“KinderSmile Foundation celebrates Women’s Day every day.”

Founded by Dr. Nicole McGrath, a passionate, seemingly-inexhaustible woman, and furthered by the unflagging commitment of female child-advocates such as Dr. Sara Kalambur and Dr. Maria Madonna, KinderSmile Foundation is a perfect example of girl power. As the nonprofit grows, it has attracted more inspired female talent as well as some fantastically supportive men.

On International Women’s Day, the female muscle of KinderSmile flexed across the state (and even down to Washington D.C.) as team members continued to work towards the mission of our nonprofit: to advocate for increased access to oral health care and oral health education for children in underserved communities.

For Dr. Sara and me, this mission led to Rutgers Medical School of Science in Newark, where we convened with the Essex Metro Immunization Coalition (EMIC) for the first time. Our goal was to connect with new peers on both the provider and advocate levels, and to introduce or reiterate the concept of preventive dental care being just as important as mandated vaccination.

While KinderSmile has forged and nurtured many local partnerships with health care providers, EMIC represented an untapped resource of local/state officials who can help make positive change to the system that still fosters so much disparity. Attendees were mixed with doctors, parents and grassroots representatives. The conversation lingered on early childhood immunization challenges and solutions, and so many are in exact parallel with the barriers of access KinderSmile observes, e.g. reliance on public transportation, lapse of dental insurance, low health literacy, environmental stressors and cultural/religious hesitancy. We anticipate many opportunities for KinderSmile and EMIC to collaborate in the future and look forward to making Essex County healthier together.

Dr. Nicole commented on the day: “Thank you, Dr. Madonna and all the “woman power” at KinderSmile Foundation! I would not have it any other way!”

The CEO’s words came from Washington D.C., where she spent the week discussing unique strategies to increase oral health care access on a larger scale than KinderSmile’s current sphere of influence. Dr. Nicole also shared one of her favorite sayings that was quite apropos for International Women’s Day: “When you educate a woman, you educate a community!” This belief is intrinsic to the Perinatal Health & Wellness Program that Dr. Nicole developed, which teaches uninsured, new mothers to be ambassadors of optimal oral health in their communities.

Back in Bloomfield at our dental home, Dr. Maria summed it up perfectly: “KinderSmile Foundation celebrates Women’s Day every day. We are led by some amazing women.”

Finally, Deputy Program Coordinator, Deborah Kanter, offered her thoughts on International Women’s Day 2017—a concept she supported long before it was coined with a hashtag. “How to celebrate, be part of the movement, part of the struggle? I will not stay home from work as many of my Sisters advocate. I will work as I do most other days—with a staff of caring, compassionate women. Deborah works alongside and guides the bright student volunteers of KinderSmile Community Service Learning Program, who assist the nonprofit while learning all aspects of the organization.

Thank you to all of the staff, trustees, grantors, partners and volunteers who help make
KinderSmile Foundation a place where women (and men) can thrive while giving back to their community.