Registration Now Open for a Taste of KINDness
Registration is now open for the upcoming Taste of KINDNESS Gala on Thursday, September 28th, 2017 at Mile High Station.
KIND Featured in Oral Health America Newsletter
Originally published in A Smiles Across America Newsletter by Oral Health America. Vol. 2 | March 2017
WELCOME TO BEHIND THE SMILES!
Behind the Smiles is Oral Health America’s brand new, bi-monthly eNewsletter that provides an insider look at our program, Smiles Across America®. Here you will find stories and highlights from our partners, and information about upcoming events and webinars as well as children’s oral health resources. It’s all the work we do, wrapped up and presented to you, our most valued partners.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHT: KIDS IN NEED OF DENTISTRY, COLORADO SPRINGS, CO
Going to a dental office for the first time can be scary. But what about going to your school and walking in to see a dental office in your gym, hallway or cafeteria? That is an experience that many first and second graders have every week during the school year throughout Denver.
Kids In Need of Dentistry’s (KIND) Chopper Topper Program has been providing oral health education, dental screenings and sealants in elementary schools for the past 19 years. In 1998, Chopper Topper visited its first school, Cheltenham Elementary, part of the Denver Public School District. At the end of the 2016-2017 school year, the program will have visited 97 elementary schools in 10 school districts in the Denver Metro Area. Run by three dental hygienists who work in different elementary schools each week, Chopper Topper is the largest school-based sealant program in Colorado.
In 2010, KIND received funding from Oral Health America to help expand its program. Each year KIND works to expand the program to reach even more students, with incentives for grades with 90%+ participation.
Many of the kids seen through the Chopper Topper program have never been to a dentist, but once the kids meet the hygienists and learn what is going to happen, their fear is replaced with inquiry and excitement. They love coming in to see the equipment and learn about dental care and why sealants are so important. The dental hygienists work hard to make the experience pleasant, and students walk away knowing that good dental care is fun.
Damian is a perfect example. He had never been to a dentist and was terrified when the hygienist came to get him to take him down for his exam. He started to cry and wouldn’t leave his desk. The next day, the hygienist came to see if Damian wanted to try it and he said, “I’m too scared. I don’t think I can do it.” His best friend Kaleb, who had already gotten his sealant done, said that he would go with him. Kaleb told Damian, “It is so cool! You get a goodie bag and everything.” And he added, “It’s good because you get yummy vitamins at the end to keep your teeth healthy.” With this encouragement, Damian got up and went with Kaleb at his side and received sealant on his teeth. Damian was so proud of himself and left with a huge smile.
Healthy Smiles & Fun Surprises at Cimarron Elementary
Healthy smiles and fun surprises at Cimarron Elementary. April 24 wasn’t an ordinary Monday for Amina, a second-grader at Cimarron Elementary. Shortly after school started that day, Cara Rudolph, the school nurse, asked Dixon to come to the cafeteria for a special surprise. That’s when Dixon learned she was the winner of a new, two-wheeled bicycle. While Dixon didn’t have much to say about the surprise, her bright smile showed how excited she was.The bike was presented by Chopper Toppers, a program that provides free dental screenings, preventative sealants, dental referrals and oral health education to children in need. Chopper Toppers works with the Cherry Creek School District and the school nurses at Arrowhead, Polton and Sagebrush elementary schools, as well as the district’s 11 Title I elementary schools, where more than 50 percent of students qualify for free and reduced lunch. Together, they support students’ oral health, which is critical to their ability to learn. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that tooth decay is one of the most common chronic conditions of childhood in the United States. About one in five children between the ages of 5 and 11 have at least one untreated, decayed tooth. The percentage of children between the ages of 5 and 19 with untreated tooth decay is more than double among low-income families in comparison to children of higher-income households.Chopper Toppers provides free screenings, flouride treatments and sealants to students in primary (first, second or third) grades and offered a free bicycle to any school where 90% or more of primary students participated in the Chopper Toppers or another dental health program.Cimarron hit that mark and as a result, Amina Dixon now has a new bicycle to enjoy. She did say she will probably share it with her twin sister, Alika. – See more at: http://www.cherrycreekschools.org/News/Pages/CIMSmilesSurprises.aspx#sthash.bJUasb5N.R9ulUaN8.dpuf
KIND Receives $10,000 through the Colorado Rockies Charity Fund
Kids In Need of Dentistry recently received a $10,000 grant through the Colorado Rockies Charity Fund, a McCormick Foundation Fund. The grant will support the Chopper Topper Program.
KIND to Provide Dental Screenings at Preschool Event
KIND staff will be providing dental screenings at this Preschool event. It’s all happening at the Dahlia Campus for Health and Well-Being, on Saturday, January 14, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
