Classroom and Child Care Curriculum
Cavity Free Kids helps you make oral health an integral part of your routines and daily interactions with children and their families. The curriculum includes lessons, play-based activities and complimentary parent resources that make it easy for you to teach children and their families about what causes tooth decay and how to prevent it.
5 Basics of Oral Health
Cavity Free Kids is organized around 5 Basics of Oral Health:
- Baby Teeth Are Important!
- Water for Thirst
- Tooth Healthy Foods
- Brush, Floss, Swish
- Going to the Dentist
“I started using Cavity Free Kids in my classroom earlier this year and have been delighted by the positive response I received from children and their parents. We use Cavity Free Kids every Tuesday – the children named these days “Tooth Tuesdays” and can’t wait to talk teeth!”
Julie, Child Care Provider
Circle Time Lessons
Each of the 5 Basics of Oral Health includes circle time lessons – stories and songs that are interactive, fun, and engaging. Each lesson includes supplies, instructions and Head Start domain elements.
Learning Center Activities
Learning center activities reinforce the oral health concepts introduced in circle time lessons. They also give children opportunities to explore and learn at their own pace – individually or in small groups.
A list of supplies, instructions, Head Start Learning Domains and Elements are included with each activity. Activities cover the Art, Dramatic Play, Discovery & Science, Sand & Water, Literacy & Library and Toys & Games interest areas.
Parent Practice Handouts
Parents and family members play a crucial role in promoting good oral health for children. Each Basic of Oral Health section includes at least one Parent Practice Handout. Parent Practice Handouts are designed to help you share the same oral health concepts children are learning about in the classroom with their families. Handouts include tips, resources, and tools (for example, tooth brushing charts) that you can use to promote healthy oral health habits at home.
“Cavity Free Kids makes it easy to incorporate oral health into my Head Start classroom.”
Sam, Head Start Teacher
Family Engagement Tools
This section includes more tools to promote oral health with families. The tools include:
- Frequently Asked Questions to help you answer common questions that families ask.
- Conversation Starters to help you start oral health conversations with families.
- The Family Partnership for Oral Health template to help families set oral health goals.
- Family Night Activities for engaging families in oral health in a fun and interactive way.
- Information Bites to share in your regular communications with families, for example bulletin boards, newsletters, website, emails, etc.