Julie McCarty knows what it takes to teach children the importance of good dental care. It takes volunteers who can teach about proper tooth-care techniques.
With the use of visual aids, McCarty, 54, trains and sends out a team of volunteers to classrooms in Glendale to talk to first-graders about the necessity of oral hygiene.
"If kids are having problems with their teeth or health, they are not going to learn," said McCarty, a La Crescenta resident.
McCarty is the volunteer program coordinator for the dental education program with Glendale Healthy Kids, a nonprofit program that provides medical and dental services to low-income and uninsured children.
Healthcare providers donate their services without cost to the children's families.
McCarty, a part-time sales clerk, has been a volunteer with Glendale Healthy Kids for nine years and serves on the board of directors.
She started as a classroom volunteer and now she is in charge of training new volunteers who donate their time to educate students about dental hygiene.
"No matter what [school] district, it's hard to get kids to brush," she said.
"You need to start good healthy habits early."
After volunteers receive their training, McCarty hands them a box full of visual aids and goody bags for the students and sends them out.
The box contains a book with colorful illustrations demonstrating brushing techniques, dental floss and a set of fake teeth.
Bessie the Cow, a puppet that has her own set of teeth, is another favorite prop used to teach children proper brushing.
Using a large tooth brush, volunteers ask students to brush Bessie's teeth.
Students receive a bag with stickers, pencils, toothpaste and other materials that teach proper brushing and flossing methods, McCarty said.
"It's very helpful and very appropriate for first-grade students," said Julie Lister, a volunteer, about the visual aids.
Lister is a first-time volunteer for the Glendale Healthy Kids' dental education program.
The volunteers visit nearly 1,900 first-graders in the 20 elementary schools in the district, McCarty said.
"Dental care can be such a luxury," McCarty said.
"It makes me realize that what we do makes such a big difference," McCarty said.
