Smiles 4 Miles Awards for Early Childhood Services
Aurora Early Education in Rowville is one of the many Early Childhood services in both the Knox and Maroondah Local Government Area that has received their Smiles 4 Miles award in February 2020, recognising their work to improve the oral health of some of our youngest community members.
Smiles 4 Miles is an oral health promotion program for preschool-aged children developed by Dental Health Services Victoria and implemented in partnership with EACH throughout Knox and Maroondah.
Services achieve the Smiles 4 Miles award by implementing healthy eating and oral health policies, engaging with families about the importance of oral health, and educating children through a variety of fun learning experiences based on the Smiles 4 Miles key messages – Drink well, Eat well and Clean well.
Diana Roggenbucke, Smiles 4 Miles Coordinator for EACH, says the program is a great way to help children have healthy teeth and gums for life. “Good habits are formed early. Children take lessons they learn at a young age with them, right up to adulthood. By promoting good oral health behaviors early in life, we can decrease the likelihood of poor oral health later in life,” Diana said.
Aurora Early Education management and staff have worked alongside families and the parent advisory board to develop and implement an Oral Health and Healthy Eating policy that promotes healthy eating and drinking and limits the consumption of sweet and sugary drinks and food. Their menu has been assessed by the Healthy Eating Advisory Service and meets the Menu Planning guidelines for long day care.
The service has been proactive in ensuring that children not only eat and drink well but also clean well. All the children attending Aurora Early Education have received toothbrushes and toothpaste along with tooth brushing tips to ensure that their teeth remain healthy and strong. The EACH Dental Team will be visiting the service later in the year to provide all the children with Free Dental Examinations and Oral Hygiene instruction.
Contact: Diana Roggenbucke, Smiles 4 Miles Coordinator EACH
Topic: Early Years
