Cincinnati / February 28, 2017
February is Children’s Dental Health month, and students at Roberts Academy Community Learning Center in Price Hill will be capping it off by starting the incorporation of oral hygiene into their daily lives at school thanks to Delta Dental’s Brighter Future Community Grant.
Roberts Academy Community Learning Center was one of four recipients of a Delta Dental Brighter Future Community Grant, selected from 133 applicants. Because of this generous funding, children in Kindergarten through 3rd grade will each receive their own pre-pasted disposable toothbrushes so they can brush their teeth at school every day. They will also be engaged in regular activities to learn about the importance of good oral health and their parents will get monthly educational information sheets. A highlight of the program will be a field trip to see the “Inside the Grin” exhibit at the Children’s Museum.
Regular dental care will be made possible by the Cincinnati Health Department, and the project will be coordinated by Roberts’ Cincinnati Health Department nurse and Community Learning Center Institute Resource Coordinator Tracy Power.
A similar program was piloted at Oyler School, which was also made possible by Delta Dental, and it resulted in a 50% reduction in tooth decay in the first year of the program.
Thanks to Delta Dental and the team at Roberts, this generation of young children will have a healthy, happy smile and we can work with parents to prevent this 100% preventable disease.
“This innovative program will accomplish a goal that the whole community shares: keeping children healthy, thriving, growing and learning,” said Councilmember P.G. Sittenfeld. “This is another compelling example of our community learning centers continuing to deliver excellent results.”