol in Raleigh this thirtieth day of July in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-four and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.