TURNERS FALLS — Preschoolers at the Central Street Head Start program got an early start on practicing healthy dental habits this week through a free, two-day partnership with the Community Health Center of Franklin County and J&S Smile Pros.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, children at Head Start received a variety of dental services like teeth cleanings, tooth sealants, fluoride treatments and X-rays, regardless of their parents’ dental insurance status, as part of a collaboration the Community Health Center has with school districts and preschools across Franklin County and the North Quabbin region.

Shannan Beaton, compliance and business manager with the Community Health Center, explained the center has partnered with the mobile dental clinic J&S Smile Pros to help continue the program with 17 local schools that are signed up for these “Dental Days.” She said the health center hired its own dental hygienist to run the program and they plan to continue to work with J&S Smile Pros.

“They’re just going above and beyond,” Beaton said of the J&S Smile Pros dental hygienists Jennifer Hauschild and Sara Jambard. “I couldn’t have gotten luckier to have two great people.”

J&S Smile Pros set up its practice in an upstairs room of the Head Start building, where two pink lawn chairs with stuffed animals and sunglasses were ready for the children to come through and be seen by the staff in a space that is familiar to them. Dental trays with mobile equipment for the staff were placed beside each chair. Community Health Center dental hygienist Sarie Whitehouse was also present for the clinic.

“Sometimes we see a lot of kids that haven’t been to the dentist yet and this is their first initial visit with us, and we’re really friendly and we work with children, so it’s our niche,” Hauschild said of the experience the kids have with the mobile clinic.

Hauschild noticed how the children start to lose that “fear factor” around the dentist when they see a friendly face. Additionally, having the kids watch their friends get treatment helps increase their cooperation with the staff when it is their turn. She said the experience can help reinforce lifelong, healthy dental habits starting at a young age.

Notably, pediatric dental care is an aspect of health care that can be inequitable for children in lower-income households, and can vary on other factors like race, sex, ethnicity, poverty status and access to insurance, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). One of the many recommendations by the CDC to increase equity in dental care for children and adults is to participate in school dental sealant programs for cavity prevention — a service offered as part of the Community Health Center collaboration with J&S Smile Pros.

Not only does the service help the children, but it allows an increased level of accessibility for families. Beaton explained that through the Community Health Center’s partnerships with the schools, parents sign up their children to get treatment that comes to them. The hygienists will visit local schools and bring their equipment to the kids, alleviating the need for parents to travel long distances.

Even as children age out of the group supported by these mobile clinic visits, which is 1 to 5 years old, Beaton said parents are provided resources with the Community Health Center and insurance to make sure children are still receiving ongoing care. After these visits, parents are also provided documentation of what services their children were provided, and tips on dental care at home for their kids.

As February is Children’s Oral Health Month, Community Action Head Start and Early Learning Programs Health Manager Jenn Guetti Slocum said this partnership comes at the perfect time for education on dental health for children and their families.

“Oral health is really important, even starting from kids that are age 1 on through preschool,” Guetti Slocum said about the program. “We really want to support our families in making sure that their children are seen at least every six months.”

For more information on the Community Health Center of Franklin County’s dental visits to schools and preschools, call 413-325-8500 or email Sarie.Whitehouse@CHCFC.org.

Erin-Leigh Hoffman can be reached at ehoffman@recorder.com.