READER'S ROCK LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE VOL 2 ISSUE 4 NOVEMBER 2014 Vol. 1 Issue 8 Feb. 2014 | Page 84
Renaissance Dental
Teams up with
NEA's Read
Across America to
Encourage
Children to Pick
up a Book and a
Toothbrush
Partnership connects importance of
children's oral health and literacy
WASHINGTON, Jan. 31, 2014
/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The
Seuss-tastic secret behind the National
Education Association's Read Across
America program, which is celebrated by
45 million people annually, is that it
makes reading fun for kids. For the
second year, NEA will use its highly
Seuss-cessful children's literacy program
to raise awareness of a culprit—oral
health problems—that's causing U.S.
school-aged children to miss more than
51 million hours of school each year.
(Logo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/2014
0131/DC56807)
What's the connection between children's
oral health and literacy? A recent study
found that students who don't read at
grade level by fourth grade are four times
more likely to drop out of high school
than proficient readers. Findings by the
Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC also
showed students who have experienced
recent oral health pain are four times
more likely to have lower grade point
averages than their counterparts who
have not.
"Educators know that students need to
come to school ready and able to learn,"
said NEA President Dennis Van Roekel.
"When kids miss school due to oral
health problems, they're missing out on
critical instruction time and the essential
learning that takes place in the
classroom."
This very real problem—the link
between oral health and student
achievement—facing school children,
especially minority and economically
disadvantaged students, is the reason
behind the partnership of NEA and
Renaissance Dental. Through NEA's
Read Across America, three million
educators are helping to deliver a very
important message to students: "2 x 2 +
20 = good oral health and literacy
habits." The pledge asks children to
brush for two minutes, two times per day,
plus read for 20 minutes each day—for a
daily total of 24 minutes, all focused on
developing good oral health and reading
skills.
"As a parent, I know first-hand how
important it is for children to develop
good habits when they're young," said
Rob Mulligan, president and CEO at
Renaissance Dental. "By making twice
daily brushing and daily reading regular
parts of a child's routine, we can start to
instill good habits early on. Research
tells us that oral health and reading are
directly linked to the well-being and
success of a child in school. This
partnership provides us with a national
platform extending our ability to
positively impact children and parents
across the nation."
The unique partnership between the
nation's largest union of educators and
Renaissance Dental also will provide
funds for media center and state reading
grants, in addition to delivering books,
toothbrushes and other oral health items
to students in need. The announcement
comes on the eve of National Children's
Dental Health Month in February, which
is designed to raise awareness about the
importance of oral health.
Thanks to financial support from
Renaissance Dental, the Cat in the
Hat—the official mascot for NEA's Read
Across America—will hit the road again
this year with the popular Cat-a-Van
Reading Tour, February 24 through
March 14. The reading tour will visit
Texas, Oklahoma, Michigan, Indiana,
Ohio, South Carolina, Georgia, and
Mississippi, with additional Seuss-tastic
events planned from coast to coast on the
annual Read Across America Day,
Monday, March 3.
Originally created as a one-day event to
celebrate the joy of reading, Read Across
America, now in its 17th year and
sponsored by NEA and Dr. Seuss
Enterprises, L.P., has grown into a
nationwide initiative that promotes
reading every day. With Dr. Seuss's
March 2nd birthday falling on Sunday
this year, the official Read Across
America Day will be celebrated Monday,
March 3rd, enabling schools nationwide
to participate in the reading fun.
About NEA
The National Education Association is
the nation's largest professional
employee organization, representing
more than 3 million elementary and
secondary teachers, higher education
faculty, education support professionals,
school administrators, retired educators
and students preparing to become
teachers. Learn more at www.nea.org.
About Renaissance Dental
Renaissance Dental provides quality and
affordable dental insurance to
organizations and individuals nationwide.
Customizable dental options can be
designed for groups as small as two
enrollees. Renaissance