It’s always an exciting time for a Ross Medical Education Center Dental Assistant program student to get to visit a local daycare, preschool, or elementary school to teach the children there about good dental hygiene. Recently, the Dental Assistant students from both the Portage, Michigan campus and the Muncie, Indiana campus have had the opportunity to do just that! Portage chose to visit Curious Kids and work with kindergarten students while Muncie picked nearby Teddy Bear Child Care!
The Portage Dental Assistant students were very excited to go on a field trip and to share some of the information and skills they had learned. Once they arrived at Curious Kids, they had the opportunity to work with 18 kindergarten students. From start to finish, their visit was a great time not only for the children, but also for the Ross students who got to work hands on with them. During their time at the school, the Ross students had several stations set up. They covered a variety of topics and activities including flossing, toothbrushing, a coloring book page, and good food vs. bad food. Dental Assistant Instructor Mrs. Shaw was the tooth fairy and everyone enjoyed watching the children’s eyes light up when they saw her.
The Muncie campus was also thrilled to visit the children at Teddy Bear Child Care and teach them about dental hygiene! The morning and evening Dental Assistant students worked hard to prepare to present to the children. Through the use of activity stations, the Ross students spent time teaching and demonstrating a variety of important skills and informations. At one of them, Ross students showed the children how to brush and floss their teeth properly, and each child was awarded a certificate after completing the task! At another the Ross students chose some favorite foods and demonstrated how much sugar is in each of them; the children loved sharing which foods were their favorites as well. There was another station where the children were able to play a fishing game, fishing for good and bad foods and then putting them in good and bad baskets. At the last station, the children were able to dress up as a Dental Assistant. They got to put on gloves and masks.
At the end of their time, the Ross students handed out a goody bag to each child. Inside the bag was a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a coloring sheet. The Ross students loved the opportunity to work with the children and help them keep their teeth and mouths healthy! One of the children even shared that she didn’t have a toothbrush at home, and the students were excited to be able to provide her with one! As the morning Dental Assistant class’ motto goes, “the key to every good brusher is a good teacher!” They hope that each of the children they worked with is able to improve and maintain their good dental health in the future!
Both of these campuses loved the opportunity to contribute to the community and bring the benefit of healthcare education to the next generation! They cannot wait for their next chance to work within their communities!