Download Happy Smiles!/Sonrisas!

Happy Smiles!/Sonrisas!
Olivia Desormeaux
University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
Introduction
Results & Project Impact
Conclusion
Happy Smiles!/Sonrisas! was a pilot program that was
implemented across three Chicago early childhood
education centers in diverse neighborhoods: Hermosa,
Englewood, and North Lawndale. The program was
presented in both Spanish and English as the Hermosa
center is staffed with bilingual home visitors and serves a
mostly Spanish speaking population. The curriculum was
developed as a combination of many existing evidencebased curricula. Home visitors were trained in the
curriculum and then they ran the twelve-week sessions
with their local participants. This was a sustainable model
where the home visitors could continue producing the
program long after the Program Coordinator left. Happy
Smiles!/Sonrisas! curriculum development began in fall
2013, a grant was procured in spring 2014, and the pilot
series ran over the summer 2014 with final evaluation
stretching into fall 2014. The program is still being
implemented today.
When we received the final numbers, we were surprised to have greatly overshot our benchmarks of 60 adults
and 125 children. We reached 110 parents, with 8 prenatal and with 235 children of which 127 were 0-3 years
old. Lawndale hosted 46 parents, with 4 prenatal and 120 children of which 61 were 0-3 years old. Englewood
hosted 19 parents, with 4 prenatal and 24 children of which 20 were 0-3 years old. Lastly, Hermosa hosted 45
parents, with 91 children of which 46 were 0-3 years old.
Over the course of the Happy Smiles!/Sonrisas! program,
over 10 home educators were trained in the Happy
Smiles!/Sonrisas! curriculum, activities, and approaches.
The first run impacted 110 parents and 235 children, of
which 127 were 0-3 years old. Parents went from a selfassessed 67% understanding oral health care to 92%
understanding oral health care. This program showed a
positive impacted in all three communities, which included
a Spanish speaking population.
This program was also launched through a sustainable
train-the-trainer model, which allows for this curriculum to
further impact the populations served in the Englewood,
Lawndale, and Hermosa centers. Future impact of Happy
Smiles!/Sonrisas! is expected to increase by at least
another 100 parents and 200 children per year as long as
the current home visiting division is funded. The home
visitors have all of the tools, training, and knowledge they
need to continue this program and train further staff
members to perpetuate the curriculum.
Lawndale
Hermosa
Materials & Methods
The curriculum was designed and written by Olivia Desormeaux
under the supervision of Crystal Elliott-O’Connor and Keisha FarmerSmith. Lesson plans, modalities, and activities from over 10 different
evidence-based oral health curricula were utilized and synthesized to
form the Happy Smiles!/Sonrisas! curriculum. A previous survey
given to the populations served informed where gaps in knowledge
were and what priorities to address.
Growth in knowledge was measured with pre- and post- surveys
offered in participants’ preferred language. Survey questions
targeted knowledge of oral health, frequency of care, access to care,
and self-confidence regarding oral health care. Some of them are
listed below:
1.
2.
How often do your 0-3 year old children brush their teeth?
With 1 as “could be improved”, and 5 as “ideal”, rank your views, ideals, and parenting
practices in regards to your children’s oral health care.
3. With 1 as “least”, and 5 as “most”, how fun is it brushing your 0-3 year old kids’ teeth?
4. With 1 as “could be improved”, and 5 as “ideal”, rank your kids’ oral health.
5. Do you know how to access local free/reduced cost oral care services?
6. With 1 as “could be improved”, and 5 as “best”, rank your understanding of proper oral health
care for your children.
7. What causes tooth decay?
8. By what age should a child be seen by a dentist?
9. Toothbrushes should be replaced every_____ months.
10. What’s the most appropriate action when a tooth has been knocked out?
11. When you brush your teeth, approximately how long does it take?
12. How long has it been since your 0-3 year old children have visited a dentist?
Literature Cited
100
90
Highlighted Results
Raw Growth
80
Overall
Lawndale
Hermosa
Englewood
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Knows correct cause
of tooth decay
Knows child should
see dentist before
one year old
Knows what to do
with knocked out
tooth
Knows how to access
free/reduced OH
services
Measure
PreTest
PostTest
Understands Oral
Health Care
67%
92%
Knows How to Access
Local Free/Reduced
Cost OH Services
62%
91%
Lawndale: Children
brush teeth 1/day
47%
83%
Hermosa: Correct
Cause of Tooth Decay
25%
100%
Hermosa: Most
Appropriate Action
when Tooth Knocked
Out
0%
Hermosa: Children
Been to Dentist in Past
Year
71%
91%
100%
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Acknowledgements
Thanks to the Otho S. A. Sprague Memorial Institute for funding this
program; Family Focus, Inc. for executing this program; the
Englewood, Hermosa, and Lawndale home visitors who are so
dedicated to their participants; Keisha Farmer-Smith for making this
happen; and Crystal Elliott-O’Connor for being my mentor, guide, and
overall director for the project implementation.