When Christy May became executive director of the portable dental program Miles of Smiles in 2002 the goal was to meet the oral health care needs of low-income children in Platte and Clay counties.
The non-profit has now treated more than 25,000 children in the area for dental problems.
As the non-profit became aware of more challenges and barriers that low-income kids faced they added a new, school-based vision program in January called ICare4Kids to offer vision screenings, comprehensive eye exams and free eyeglasses for low-income kids and those whose families are enrolled in Medicaid or uninsured.
When the vision program was added Miles of Smiles and ICare4Kids became programs under the new name LevelUp Kids, Inc. and the heart of their mission is a desire to serve more children in need.
When a task force of professionals called Vision North came together in the early 2000s to identify the needs of low-income children, they found that dental care was at the top of the list, followed by public transportation problems. After the needs were identified the task force’s report brought community members and schools to the table to talk about solutions. The one that made the most sense was portable dental programs for schools.
“Bringing free dental services to the schools will eliminate transportation and financial barriers,”May said. “Low-to-moderate income families can use our services. And receive them for free, we don’t use any sort of sliding scale. We offer all of our school-based services in Clay and Platte counties.”
The dental equipment is taken into the schools, using empty classrooms, nurses’ offices and even stages or gyms which are temporarily converted into dental offices. For eye tests, LevelUp Kids has a mobile van with vision equipment inside.
LevelUp Kids has been limited in their capacity to provide their services during the closures caused by COVID-19, but in June the dental office expanded its hours for those in need of dental help. The dental teams wear N95 masks and face shields and air purifiers have been installed in the dental rooms to ensure the safety of patients and staff.
“The Johnson County Community College has a hygiene van that goes around Independence to do cleanings, but we’re actually doing comprehensive dental care in over 40 schools, tons of fillings, extractions and crowns, May said. “We do everything. We see school-age kids K through 12. We see about 4,000 kids a year. We have three dental teams and one vision team. We’re really just promoting different programs to low-income children so they will be on the same level as their peers. And for them to be successful in school is our goal.”
May said children are well-behaved in the schools and are less afraid of dental procedures in their familiar and secure school setting.
“In schools there’s a little peer pressure and some expectation of behavior, so we found that providing care in the schools is very successful because there, we never have a no-show and they just feel more comfortable, May said. “They’re surrounded by teachers and nurses and people that they feel safe with, a little bit different vibes from when they go to a dental office.”
May’s favorite part of her job is seeing the success of the program and how the community has embraced it.
“The first year it was kind of like the schools didn’t think they wanted to offer dental programs in the schools, it wasn’t really what they wanted to do, May said. “And then once one school did it, and then another school did it, they saw the benefit of how students who were probably not getting to the dentist were helped. With kids suffering from tooth pain, not sleeping well and not eating well with teeth in such a bad state, they realized that getting that taken care of in the school and not having to miss a lot of school or have mom or dad take off work and find transportation was a good thing. It is really rewarding to see how many school districts and schools have welcomed our dental teams in.”
LevelUp Kids has recently been awarded a grant through the 2020 Healthy Eyes Healthy Children Community Grant Program.
“Healthy vision is one of the most important tools children need for a successful school year, when their vision suffers, so does their learning, May said.
May and Doug Anderson, development director at LevelUp Kids talk to civic groups, church and social groups, school PTAs and local government officials about the programs.
“We talk to people not only for educational purposes but also to raise money to provide services so we spread the word about all the good work we do and encourage people to donate and help the kids,” May said
To find out if LevelUp Kids is scheduled to come to a local school or organization, call 413-9009.