Throughout this spring and summer, the Berrien County Health Department (BCHD) will offer a series of free hearing and vision screenings for children who will be entering kindergarten or preschool in the fall of 2015.

Michigan state law requires that all children entering kindergarten must have their hearing and vision tested before the first day of school.

“Because children have nothing to compare their hearing and vision to, they may have problems with their eyes or ears and never even know it,” said Dawn Mitchell, a hearing and vision technician for the Berrien County Health Department.

Children with undiagnosed hearing or vision problems will often have trouble learning, reading, or even following instructions. To avoid any problems, parents of children ages 3 1/2 or older are encouraged to attend one of the free screenings in the spring or summer so that there will be enough time to receive treatment, if necessary, before school starts.

The next scheduled hearing and vision screening is from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Friday, April 24, at Countryside Academy’s Millburg Early Learning Center.

No appointments are necessary to attend the free hearing and vision screenings. Additional information regarding the Michigan hearing and vision screening requirements and a full schedule of preschool/kindergarten screening dates, are available at the Berrien County Health Department website at www.bchdmi.org and Facebook page at www.facebook.com/bchdmi.

Additional hearing and vision screening dates and times are as follows:

• St. Mary’s of the Lake, New Buffalo — 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. May 1

• Northside Child Development Center, Niles — 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. May 7