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Sep
27

Vaccines for child cares/early learning

Vaccines for child cares/early learning

The Childhood Immunizations Toolkit is available for child care and early learning providers in Washington. This Toolkit is available in English, Chinese, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese on the Infant Child and Adolescent Immunizations webpage. It includes:

  • Information about vaccines and the diseases they prevent
  • Information about child care and school vaccination requirements
  • Sample responses to common concerns about vaccination
  • Tips for communicating with vaccine hesitant families
  • Additional resources

Vaccine requirements

Children attending child care are required to be vaccinated or show proof of acquired immunity against the following vaccine-preventable diseases:

  • Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis (DTaP/DT)
  • Polio (IPV)
  • Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR)
  • Hepatitis B
  • Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) until age 5
  • Varicella (Chickenpox)
  • Pneumococcal bacteria (PCV) until age 5

Children entering child care or preschool must get the required doses to be in compliance with immunization requirements (PDF):

A child may begin attending a child care or early learning program ONLY IF:

  • They get all the required vaccine doses they are eligible to receive, AND
  • The parent/guardian has submitted medically verified immunization records (see below) on or before the first day of attendance. Children without immunization paperwork should not start child care until the paperwork is turned in.

Medically verified records

The following are examples of medically verified documentation that can be accepted by child care and early learning programs: 

  • A Certificate of Immunization Status (CIS) printed from the Immunization Information System (IIS)
  • A physical copy of the CIS form with a healthcare provider signature
  • A physical copy of the CIS out and signed by the parent and verified and signed by child care or early learning program administrator. For this option, the CIS needs to have medical immunization records from a healthcare provider attached
  • A CIS printed from MyIR (families can create an account on MyIR and print this form themselves)

Need support?

  • If preschools and child care providers have questions about immunization requirements or reporting, you can reach out to OICPPreschools@doh.wa.gov.

  • If families need support with MyIR, child care and early learning programs can assist them by providing this pamphlet: WA.MyIR Card or providing these steps below:
    • Parents/Guardian should visit WA.MyIR.net and follow the registration instructions or these easy steps:
      1. Request. Visit the Washington State Department of Health website at www.doh.wa.gov/immsrecords to download an Authorization to Release Immunization Records form.
      2. Register. Complete the form, sign it, and return it by fax, mail, or email (preferred).
      3. Review. You will be registered for MyIR and will receive an email with a temporary PIN and instructions on what to do next. Log in as soon as possible and activate your account. You'll have immediate access to your family's immunization records to view, download, or print as often as you need. Call or email for more information: 1-866-397-0337 or WAIISRecords@doh.wa.gov.

    • MyIRmobile is a new resource. Parents/Guardian can access vaccination certificates by going to MyiRmobile.com on their phones and registering. MyIRmobile matches records based on name, birthday, phone, and email. If any of these fields are missing or incorrect parent/guardian will be unable to match the record. For matching issues, parent/guardian can use the chat feature in MyIR Mobile or call 833-VAX-HELP.

  • There are many resources available to child cares and early learning programs available through Washington State Department of Health (DOH)'s Schools and Child Care Immunization webpage, including more information on requirements, sample letters to parents, susceptibility tracking sheets, and information on conditional status attendance.
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