Daily toothbrushing in an ECE facility can play an important role in children’s oral health. Brushing after a meal removes food which helps protect against tooth decay. Brushing should start as soon as children have teeth.
Application documentation
In your REACH Oral Health application, you will upload documentation of daily toothbrushing along with making water visible and freely available, training teachers/staff on toothbrushing, and including oral health in the facility’s written policy.
| REACH Application Documentation | Go NAPSACC Evidence-Based Practices |
| The facility will provide documentation for only the ages they serve: One weekly schedule from one preschool-aged classroom (3’s or Pre-K) that shows that time for tooth brushing is provided one time per day. One weekly schedule from one toddler-aged classroom (toddlers or 2’s) that shows that time for tooth brushing is provided one time per day. One weekly schedule from the mixed-age classroom or FCCH that shows that time for tooth brushing is provided one time per day. Please provide one photo* of toothbrushing in your infant classroom that shows a teacher or other adult brushing the infant’s teeth. *Photos will only be used for review purposes unless the facility gives permission for them to be shared publicly. | OH1 For infants with teeth, time for tooth brushing is provided 1 time per day. OH2 For toddlers, time for tooth brushing is provided 1 time per day. OH3 For preschool children, time for tooth brushing is provided 1 time per day. |
Tips for your documentation:
- You only need to submit schedules/photos for the age groups the facility serves.
- Circle or highlight the times for toothbrushing on the schedule so that reviewers can clearly see that the facility is meeting the best practice of offering brushing 1 time per day. If the schedule does not show toothbrushing, you may write notes on the schedule on include them in the notes section of the application.
- Schedules must be currently in use.
- Infant photos provided through the application will not be shared beyond the reviewers of the application unless you give permission for REACH to share them through our website and social media.
Example documentation:
Coming soon…
REACH Recognition 