Translate
Vaccines for child cares/early learning
DOH School and Child Care Immunization Module access
The School and Child Care Immunization Module is a feature of the Washington State Immunization Information System (WA IIS), an online registry of immunization records for people of all ages in Washington State. It is a free, secure, and easy-to-use web-based tool available to child care and early learning programs across the state.
Having access to the School and Child Care Immunization Module allows child care and early learning programs to track and manage immunization information for children enrolled in their program. We hope this guide the CCHP has created will be useful for programs: How to Get Access to the Washington Immunization Information System (WA IIS) School and Child Care Module: A Step-by-Step Guide for Child Care and Early Learning Programs (596 KB)
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):
- Vaccines required for child care
- Shaxda Tallaalada Looga Baahan Yahay Daryeelka Carruurta ee Waalidiinta (Af-soomaali / Somali)
- Cuadro de vacunas obligatorias requeridas por los proveedores de cuidado infantil para padres (Español / Spanish)
- For this information in other languages, visit the Washington State Department of Health's website and scroll down to the Immunization Charts, for Child Care.
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 a Certificate of Immunization Status (CIS) form on or before the first day of attendance to provide proof of vaccination or immunity from certain vaccine preventable diseases.
- Children without a CIS should not start child care until it has been completed and provided to the program.
What are the acceptable versions of a Certificate of Immunization Status (CIS)?
All vaccination records must be medically verified. Examples include:
- A CIS form printed from the Washington State Immunization Information System (IIS). These are medically verified by the IIS, and can be printed by either:
- A health care provider or clinic
- A child's early learning program or child care if the program has access to WA IIS. See the "How-to" resource above if your program is interested in getting access.
- A CIS form printed from MyIR. A parent or guardian can sign up with MyIR to view and print their child's CIS form. The CIS from MyIR prints the immunization dates from the IIS, so it is medically verified.
- Registration instructions can be found on DOH's Access your Family's Immunization Information web page, or by visiting https://MyIRmobile.com
- Programs can assist families by providing them with this brief MyIR handout (English and Spanish).
- For additional support, call: 360-236-3595 or email: MyIR@doh.wa.gov
- A hardcopy of the CIS form with vaccination dates filled in by a parent or guardian by hand. (Children coming from out of state are most likely to have this version, since the IIS may not have any or all of their records.) If the hardcopy form of the CIS is completed, it must either have:
- All vaccination records from the child's health care provider attached and the child care/early learning program administrator's signature confirming that the information on the CIS matches the child's vaccination records, OR
- a licensed health care provider signature, which medically verifies it as accurate
- A copy of the CIS provided by the DOH Office of Immunization. A parent/guardian can request this by calling 360-236-3595 or 1-866-397-0337, or emailing: WAIISRecords@doh.wa.gov
- DOH will inform the family as to whether they have an immunization record for the child, and if they do, the family will need to submit an Authorization to Release Immunization Records (PDF) or an Autorización para entregar documentos de vacunaciones (PDF) in order to obtain the CIS.
For more detailed information on what can be accepted, please review the Acceptable Versions of a Medically Verified Certificate of Immunization Status (CIS), WA State Dept. of Health
Need support?
If child care or early learning programs have questions about immunization requirements or reporting, reach out to OISchools@doh.wa.gov
Additional resources are available on DOH's Schools and Child Care Immunization webpage, including vaccine requirements, sample letters to parents, susceptibility tracking sheets, and conditional status attendance.