Kids were “All Smiles” Learning Dental Health from Central Students

Let’s be honest, getting kids to brush their teeth can be a challenge sometimes. Getting them to do it properly takes practice.

Every February for National Children’s Dental Health Month, Louisville Water works with community health partners and schools to improve children’s oral health.

This year, Louisville Water teamed up with Central High Magnet Career Academy’s dental science program to help students learn about the role clean water plays in overall health and to help them brush up on their lessons.

In February, the students got hands-on learning when they took their knowledge across the street to Coleridge-Taylor Montessori Elementary, a school many attended themselves.

“Having my students teach younger children about dental care reinforces everything they are learning in my classroom. This is great real-world experience,” said Central Dental Magnet Instructor, Rodshay Brooks.

Central junior, Robert Calloway, is working his way toward being an orthodontist. Calloway and his classmate, Makenah Brown, found themselves in the teacher’s role for kindergarten through third grade classrooms.

The little ones weren’t shy to speak up.

“My mom told me that since the mouth is the wettest spot, that’s where all the bacteria comes from,” one girl told her class.

With the help of pictures, a video, and fun activities, Calloway and Brown showed the students how to brush their teeth and floss the right way, along with how to cut out some of the sugar by choosing healthier snacks and drinks.

“My favorite part was when they told us about how water would help your teeth because I didn’t know that the fluoride in the water could help your teeth,” shared one third grader.

“Dental hygiene is essential to kids’ growth,” said Coleridge-Taylor Family Resource Coordinator and District 6 Metro Councilman, Phillip Baker. “We want to make sure that kids, especially in this school and this area, have access to all the necessities they need.”

The children were surprised to hear that Louisville Pure Tap® has won awards for tasting great and being clean.

Their teacher, Ms. Griffith, chimed in too. “Louisville’s water is amazing!”

The excitement really grew when the students saw they each had a goodie bag, filled with a new toothbrush (donated by Delta Dental), an activity booklet, and a Pure Tap reusable bottle.

“I’m so excited about that because I lost my other tap water bottle!” one girl exclaimed.

Cheers to good dental health!