Early childhood caries—also known as cavities—are one of the leading causes of day surgeries in children under five years of age in Canada. Oral health impacts a child’s physical, emotional, and intellectual wellbeing. When a child is in pain or loses teeth too early, it can impact speech development, and limit their ability to focus and learn and to eat healthy foods. The good news is that this is largely preventable. Supporting parents, and teaching young children how to take care of their teeth and gums from an early age, promotes lifelong healthy habits.
Education is one of the keys to preventing oral health disease for people of all ages. The NWT Literacy Council is offering facilitator training to plan an event that promotes oral health in your community! The training is a step-by-step guide on how to host a community oral health event complete with games, activities, and resources. Upon completion of the training in December 2020, facilitators are eligible for a grant of up to $1500 to run their event in early 2021. Support is offered every step of the way with plenty of flexibility to host an event that suits the needs and interests of the community you live in.
We will be accepting up to 10 applicants from 10 different communities in the NWT. Applicants from communities with less access to oral health care services will be prioritized during the selection process. Applicants must be part of an organization that agrees to take charge of the funding and to undertake the oral health event. Applicants who work in prenatal, early childhood, or school-based programs are highly desired, as well as graduates of NWTLC’s Family Literacy Training Institute who are passionate about community healthy living. The training requires a commitment of up to 10 hours, plus the additional time to plan your event. All training will be held online.
<<<Click here to apply! The deadline is Thursday, November 5th.>>>
For questions or for more information, please contact Stephanie by email at stephanie@nwtliteracy.ca.
Stephanie van Pelt is the Community Oral Health Literacy Coordinator for NWTLC.
