Girl Scouts! Explore the wonders of the human mouth to earn Smile Squad patch!
Okemos, Michigan—In celebration of National Children’s Dental Health Month, the Delta Dental Foundation today introduced its Smile Squad patch for Girl Scouts.
“We want young girls to explore oral health and related careers through a variety of fun, educational activities,” said Teri Battaglieri, Director of the Delta Dental Foundation. “We also want them to understand the critical link that oral health has to overall health, and begin learning healthy habits at an early age.”
The Smile Squad patch is available to select troops in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana as well as to Juliette— those not affiliated with a troop.
In Michigan, the patch is available to girls in the Girl Scouts Heart of Michigan and Southeastern Michigan councils. In all, 98,000 girls from Michigan, Ohio and Indiana are eligible to earn the patch.
The patch is free of charge, and the costs of the patch and activities costs are funded by the Delta Dental Foundation. Leaders can find the program curriculum and all materials online at deltadentalmi.com/scouts.
Troops who earn the patch during February or March will receive Rethink Your Drink reusable water bottles for their entire troop.
Girl Scout programming has become more focused on the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, and this patch is intended to empower girls to take care of their own oral health, learn about the wonders of the human mouth and explore careers in the dental field.
Troops will review good dental habits, try oral health experiments, discover how hidden sugars can damage teeth, and learn about the importance of brushing twice a day and reading daily for a healthy body and mind.
