As summer winds down and the school year approaches, your mind is probably
turning to your child’s back to school checklist. Whether your child
is simply returning to school, entering school for the first time, transferring
schools, or participating in a new athletic event or other extracurricular
activity, there may be specific health requirements.
Vaccination records are usually required for kids upon entry into:
- Child care / day care
- Kindergarten
- Preschool
- School
- College
- Post-high school education / training
- Summer camp
- International travel / study abroad
There is currently no nationwide organization keeping track or individual
vaccinations. You will need to find copies of this information yourself.
It’s important to store your child’s immunization records
in a safe place. If they somehow become lost or damaged, you will have
to reconstruct these immunization records on your own. If you cannot locate
the lost information, it may be necessary for your child to repeat doses
of some vaccinations.
Where Are My Child’s Vaccination Records?
Here are some places you might look for when searching for immunization
records for your child:
-
Local vaccination registry – Some cities and states have immunization registries with information
provided by caregivers. Visit
this page on the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) website to find
your local immunization record registry.
-
Previous providers – Speak with your previous healthcare providers to find out if records
are available. If your former pediatrician or other care provider retired,
he / she may have sent old records to a medical record storage company.
-
School – Former schools attended by your child, including high school and
college, may have immunization records on paper.
-
Employers – Your child’s previous employers may have a copy of his /
her immunization records on file. If your child was in the military, a
copy should be found on file there.
If you are locate your records, ask your healthcare provider or local clinic
to document the records officially as well as in the state / local immunization
registry. If you cannot do this, put all the information on an immunization
record card, which you can request from your state health department or locate
here. Be sure to fill the card out thoroughly.
This article contains general information about medical conditions and
treatments. The information is not advice and should not be treated as
such. The information is not intended to replace the advice or diagnosis
of a physician. If you have any specific questions about any medical matter
you should consult your doctor or other professional healthcare provider.