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2010 Give Kids A Smile
School Nurse Information
Thank you to all of our volunteer school nurses who have agreed to help in the identification and registration of underserved local children in need of dental care.
“Give Kids a Smile” (GKAS) is an annual event created by the American Dental Association. It is held each year in conjunction with the national “Children’s Dental Health Month” in February. GKAS is administered locally through the oversight of constituent dental societies of the ADA. The North Texas Dental Society (Texas 4th district) covers nine counties in North Texas, including Collin, Cooke, Denton, Fannin, Grayson, Hunt, Kaufman, Rains, and Rockwall.
Our goal in 2010 is to reach out to qualified children in the communities of Allen, Denton, Frisco, Flower Mound, Lewisville, McKinney, Plano, and Prosper. We hope to care for as many as 150 children throughout our district. It is an ambitious undertaking, but one we believe is worthwhile and doable.
We believe that one of the best resources available to identify children suffering from poor dental health and unable to afford needed care is through our local schools. And who better for this purpose than you, our school nurses? We are providing these guidelines to assist you in determining which students qualify and how to register them for the GKAS event in 2010.
Selection criteria should include the following:
(1) Eligible children must be between 3-13 years of age;
(2) Eligible children must be enrolled in one of the above-mentioned
school districts and have good attendance;
(3) Eligible children must demonstrate an inability to receive regular dental care due to financial limitations (such as parental unemployment; no dental insurance and/or parental income below poverty line; or
qualification for government aid, such as Medicaid, Head Start, and school lunch programs).
Good indicators of potential need would be those children who have never been to the dentist before; those who have obvious dental problems which are not being addressed; those who have been sent to the school nurse’s office with a dental complaint; or, those who have missed school due to pain/illness from untreated dental problems.
Once a child is identified for GKAS, use the “School Nurse Assessment Form” to further determine the child’s suitability for the GKAS event. Based upon your selection, please send the “GKAS Parent Letter for Kids” to the parents of each child you have chosen. If the parents decide to enroll their children in the program, the GKAS Committee will need to have them fill out and provide a completed "Patient Registration/Health History Form". It must have a signature at the bottom for disclosure and consent to treat. Children with incomplete forms will not be eligible to participate in the 2010 event. The health history/consent forms are due back to the GKAS staff by December 18, 2010. This will allow us to assign the children to a participating dentist and distribute the student’s information to the appropriate dental facility.
Some children will be assigned to a dental office to be seen within the month of February and the other children will be seen at CCCC Dental Hygiene School on January 30, 2010 or at the Texas Women's University Dental Hygiene School on February 20, 2010. You will be notified whether the children from your school will be seen in a dentist office or the Dental Hygiene School in your area. If your children are assigned to a dentist office, they will be contacted directly by the dental office with an appointment date and time. If your children are assigned to one of the Dental Hygiene Schools, you will be given a block of times to assign to those children and you will need to notify their parents of the date and time, along with a map to the school.
When the child arrives for his/her appointment, they will receive a dental education along with a, dental examination, xrays, cleanings and protective sealants. If the child has multiple dental problems, a determination of treatment will be given to the parent with possible alternatives for treatment. Please remember that this is a once a year event, and the doctor will not be responsible for additional care beyond this appointment day.
Please be advised that many dental offices are not equipped to provide English/Spanish translators for Spanish-only speaking patients and parents. They must bring an adult translator with them to their dental appointments. It is essential that the volunteer doctors and their staffs be able to communicate effectively with the patients and their parents.
We have asked your school district Head Nurse to act as liaison for your schools during the event. But, we are also available to answer any questions or problems concerning GKAS Day 2010. Please contact Lisa McLerran at 469-855-9965 if you need any assistance with the procedures.
Patient Registration/Health History Form
GKAS Parent Letter for Kids (English Version)
GKAS Parent Letter for Kids (Spanish Version)
GKAS Appointment Sheet for TWU
GKAS Appointment Sheet for CCCC
If you have any questions or need help in registering student-patients, please contact Lisa McLerran at 469-855-9965. Email inquiries may be directed to ntds4@yahoo.com.
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and the Contact Nurse:
Amy Hillin , RN
Allen ISD
Ellen Fogle, RN
Frisco ISD
Stephanie Gage
Lewisville/Flower Mound ISD
Julie Blakenship
McKinney ISD
Susan Williams
Prosper ISD
