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About the Program

CATCH Healthy Smiles is a program for grades Pre-K-2 that is designed to improve the oral health of students by teaching about and encouraging proper toothbrushing and flossing techniques, a nutritious diet, and regular visits to a dentist.

Through the program, students learn about the major factors that cause tooth decay and develop the skills needed to maintain a healthy smile. The program is designed to help students:

  • Discover the causes of tooth decay, including dietary choices and poor oral health habits;
  • Develop skills for brushing, flossing, and choosing tooth-healthy foods & drinks;
  • Recognize the importance of regular dental visits; and,
  • Create personal oral health care goals.

 

CATCH Healthy Smiles was developed by researchers at the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health, with funding support from the National Institutes of Health.

 

This program is FREE to schools in the U.S. thanks to generous support from the
Delta Dental Community Care Foundation

Read the announcement


The #1 Childhood Disease: Tooth Decay
Poor Oral Health

56% of U.S. children
aged 6-8 have untreated cavities; gum disease affects 50% of kids.

Baby Teeth Matter

Kids with cavities in their baby teeth are 3x more likely to get cavities in their adult teeth.

School Performance

Kids with poor oral health are 3x more likely to miss school and 2x more likely to perform poorly.

Meet the Characters
Swish

Swish reminds us to rinse our mouths with water after eating or drinking to get rid of stuck-on food and sugar.

Pearl

Pearl’s two shiny teeth help you remember to brush for 2 minutes, with help from an adult, at least twice a day.

Weaver

Weaver’s big front teeth remind you to be sure to weave floss between each tooth at least once per day.

Program Components

Curriculum

  • Five 25-minute classroom sessions for each grade level from kindergarten-2nd grade with PowerPoint presentations.
  • Classroom demonstrations that help kids develop the skills around proper brushing and flossing technique.
  • 40+ standards-aligned extension activities designed to reinforce the classroom sessions and deepen understanding.
  • 9 PE Supplemental Activities
  • 2 CATCH Healthy Smiles Videos for use in the classroom.
  • Visual materials: posters, vocabulary word wall printable, & stickers.

Teacher Training

  • Educator training on how to help students master essential brushing and flossing skills.
  • CATCH Healthy Smiles Champion training and Implementation Guide designed to help guide program implementation on site.
  • The Toothbrushing Routine Toolkit is designed to help teachers plan a successful toothbrushing routine for students.
  • Technical assistance for the digital implementation of CATCH Healthy Smiles.

  • Ongoing support and resources via the CATCH Healthy Smiles Teacher Facebook Group.

Parent Outreach Materials

  • Parent Fact Sheets, Infographics and At Home Activities in English and Spanish.
  • Oral health care goal sheets to be sent home with students.
  • Sample Parent Outreach Messaging.
  • Videos to reinforce learning.
  • Oral health care goal sheets to be sent home with students and completed with a guardian.
  • Slides to present the program to your campus wellness team and broader community.

School-Wide Engagement Toolkit

  • Sample morning announcements about oral health care.
  • Family Fun Night Guide to highlight oral health care during school events.
  • Posters for the classroom, bathroom and cafeteria.
  • Labels for the cafeteria food line to highlight tooth-friendly crunchy vegetables and fresh fruits.
  • Bulletin Board themes with printable materials to showcase oral health care theme.
  • Guidance for creating a healthy food/drink policy.

Health and Academic Standards Alignment

CATCH Healthy Smiles includes multiple curriculum components to address oral health.  The program lessons are aligned to SHAPE National HPE Standards and Texas Essential Knowledge & Skills (TEKS).

Core Program Alignments:

Physical Education Supplement Alignments:

Texas Coordinated School Health Mandate Compliance

CATCH Healthy Smiles satisfies the oral health component of the Coordinated School Health requirement listed in Texas Education Code §38.013.

In addition, the program has environmental components and parent outreach materials that help schools meet the wellness and policy requirements. Environmental components include school signage, messaging, ideas for parent engagement nights, and parent information following each lesson.


How to Get Started

1
Enroll via CATCH.org

Click ENROLL to add the program to your CATCH.org Dashboard. If you do not already have a free CATCH.org account, you will be prompted to create one as part of enrollment.

Enroll

2
Complete the 30-minute training

The program includes a free self-paced training module that will orient you to the materials and instructional components.


3
Deliver the Program

Implement the 5 classroom lessons and send home the supporting parent materials.
Contact Us

Please use the form below to submit any questions or comments about CATCH Healthy Smiles.


Want to support CATCH Healthy Smiles with a donation to CATCH Global Foundation?

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