Nutrition & Health Highlights
Ereka Johnson, Health & Nutrition Manager
February is National Children’s Dental Health Month. Cavities, also known as caries or tooth decay, are the most common chronic disease of childhood, yet cavities are preventable. Children who have poor oral health often miss more school and receive lower grades than children who don’t.
Good oral hygiene is part of Head Start/Early Head Start’s daily routine. Tooth brushing is part of the daily classroom experience. Children brush their teeth once a day during school. Head Start/Early Head Start partner with One Health Ohio throughout the school year to provide dental screenings, exams and cleaning for HS/EHS children. One Health Ohio provides their dental van on-site at Head Start locations and offer dental services during the school day. We are scheduled to have another round of dental care with One Health Ohio dental van on-site in April. Updates to come!
Give Kids A Smile, which traditionally kicks offs each February, is the signature access-to-care program of the ADA Foundation. Each year, about 65,500 dentists and 20,000 dental team members volunteer at local Give Kids A Smile events across the country to provide free oral health education, screenings, preventive, and restorative treatment to about 300,000 children. More than 7 million underserved children have received free oral health services since its inception more than two decades ago.
On February 2nd, Choffin Career Center is hosting “Give Kids a Smile” day. Head Start participates each year in “Give Kids a Smile” day. Head Start children are provided free oral health care from local dentists and dental staff that volunteer for “Give Kids a Smile” day.
We thank all staff and volunteers for their support in making dental care services possible to Alta Head Start and Early Head Start children. It provides an opportunity to our families to overcome barriers that prevent them from receiving quality dental services and help our children to start on a path of optimal oral health!
