Back-to-school vaccines for kids - Children's National

Back-to-school season is a great time to check that all your child's vaccines are up to date. In fact, many school systems require children to be vaccinated to attend. To ensure your child is up to date on their vaccinations, make an appointment with a primary care physician. Not having the proper vaccines could cause your child to get sick and miss valuable school time.

Why does my child need to be vaccinated?

Timely vaccination is a cornerstone of good pediatric health and infectious disease prevention.

Many vaccines are necessary because they not only protect your child, but also everyone else from contracting viruses. If a large group of children are not vaccinated, illnesses can resurface and have serious lifetime effects on the general population.

The following guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) supports routine vaccination throughout childhood and beyond.

Starting school: ages 4-6

If your child has received all their appropriate vaccines by the time they are four years old, from ages 4-6, they will need additional doses of vaccines against the following diseases:

• Diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTaP)
• Polio
• Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR)
• Varicella (chickenpox)
• Flu

If your child has missed any of these vaccines, work with your pediatrician to make sure they get caught up.

Elementary school: ages 7-10

From ages 7-10, your child should continue to get a flu vaccine every year. If your child has all their recommended vaccines through age six, it's not necessary to get additional doses during these years. However, if your child has missed any vaccines, work with your pediatrician to make sure they get caught up.

Middle school: ages 11-13

During early adolescence, your child needs vaccines against the following diseases:

• Tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (Tdap)
• Meningococcal disease
• Human papilloma virus (HPV)
• Flu

High school: ages 14-18

Children need an additional dose of meningococcal vaccine at age 16, and they need the flu vaccine every year from ages 14-18.

Why does my child need the flu vaccine?

While vaccination against the flu is not required by schools, it is strongly recommended. Many parents wonder if the vaccine could cause their child to be more susceptible to contracting the flu, however, there is no evidence that indicates a child will contract the flu from a flu vaccine. In fact, the risk of contracting the flu is much higher the longer a child goes without this vaccine.

Children under the age of five who contract the flu can be at risk of being hospitalized, as the virus is more difficult to fight off in a younger immune system. Additionally, the flu vaccine is only effective for the season when it was received, not the entire year, so children must be vaccinated annually to stay protected.

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Download our back-to-school vaccine infographic here.