Early Years Health & Wellbeing

Thank you to those who have already participated in the Grampians Health Ballarat Dental Clinic visits. It is great to see such enthusiastic uptake with this service. We look forward to hearing about the dental visits as they continue throughout the year.
More than half of the services engaged in Smiles 4 Miles are in the process of applying for their award throughout this year. Please keep a look out for any communication regarding Oral Health & Healthy Eating policy and/or menu assessment (if your service provides food) in the coming weeks. We hope to begin this process early to support many services to achieve these steps, with as many services as possible awarded throughout 2023.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any queries or questions at any stage.

Smiles 4 Miles seeks to create a whole-of setting approach, bringing children, staff, management, families, and the wider community together to continuously promote oral health, healthy eating and improved health and wellbeing outcomes. This mission can be achieved through providing learning experiences and family engagement activities at your service.

This term, the key message ‘Eat Well’ could be a focus for your promotion. Examples of learning experiences to involve the children and families may include:

• Creative learning: Creating a fruit and vegetable face at morning tea time. Providing children with an opportunity to learn about ‘everyday’ and ‘sometimes’ foods.

• Constructing a collage/poster/mural: Using packaging or pictures of foods the children bring in their lunch boxes to construct a collage, poster, or mural. Providing an opportunity for children to learn about ‘everyday’ and ‘sometimes’ foods and eating the rainbow.

• Interactive experiences: Reading books such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle or I Do Not Eat The Colour Green by Lynne Rickards as an interactive experience where children can be involved in a discussion about ‘everyday’ and ‘sometimes’ foods and the importance of baby teeth for eating, talking, and smiling.

Accessing Local Public Dental Services

It is important that children access dental health services on an annual basis to support optimal development, and health and wellbeing from the age of 2.

Public dental clinics have schemes in place to financially support access to dental health services if needed. For children aged 0 to 12, general dental care (including routine examination, check-ups, cleaning, extractions, fillings, and fissure sealants) is free if the child or parent hold a concession card.

According to Dental Health Services Victoria, children or families who do not hold a concession card can be charged approximately $36 per child per appointment for general dental care at a public clinic. The most your family will pay is $140.

Dental services and advice can also be covered through the Child Dental Benefits Schedule. For more information about the Child Dental Benefits Schedule, including assessing eligibility, please access myGov, contact the Medicare program through Services Australia on 132 011 or access the link below.

Child Dental Benefits Schedule – Services Australia

The details of the public dental clinics in the Ballarat and surrounding areas are below:

Grampians Health Ballarat Dental Clinic (previously Ballarat Health Services)
Address: Cnr Hertford Street and Tuppen Drive, Sebastopol, 3356
Phone: 5320 4225

Central Highlands Rural Health: Creswick
Address: 1 Hill Street, Creswick, 3363
Phone: 5345 9150

Central Highlands Rural Health: Daylesford
Address: 13 Hospital Street, Daylesford, 3460
Phone: 5321 6550