Ready, Set, Smile has been a school-based program since its inception. Last year, when the pandemic struck, we were forced to find other means to carry out our mission. We treated children at Shiloh Temple in north Minneapolis, our own SOCO building, an orthodontist clinic (thank you Sm:)e Orthodontics!), and after hours in two of our partner schools. We discovered that it was difficult for many parents to schedule and bring children in to us by appointment, especially on weekdays. While we were able to treat some of our patients, we were unfortunately only able to treat a small percentage of those we would normally serve during the school year.

On the bright side, we did develop some very positive relationships with several community organizations that will serve us well in the future. We look forward to schools re-opening this spring so we can provide the preventive care our children need to maintain their bright, healthy smiles!

Thank you to all who donated to our GoFundMe page to help us acquire the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) we need to keep us and the children we serve safe from infection. We raised $200 which helped us buy much-needed surgical masks!

If you wish to help us with more PPE equipment and supplies, please donate here.

“When we founded Ready, Set, Smile, we boldly chose to use our professional expertise and go directly to the children with the greatest needs. Our data indicates that we are making a dramatic difference in the oral health of the children we serve. We are empowering a generation of children to make healthy choices. Our model is scalable and replicable.

We can fight racial and economic injustices in our system with consistent preventive services and by investing in building relationships in all communities. Let’s choose to talk about the failures in our oral health system and find purposeful solutions. We are the experts in this field, and our goal should be to serve Minnesotans through a just system of service.”

Read the full letter here.

“Dr. Amos S. Deinard Jr., MD, MPH, is honored for his many years of leadership and dedication to advancing oral health. He is an unwavering advocate for underserved children's health needs in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and beyond, and his passion is perhaps best exemplified by his work with the Childhood Caries Prevention Project.”

Dr. Deinard, a pediatrician, was Ready, Set, Smile’s first volunteer medical director. He is a hero! Thank you Dr. Deinard.

Read the full MDH announcement here.

Thanks to everyone who attended our November 2020 Open House. We had a small, physically distanced group at the Ready, Set Smile offices, and many more joined on Zoom. The program included a “ribbon-cutting” and a tour of our office space.

We extend special thanks to featured speaker Attorney General Keith Ellison whose message was compelling.

Also, thanks to speakers RSS Board Chair Karl Self and co-founder, Ex Officio Board Member Adele Della Torre, DDS. Open house – open hearts!

Ready, Set, Smile is in the process of contacting our school partners to determine when we can get back into their buildings to provide dental treatment and education.

We also plan to schedule clinics in some alternate venues as well, using grant funding from the Minnesota Department of Health School Sealant program, with the recognition that we need to make it as convenient as possible for parents to bring in their children.

We are planning to boost our Sponsor a School program with a generous matching grant from the Nara Foundation. Dental professionals and other interested parties are welcome to register and attend a zoom event, Back to School with Smiles, on February 9, 2021. Attendees will learn about the Sponsor a School program and also hear some perspectives on how the pandemic has affected the economy and children’s dental services.

Check our web site home page to register now to join our Zoom program,

Speakers:

Introduction to Ready, Set, Smile and Dental Public Health: Chad Boger, DDS - Ready, Set, Smile Board Member.

Pivoting during COVID: Suzanne Fust, PhD, MPH - Executive Director.

Impact of the Pandemic on our Economy: Ron Feldman - Chief Operating Officer/First Vice President Federal Reserve Bank and Ready, Set, Smile Board Member.

Impact of the Pandemic on Children’s Dental Services: Andrea Leyland, DDS - Director of Pediatric Dentistry, Hennepin Healthcare and Ready, Set, Smile Board Member.

Sponsor a School Program: Adele Della Torre, DDS - Ready, Set, Smile Co-Founder and ex-officio Board Member. 

Ready, Set, Smile was fortunate to have the donated services of Adam and Courtney of Yonder to develop Mimi the Hippo app for our patients to help them prepare for a visit with the dentist.

If you are a parent or a school partner or just curious, you may download this app to use with your children before their clinic visit: www.mimithehippo.com/install Download the app and then use the code 200819 to download Ready, Set, Smile’s version of the app.

If you have any questions, please reach out to: Suzanne Fust, Executive Director, sfust@readysetsmile.org, 612-721-6118

OR

Barbara Brown, RSS Development and Communications Manager, bbrown@readysetsmile.org, 612-721-6118