New Jersey Administrative Code
Title 10 - HUMAN SERVICES
Chapter 94 - PREVENTION SERVICES PROGRAM OF THE COMMISSION FOR THE BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED
Subchapter 3 - VISION AND EYE SCREENING PROGRAMS
Section 10:94-3.5 - Early Childhood Vision Screening (ECVS) Program

Universal Citation: NJ Admin Code 10:94-3.5

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 18, September 16, 2024

(a) ECVS shall be provided free to children ages three to six years and include visual acuity and muscle imbalance examinations in order to detect symptoms of amblyopia and other eye conditions that may cause visual impairment or loss.

(b) ECVS shall be performed at established pre-school centers and community programs.

(c) The Commission shall be responsible for:

1. Scheduling the screening and providing the school and community program staff with a description of the program, forms, and parental consents;

2. Providing the equipment to be used at scheduled screenings, such as, eye charts, light boxes, random dot testers, color blindness charts, pass/fail letters, and referral letters for a doctor;

3. Testing the visual acuity and visual inspection of the eyes of each child;

4. Testing each child for muscle imbalance; and

5. Furnishing the pre-school centers and community programs with relevant literature on vision testing of pre-schoolers and vision problems in children, for distribution to parents.

(d) All children determined to be in need of eye treatment shall be registered with the Commission as referrals for service(s). The Commission's ECVS coordinator shall:

1. Advise the child's parent or guardian of the need to obtain a complete eye examination of the child by an eye doctor;

2. Refer to the Commission's Prevention Unit's follow-up specialist any child whose parent or guardian indicates a need for financial assistance in order to obtain the required eye examination and/or medical eye treatment; and

3. Refer to the Commission's education services program those children whose eye report indicates, because of their visual impairment, eligibility for services as specified in 10:91-2.3.

(e) As a service of the Early Childhood Vision Screening Program, the Commission shall establish priority screening of primary target groups (PTG) of three to six-year-old children from low-income families.

(f) Low-income families are families whose assets and income shall not exceed the assets and income listed on the Commission's financial participation worksheet as specified in 10:91-3.1(d).

(g) The PTG target areas are as specified in 10:94-3.1(b)1 and 2. Children from low-income families living outside the target areas may also be served.

(h) PTG vision screenings shall be a cooperative activity between the Commission and groups, such as women's clubs, parent teacher associations and child care centers. These groups shall be responsible for assistance with activities, such as publicity, screening site selection, vision screening and follow-up.

(i) To qualify for a PTG screening, a program shall reach a documented majority of children from low-income families. An example of documentation shall be a statement from the director of a child care center that the majority of families served by the center are low-income families. Any Head Start program shall qualify for a PTG screening.

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