Dental health starts with caring for your teeth at a young age. To help get kids started on the path of lifelong healthy habits to care for their teeth, Colgate is offering free Bright Smiles, Bright Futures classroom kits for kindergarten and first-grade teachers.
The kits include Colgate toothpaste and toothbrush samples for 25 students, as well as classroom materials. In order to receive their free kits, teachers can simply sign up through the web site. It’s a popular program, so kits are available on a first come, first served basis and you might be put on a wait list.
In addition to the free classroom kits, the Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures program offers free dental screenings and oral health education to kids in need around the world. The program has reached one billion children and their families in 80 countries.
In the United States, the program includes nine mobile dental vans that each function as a “dental office on wheels.” The vans make visits to community events to offer screenings and education for local children in underserved areas.
“Tooth decay is the most common chronic disease in children around the world, so it’s our hope to reach the next billion children in half the time it took to reach our first billion,” Dr. Marsha Butler, a dentist and Colgate-Palmolive vice president who has led the program from its inception, said in a press release from earlier this year. “The Colgate brand is found in nearly two-thirds of homes around the globe – more than any other brand in the world – so we have a special opportunity and responsibility to promote healthy oral care habits among the next generation.”
In March 2019, Colgate announced that it was expanding its partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America with the introduction of the “Smile-a-bration” competition, wherein kids at participating Boys & Girls Clubs use music, dance, art and other forms of creative expression to promote the importance of good dental care habits. The winning clubs receive a grant from the company.
You can find out more about what this program is currently doing at itsTwitter feed, @ColgateBSBF.
Teachers can help Colgate’s efforts to get out the word about oral health by using the company’s available online teacher resources. Games, posters, videos and more, all about dental health, can be accessed through the Bright Smiles, Bright Futures program. And yes, there’s an app. It’s called Colgate Adventure Books, and it’s designed to help kids learn to love reading.
What a great initiative to help kids create good lifelong dental habits!
This story originally appeared on Don't Waste Your Money. Checkout Don't Waste Your Money for product reviews and other great ideas to save and make money.
