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Ensure you have the complete list when shopping for your child’s back-to-school needs. Pencils? Check. Notebooks? Got them. And don’t forget your child’s best defense against illness – their vaccines. 

Recently, the FDA approved COVID-19 vaccines for children down to six months of age. Preparing your kids with this dose and other vaccines will set them up for school year success.

“When everyone is vaccinated, it helps to prevent vaccine-preventable illnesses from spreading. It keeps your child and all of their classmates healthy,” said Dr. Collette Chorney, a pediatrician at SCL Health Medical Group - Butte. “It also helps to protect kids with more complex health problems who may be more likely to get seriously ill from these infections.”

Vaccination requirements vary by state, and many schools require proof of vaccines (or a valid medical exemption). It’s important to review specific vaccine deadlines before you take those cute ‘first-day’ pictures. Generally, K-12 schools require vaccines for the following:

• Hepatitis B
  • Third vaccine dose before 18 months of age
• Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (DTap)
  • Final vaccine dose required before kindergarten
• Inactivated poliovirus (IPV)
  • Final vaccine dose required before kindergarten
• Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR)
  • Final vaccine dose required before kindergarten
• Varicella (chicken pox)
  • Final vaccine dose required before kindergarten
• Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (Tdap)
  • Before 6th grade, students are required to have their first Tdap vaccine, and another is required between 6th and 12th grade

Dr. Chorney recommends a proactive approach to vaccines. “Scheduling a yearly well child check for school age children is the best way to check in with your child's doctor and make sure that your child is up to date on vaccines,” she said. “It also provides an opportunity to follow up on your child's overall health.”

The official CDC-recommended child and adolescent immunization schedule can be found here.