Elementary students throughout the Poughkeepsie City School District this month have been learning about dental hygiene.

Throughout February, Children’s Dental Health Month, the district’s Community Schools department has collaborated with the Dutchess County Board of Health and Sun River Health to encourage healthy habits.

On Wednesday and Friday of this week, dental health assemblies are scheduled for all pre-K to third-grade students, at which each is receiving a gift bag filled with floss, toothbrushes and other fun items. Students also received a bilingual poster encouraging proper dental hygiene. 

Previously, all students in those grades received a folder with information on how to book dental appointments with Sun River Health. All district families who book an appointment this month will be entered into a raffle to win a VISA gift card.

The folders also contained instructions for a dental health coloring contest, which has been won by third-grade student Sophia Aguilar of Clinton Elementary. Her drawing, which features a happy tooth surrounded by items like a toothbrush and mouthwash, will be printed in the Poughkeepsie Journal.

“Developing good habits at an early age and scheduling regular dental visits helps children to get a good start on a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums,” according to the American Dental Association’s Children’s Dental Health Month page. Each February, the ADA sponsors the month “to raise awareness about the importance of oral health.”

Children’s Dental Health Month has been observed since 1981, having grown from what began as a one-day event in Cleveland, Ohio in 1941, according to the ADA website.

Parents interested in booking an appointment with Sun River Health of for more information, contact Yvette Ramirez at 845-519-9142.