Launched in 2008 by the Essilor Vision Foundation, Kids Vision for Life’s mission is to deliver vision services to under-resourced children through a school-based model and eliminate poor vision as a barrier to learning in order to achieve higher academic and social outcomes.
In 2009, Kids Vision for Life St. Louis began serving the St. Louis region with its sponsors: Crown Vision Center, Area Resources for Community and Human Services (ARCHS), the University of Missouri-St. Louis College of Optometry, and the Essilor Vision Foundation.
Kids Vision for Life is a simple, cost-effective approach to removing poor vision as a barrier to learning and focuses on elementary-aged students during critical learning/development age periods.
The Kids Vision for Life St. Louis program has experienced rapid growth, going from servicing 17 schools in the 2009-10 school year to 156 schools in the 2017-18 school year. As of 2018, nearly 25,000 students have received vision exams and over 20,000 eyeglasses have been prescribed.
Statistics from each school year can be seen below:
| School Year | Schools Visited | Students Examined | Glasses Prescribed |
| 2009-2010 | 17 | 528 | 403 |
| 2010-2011 | 29 | 800 | 528 |
| 2011-2012 | 50 | 1566 | 1162 |
| 2012-2013 | 63 | 1998 | 1466 |
| 2013-2014 | 65 | 2389 | 2017 |
| 2014-2015 | 91 | 3421 | 2743 |
| 2015-2016 | 132 | 4247 | 3737 |
| 2016-2017 | 155 | 4981 | 4300 |
| 2017-2018 | 154 | 4477 | 4064 |
| 2018-2019 | 162 | 4612 | 4296 |