Dear Friend,

Thank you for being part of the KinderSmile Foundation village. As we are nearing the end of 2025, and heading into a year of uncertainties and loss of Medicaid insurance for 350,000 members, we move forward with gratitude and hope.

What a year, and it was all possible because of YOU! Despite the turbulence, fear, and changes, this year was full of growth and continued development. We count our blessings, as we provided access to oral health care to over 8,500 smiles at KinderSmile Community Oral Health Centers Bloomfield, Newark, and Trenton, and our community programs!

We continue to need your support to amplify the stories of our patients, raise awareness about the need to make oral health an essential part of primary care, and advocate for a change in the landscape of access to oral health care in the state of New Jersey.

We are truly grateful to YOU, our donors, grantors, volunteers, and friends for being part of the KinderSmile Foundation village. Together, we can ensure that every family has access to a dentist and preventable dental diseases are eradicated. Your continued support and generosity pave the pathways to our strength! #ItTakesAVillage

We wish you health and smiles this holiday season, and in the year ahead!

With sincere appreciation,

Nicole McGrath-Barnes, DDS, FACD

Founder & CEO

Michal Herman, DDS, FACD

COO

The Latest from KinderSmile Foundation

It Takes a Village!

KinderSmile Foundation takes a leading role in promoting Public Health Dentistry in the state of New Jersey, through medical-dental integration initiatives, advocacy to inform public policy, and the expansion of access to oral health care aimed at reducing inequities. Direct services through three Dental Homes, four community programs, continuous data collection, over 300 community collaborations, workforce development and diversification, and mentorship, help us reach New Jersey’s most vulnerable residents in order to make a long lasting impact for the community.

To do it all, we rely on a team of 39 dedicated and compassionate villagers. We are grateful to each and every one of our clinical, program, and department directors, dental providers, dental hygienists, dental assistants, front desk patient coordinators, community health workers, administrative coordinators, and executive assistants, who make it all possible!

Thank you Andrea, Angelica, Arelis, Ariana, Beatriz, Briana, Cindy, Courtney, Dede, Derek, Dr. Asante, Dr. Barry Godín, Dr. Braun, Dr. Cherian, Dr. Curado, Dr. Grover, Dr. Lee-Soto, Dr. Mangtani, Dr. Park, Dr. Shafqat, Dr. Sim, Edna, Jenn, Kayla, Kiara, La'Najia, Miriam, Monique, Nafisa, Natalia, Nye, Pat, Priya, Shirley, Silvia, Steph, Stephanie, Tammy, and Trevor!

We love you, and appreciate all that you do!

KinderSmile Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose bandwidth is strengthened by a team of dedicated volunteers!

Give Back a Smile Program

Are you a dental professional able to dedicate a few hours a month to the growing need of underserved families in New Jersey?

Please join our efforts of bridging the gap in access to oral health care in our own state, and Give Back a Smile!

Give Back a Smile professional volunteers are invited to contribute in a capacity that works best for their schedule and practice:

• At our Dental Homes in Bloomfield, Newark, or Trenton
• With our school based KinderSmile Oral Health Program
• By opening their own practice to an uninsured patient who needs a specialist 

On behalf of the children and families in the community, we extend our deepest gratitude to Dr. Goldman, Dr. Forbes, Dr. Guerrier, Dr. Ha, Dr. Iyer, Dr. Desai, Dr. Ceravolo, Dr. Joshi, Dr. Jung, Dr. Liss, Dr. Layton, and Yelitza, among many others!

Thank you for being a part of the solution!

Community Service Learning Program

Are you a student interested in service, Public Health Dentistry, or nonprofit work?

Through CSLP students garner a comprehensive learning experience, guidance, and mentorship. Students develop leadership skills, broaden their knowledge, and actively contribute to the mission and goals of KinderSmile Foundation.

We are grateful to dozens of 2025 CSLP volunteers, who play a crucial role in reducing disparities and improving oral health access for underserved communities, making a positive impact in the lives of at-risk children and their families, while learning the importance of giving back in their future careers.

Congratulations to Deandra, Alexa, and Kaylyn on their Dental School acceptances!

It has been an honor to edify and encourage you along the way. Thank you for your contributions to KinderSmile Foundation in your journey!

Mentorship Highlight!

Congratulations Nye, for your acceptance to Tufts University School of Dental Medicine class of 2030!

Nye Veale has been an integral part of the KinderSmile Foundation Village for the last 5 years, when she joined our Community Service Learning Program, dedicating nearly 250 hours of clinical volunteer work with our organization. Her dedication, commitment, and professionalism enabled her to grow within the Foundation, and she continued to soar.

As Perinatal Health and Wellness Program Director from 2023-2025, she took the program to new heights. She expanded education and awareness to maternal health workers in the state, and ensured that oral health is included in the maternal health conversation. She became a leader in the community of maternal agencies, streamlined and improved the program, and expanded our reach to Black mothers, gaining their trust. She worked tirelessly to increase the program's sustainability by seeking funding, collecting and auditing data, conducting educational classes, and verifying a link to a Dental Home for mothers and their children. Her leadership in this role led to her invitation to participate in Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman’s Advisory Coalition on Health Equity (ACHE), a 12-month working group dedicated to reproductive health.

As a part of her current role as Chief Executive Assistant for KinderSmile Foundation, Nye oversees the Community Service Learning Program, where she initially started. She is actively working to recruit, mentor, and entice participation from CSLP volunteers near and far, with a robust program of hands-on activities, virtual presentations, remote volunteer opportunities, and refined scholarships!

Black dentists still represent only 3.8% of the US dental workforce, nearly unchanged in decades. We are proud to say that not only is Nye committed to KinderSmile Foundation's goal of moving that needle and ensuring that this percentage continues to rise, paying it forward with mentorship of incoming volunteers, but that she herself will be a part of the solution!

Nye, thank you for your consistency, your commitment to service, and your compassion for the community. We are beyond proud of you, and can't wait to see you continue to grow as a future Public Health Dentist! Congratulations!

Partnerships Statewide and Beyond!

American Dental Association

Dr. Nicole McGrath-Barnes, Founder and CEO of KinderSmile Foundation received the ADA’s Evidence-Based Dentistry Practice Award at the SmileCon 2025 Changemakers Celebration, hosted by the American Dental Association (ADA)!

Dr. Nicole received the award for her leading efforts in Public Health Dentistry through KinderSmile Foundation’s initiatives, taking real action to combat oral health inequities and bring care to communities that need it most. 

The ADA acknowledged her contributions of integrating evidence-based dentistry into KinderSmile Foundation’s community programs. KinderSmile Oral Health Program and our Perinatal Health and Wellness Program include data surveillance and analysis, critical to promoting prevention, and leading to a long term impact for vulnerable populations!

Nurture NJ Leadership Summit

Dr. Michal Herman, COO, and Arelis Martinez, PHWP Director, were honored to participate in First Lady of New Jersey’s 8th Annual Nurture NJ Leadership Summit, a powerful gathering of maternal health champions, providers, and community leaders fighting for healthier outcomes for mothers and babies across our state.

Impactful remarks were given by First Lady Tammy Murphy, Governor-Elect Mikie Sherrill, and Governor Phil Murphy, along with panels featuring advocates in the maternal health space. 

A special highlight: our KinderSmile Perinatal Health and Wellness Program video was displayed during the Summit breaks, helping us raise awareness that dental care during pregnancy and postpartum profoundly affects the health of mothers and their babies, and that oral health must be included in the maternal health conversation. 

Please join our efforts of changing the landscape of access to oral health care in New Jersey by supporting KinderSmile Foundation.

As you wrap up your year end giving, please gift a healthy smile!

Each gift will make a long term impact in the wellbeing of a child!

It truly takes a village!

Your tax-deductible donation has a direct lasting impact on the health and wellbeing of every child and adult served at our Dental Homes and through our programs.

To learn more about donations of stock or planned giving,

please email Trevor McPherson.

If you are a NJ licensed dentist or dental hygienist

and would like to learn more, please email Dr. Herman

Thank You to Our Grantors and Sponsors!

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