Building healthy smiles in Rdale through strong partnerships

Neill Elementary School hosted a Ready Set Smile dental clinic on Nov. 12, offering students on-site dental care at no cost to families and education as part of the district’s growing Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) efforts.

Robbinsdale Area Schools (Rdale) is proud to have Full-Service Community Schools and partner with local organizations to bring valuable resources directly to students and families, and those partnerships extend to other district sites such as Neill Elementary.

“A Full-Service Community School is more than just a building—it’s both a physical place and a powerful set of partnerships between schools and community resources,” said Nieshea Smith, Community Partnership and Resource Specialist. “Our FSCS sites are true community hubs—open to everyone and active beyond the traditional school day, including evenings and weekends”

One strong example of this model in action is the district’s partnership with Ready Set Smile, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit that provides free dental treatment and oral health education to children.

When the partnership began in the 2022-23 school year, fewer than 20 students across two schools received care. Since then, the program has expanded significantly. Already, during the 2025-26 school year, Ready Set Smile has served 327 students across six Rdale elementary schools, with more clinics scheduled this winter and spring.

Through the clinics, Ready Set Smile staff have identified 384 cavities, treated more than 204, and placed over 275 sealants. In addition, they have made over 100 referrals to connect families with essential follow-up care, often working with other dental partners to provide free or low-cost dental care.

The success of this partnership even drew the attention of Minnesota Rep. Mike Freiberg, who visited the Neill clinic to learn more about the impact of the program and the role it plays in supporting student health.

With strong results and growing demand, Rdale and Ready Set Smile plan to expand the dental clinic program to four additional elementary schools and the district’s Early Learning program.

“We’re confident in this model because we see the difference it makes for our students, families, and neighborhoods every single day.”