Healthy Smiles from the Start

WIZO’s Early Childhood Division has recently launched a new program, in partnership with Israel’s Ministry of Health, to promote dental health and prevent tooth decay from the earliest years of life.

The program brings dental hygienists and dentists into WIZO daycare centers for special sessions with toddlers and their parents. The goal is to raise awareness about the importance of oral health from the moment a child’s first tooth appears, helping families build healthy habits from the very beginning.

The sessions include initial screenings to assess the child’s teeth and mouth, along with practical guidance for parents on oral hygiene, nutrition, and daily habits that can help prevent tooth decay. When further treatment or follow-up is needed, parents are referred to a dentist in their community.

The program is carried out in close cooperation with daycare educational teams and management, reflecting WIZO’s belief that daycare centers play an important role not only in education and care, but also in promoting children’s health, development, and overall wellbeing.

Beyond the professional support offered to parents and toddlers, the initiative helps strengthen awareness across the entire daycare community of the importance of dental health and its impact on development, eating, speech, and quality of life in early childhood.

This month also included a special gathering for daycare directors from northern Israel, led by supervisors Yafit, Lisa, and Sharon, and held at WIZO Neve Sha’anan in Haifa.

The meeting offered an opportunity for shared learning, professional reflection, and connection. Directors reviewed regional developments and processes, exchanged knowledge and experience from the field, and took part in an enriching mask workshop that created space for creativity, dialogue, and team building.

For the participants, the gathering was a meaningful pause from the intensity of daily work. It strengthened the sense of partnership among daycare directors in the region, while also highlighting the personal and community connections that support WIZO’s early childhood teams in their vital work.