Kansas Head Start Association

 Kansas Head Start Association

Since 2004, the Delta Dental of Kansas Foundation has provided four grants totaling more than
$407,000 to the Kansas Head Start. A brief description of each grant is provided below.
 
 

Teeth for Two Program - Fall 2004

The 2004 grant of $29,000 was used to fund the Teeth for Two program which reached out to
more than 25,000 pregnant women and their families seeking prenatal services in 35 Kansas
counties.  The program provided oral health consumer education materials including a flipchart,
brochure and Pregnancy and Oral Health Patient Education curriculum.  The Head Start program  
also conducted Teeth for Two workshops in Salina, Hays, Great Bend, Garden City, Manhattan,
Topeka, Wichita and Kansas City, KS.  More than 300 participants represented professions in
dental hygiene, nutrition (WIC), early childhood, education, home visiting, nursing and child advocacy.
 
 

Toothbrush Kit Program - Fall 2005

The goal of this program was to distribute tooth brushing kits to all Kansas Head Start children and
to develop/disseminate oral health education kits for use in Head Start preschool classrooms. 
Through a $14,072 grant, the program distributed toothbrush kits to 8,200 children, ages 3 to 5, and
to 1,870 infants and toddlers in 87 Kansas counties.
 
 

Teeth for Two Program - Spring 2006

This program focused on the production and distribution of educational materials, including 1,000
Healthy Smiles flipcharts, 50,000 Great Smiles magnets.  The $30,835 grant also funded the 
creation of a guide and ordering mechanism on the KHSA web site to assist early learning and dental
professionals in ordering the most appropriate materials.  The materials have been distributed to all
Early Head Start programs, covering 87 Kansas counties and serving 8,300 families. 
 
 

Oral Health Education Kits - Fall 2006

A grant of $10,610 provided the funding for 70 Oral Health Education kits.  The kits are used on a
regular basis to teach children how to brush their teeth properly, help them prepare for screenings
and exams with dental professionals and understand the importance of good oral health habits.
These 70 kits bring the total number of Oral Health Education kits in Head Start classrooms to 145
of the 200 classrooms across the state of Kansas.
 
 

Five-Year Grant - 2007

A $311,548 five-year grant was provided to create a network of children's oral health services
connecting early learning programs, safety net clinics, Extended Care Permit (ECP) hygienists and
community dentists into a system across Kansas.  The program funds needed equipment in six
locations, disseminate a uniform educational curriculum for staff, parents and children, establish
a Children's Oral Health Advisory Council, and create an identity to raise visibility and awareness
about oral health in pregnancy and early childhood.