Immunization Requirements for Children in Your Care (California)

As a licensed family childcare provider, you are required to follow California laws regarding required immunizations for children in schools. 

Before any child starts in your program, you must confirm that they have required immunizations.

1. Before a child starts school, the parents must submit a copy of the child's immunization record through the Wonderschool platform
2. You must refer to the following guide to check whether a child has the correct immunizations for their age: http://www.smmusd.org/CDS/pdf/IMM-230.pdf 
3. Fill out the required Blue Immunization Record for each child: https://archive.cdph.ca.gov/pubsforms/forms/CtrldForms/cdph286.pdf
• Here is a video that gives an overview of immunization records: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B40wJH80nNo_Nl9sSmoxYURBM28
• Here is a video that explains best practices on how to check if a child has required immunizations: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B40wJH80nNo_ZDFSMzNOMXZCeWM
• Here is a video that explains how to fill out the blue immunization record: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B40wJH80nNo_M3NYcWIwc2IwM3M

A new law was passed in 2016 such that personal belief exemptions for required immunizations are no longer allowed and for a child to be able to attend your program, they must meet the following criteria:

1. They are up to date with ALL of the required immunizations for their age
2. They are up to date on most of the required immunizations for their age and they also have a letter from a physician stating their plan for when they will complete immunizations to get up to date in the near future
3. They are up to date on most of the required immunizations for their age and they have a viable medical exemption letter from a physician for any immunization they do not have.

This article provides very helpful context about the laws: https://edsource.org/2015/what-schools-and-parents-need-to-know-about-the-new-vaccination-law/82242

Please note that a medical exemption is needed for a child to enter care without required immunizations.

A medical exemption letter for exemption to vaccinations must be from a licensed physician medical doctor (M.D.) or doctor of osteopathic medicine (D.O.) There is no standard medical exemption form but the statement must say:

• That the physical condition or medical circumstances of the child, which may include family medical history, are such that the required immunization(s) is not indicated
• Which vaccines are being exempted
• Whether the medical exemption is permanent or temporary
• The expiration date, if the exemption is temporary.

Sample email to use for parents if you want to confirm whether their child has all required immunizations:

Hello [parent name],

I wanted to check in with you about [child names] immunizations.  Based on the information I received from you in the survey you filled out, I wanted to confirm whether [child name] is up to date with all required immunizations for [his/her] age.

Given that I am a licensed family child care, I must follow all of the California laws for immunizations for children in schools.

Here is a guide to the required immunizations that children must have to be able to attend a childcare center or licensed family childcare: http://www.smmusd.org/CDS/pdf/IMM-230.pdf.

Can you please confirm whether [child name] is up to date with required immunizations?  I will need to complete a record of this before they are able to start care.  

Here is a helpful article that provides some more context on the laws that I must follow: https://edsource.org/2015/what-schools-and-parents-need-to-know-about-the-new-vaccination-law/82242

Please do confirm this information. Thank you!

Warmly,

xxx