{"id":52880,"date":"2022-08-01T09:30:58","date_gmt":"2022-08-01T13:30:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=52880"},"modified":"2023-08-10T12:06:11","modified_gmt":"2023-08-10T16:06:11","slug":"what-shots-do-kids-need-for-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/what-shots-do-kids-need-for-school\/","title":{"rendered":"Does your child need a booster before school starts?"},"content":{"rendered":"

It might seem too early to think about the back-to-school season, but kids will be boarding school buses and heading off to their first day before you know it. As a parent, you\u2019ll probably try to get them ready by making sure they have brand-new backpacks, sneakers, lunch boxes, and notebooks\u2026but will you make sure they have all their required childhood immunizations?<\/span><\/p>\n

Most kids enrolled in any school outside of the house\u2014whether public or private\u2014are required to be vaccinated against a handful of diseases before they can attend. Laws vary by state, but most kindergartener students need, at minimum, immunization against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTaP), measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR), hepatitis B, chickenpox, and polio.<\/span><\/p>\n

Many people forget or overlook older kids, though, when planning for back-to-school immunizations: TDaP booster shots are due at age 11, and initial vaccinations against several forms of meningitis begin at age 12, too. And don\u2019t forget about flu shots every fall and <\/span>COVID-19 vaccines<\/span><\/a>!<\/span><\/p>\n

Basically, if your child is heading to school this fall, making sure they receive all the necessary vaccinations beforehand is an important step in your preparations. Here\u2019s how to know if your child needs to get caught up before the school year.<\/span><\/p>\n

What are the benefits of vaccinating kids before they head to school?<\/span><\/h2>\n

However old your child is, there are benefits to getting them immunized against common illnesses before the school year starts. If your child has ever brought a cold home during the first week of school, you know that putting kids together in a small classroom is a prime opportunity for germs to spread\u2014when that illness is minor, it\u2019s easy to shrug it off, but more serious illnesses can also spread like wildfire in a school setting.<\/span><\/p>\n

The good news is that kids can be vaccinated against most of these more serious illnesses, preventing not only personal illness but the spread of illness to others at school, at home, and in the community. Most vaccinations <\/span>require about two weeks to become fully effective<\/span><\/a> because the body needs time to make antibodies. Therefore, vaccinating before school starts means your child will be protected on their first school day.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For older kids especially, the run-up to back-to-school season is a great time to check off multiple wellness boxes with your child\u2019s healthcare provider.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe summer months bring a lot of older kids to the office,\u201d says <\/span>Gary Kramer, MD<\/span><\/a>, a Miami-based pediatrician. \u201cBabies come in regularly but older kids get busy with life, so we tend to see them in the summer for their well checkups, pre-participation sports physicals, and that\u2019s also our opportunity to bring them current with their vaccines.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/b>Immunization and vaccination statistics<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

What shots do kids need before school?<\/span><\/h2>\n

There is <\/span>no federal law requiring childhood immunizations<\/span><\/a>, but every U.S. state has its own laws about which vaccinations are required for children attending school.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere are childhood immunizations that are required by law to attend public schools and some private schools, [though] these laws can vary state by state [and] there are exceptions to include medical exemptions, religious exemptions, and philosophical exemptions,\u201d says <\/span>Ashanti Woods, MD<\/span><\/a>, a pediatrician at Mercy Family Care Physicians in Baltimore.<\/span><\/p>\n

Per a <\/span>2022 analysis by Health Affairs<\/span><\/a>, there is a lot of variation among the states as far as which vaccines are mandatory, which locations those mandates apply (if daycare and child care facilities are included, for example), what medical exemptions are possible, if any, and how these mandates are enforced. But nearly every state, reports Health Affairs, requires the same basic set of childhood immunizations even when there are differences in how and where those mandates are put into effect.<\/span><\/p>\n

Vaccinations required for kindergarteners<\/span><\/h2>\n

According to <\/span>Emily Wisniewski, MD<\/span><\/a>, a pediatrician at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, most schools require vaccines for incoming students unless they have some sort of religious or medical exemption. Typical immunizations include:<\/span><\/p>\n