Vaccines for children at school

How to protect children and adolescents from infancy to 17 years old with safe and reliable vaccines.

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Report immunizations to your local public health unit

Under the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA), you are responsible for reporting your children's vaccinations to your local public health unit so your child can attend school in Ontario. Report all immunizations as soon as you can to avoid possible disruptions to your child’s school attendance.

Contact your local public health unit.

Why you should vaccinate

Parents and guardians are responsible for their child’s health and well-being, including protecting them from vaccine preventable diseases.

It is recommended that everyone in Ontario gets routine vaccinations per the Ontario Publicly Funded Immunization Schedule, as well as a yearly flu shot and COVID-19 vaccine every fall, unless you have a medical reason not to.

Making sure your school aged children are up to date with their routine and recommended immunizations helps protect their health and your community.

Protect your children from severe outcomes

Delaying or refusing some or all vaccines for your child puts their health and life at risk. For example, measles can spread to the brain, cause brain damage, and even death. Mumps can cause permanent deafness. Polio can cause paralysis.

There is no cure for diseases like measles, polio and tetanus. The best way to protect your child is by getting the vaccination to help prevent the disease.

Protect your family and community

Communities depend on high immunization rates to reduce the spread of diseases that are preventable by getting a vaccine. When more people are immunized, there is less risk for everyone.

The more parents who choose to not vaccinate their children, the greater the risk that infection will spread in the community, especially among children and adolescents at school. Those most at risk include:

people with weakened immune systems due to other diseases or medications they are taking
people with chronic medical conditions like lung, heart, liver, kidney disease or diabetes
newborn babies, who are too young to be immunized against most diseases
the elderly, who may be at higher risk of complications from diseases

Avoid disruptions to your child’s school attendance

By law, children and youth are required to be immunized against certain diseases to attend school, unless there is a valid exemption.

Students who are not up to date on their routine immunizations may be excluded from attending school under certain circumstances.

Immunity and immunization

Immunity is your body's ability to protect you from disease. One way it does this is through protective proteins called antibodies, which recognize and fight germs like viruses and bacteria. These antibodies are specific — for example, measles antibodies target only the measles virus.

There are 2 types of immunity:

active immunity occurs when your body makes antibodies in response to infection or vaccination
passive immunity occurs when antibodies are provided directly, such as during pregnancy when they are passed from parent to baby or through immunizations like infant RSV

Certain diseases can seriously harm your child. Vaccines help the immune system recognize and fight germs by introducing a harmless piece, or a weakened or killed version, without exposing your child to the full risks of illness.

In Canada, infectious diseases like measles and whooping cough carry much greater risks than vaccines. Immunization gives your child’s immune system the tools it needs to help prevent infection and reduce the severity of illness if they do get sick.

Vaccinations are safe

Vaccines are strictly regulated medical products in Canada. Health Canada only approves immunizing products that are shown to be safe and effective in preventing the disease that they target.

In Ontario, vaccine recommendations reflect regulatory approvals by:

Health Canada
emerging science
advice from experts, including Public Health Ontario and the Ontario Immunization Advisory Committee (OIAC)
recommendations on the use of vaccines in Canada from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI)

National Advisory Committee on Immunization members are non-governmental experts in infectious diseases, immunization and public health. This committee regularly reviews all the scientific information available on the safety and effectiveness of new and existing immunizing products.

Vaccinations do not cause autism

Medical researchers and scientists around the world have not found a link between vaccines and autism.

When to get vaccines for your school aged children

Between 4 and 6 years old, children should receive the following vaccines:

In grade 7, children should receive the following vaccines:

Between 14 and 16 years old, teens should receive the following vaccine:

tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis

Preparing your child for vaccines

Getting a vaccine can be stressful for some children. With some preparation and kid-friendly explanation, parents can help to make vaccine visits easier and less stressful. Talk to a health-care provider or your local public health unit if you have any questions about the vaccine your child will receive.

Prepare your child before the visit. Be honest. Explain that shots can pinch or sting, but that it won’t hurt for long. Tell your child that vaccines are important to keep them healthy.

For younger children

Hold your child or cuddle them on your lap.
Use distractions like toys, bubbles, and books.

For older children

Older children can use distractions like games, books, music, and talking about something unrelated to the vaccination. Deep breathing and/or counting, as well as keeping the arm relaxed and still may help to make the shot easier.
For children getting their shots at school clinics, tell them to let the nurse know if they feel nervous about getting vaccinated or if they feel faint or light-headed before, during, or after the vaccination. The clinic staff can help them through the process.

Ask a health-care provider or your local public health unit about using topical anesthetics (medication that numbs the skin).

After the visit, talk to your child about their experience. Let them know that it is normal to feel some mild reactions — like soreness in the arm where the shot was given — that will go away after a day or two. Offer some extra attention if they are feeling discomfort. Praise and reinforce that they are making positive healthy choices. Contact a health-care provider if anything concerns you.

Legal requirements for your child to be immunized

Immunize your child

By law, as a parent or guardian you are required to immunize your school aged child against certain diseases for your child to attend school.

Find out what vaccinations are required by law to attend school.

If your child cannot get 1 or more of the required vaccinations, you must complete the exemption process. Children who are not fully immunized may not be allowed to attend school and may be removed from school during an outbreak.

Check with a health-care provider or local public health unit to make sure your child has all the vaccines needed to attend school.

Report your child’s immunizations to your local public health unit

You must report immunizations to your local public health unit as part of the ISPA process.

Public health units maintain these records so they can respond to and protect students in the event of cases and outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases.

About the legislation

The Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA) is legislation that helps to protect elementary and secondary school aged children from serious diseases, like measles, that can be spread in schools and throughout our communities.

Immunizations required by law to attend school

Unless your child has a valid exemption, all children who attend primary or secondary school must be immunized against:

diphtheria
tetanus
polio
measles
mumps
rubella
meningitis (meningococcal disease)
whooping cough (pertussis)
chickenpox (varicella) — required for children born in 2010 or later

Vaccines that we recommend

All children attending school between ages 4 to 17 should be immunized according to Ontario’s Immunization Schedule.

See the full list of immunizations for your child that we recommend.

Exemptions

While immunization is the best way to protect your child against vaccine preventable diseases, under the Immunization of School Pupils Act, your child can be exempted from immunization:

for medical reasons
due to conscience or religious belief

As part of the process for getting a valid exemption for non-medical reasons, you must complete an education session designed to answer common questions and concerns that parents and guardians may have about immunization and provide information on the risks of vaccine preventable diseases. The session is intended to help you make informed decisions about immunizations.

For medical reasons

You must fill out a Statement of Medical Exemption form that has been signed by a physician or nurse practitioner and submit it to your local public health unit. It will indicate the reason for the exemption, such as:

your child has a medical condition that prevents them from receiving the vaccine
there is evidence of your child’s immunity to the disease, making further immunization unnecessary

For non-medical reasons (conscience or religious belief)

For your child to be exempted due to conscience or religious belief, you must contact your local public health unit to:

Complete an education session
- Let your local public health unit (PHU) know you wish to have your child exempted from the required immunizations.
- The PHU will:
  - advise you on the steps to take in completing a valid exemption, including watching the vaccine education video.
    - The video covers:
      - basic information about immunization
      - vaccine safety
      - how immunization affects overall public health
      - immunization law in Ontario
  - answer any additional questions you have about vaccines or about the process for applying for an exemption
  - provide you with a signed and dated Vaccine Education Certificate after you have watched the video
Fill out a form
- Complete a Statement of Conscience or Religious Belief form.
- Once it’s complete, you must get it signed by a commissioner for taking affidavits in Ontario.
Make copies for your records
- Make copies of your:
  - Vaccine Education Certificate
  - signed Statement of Conscience or Religious Belief form
- You will need to submit the original versions.
- It is important that you keep copies for your records because the ministry and local public health units do not keep your exemption documents
Submit the originals
- Submit the original copies of your Vaccine Education Certificate and signed Statement of Conscience or Religious Belief form to your local public health unit. Contact them to find out how.

Report your immunization records

Every time your child gets a vaccine from a health-care provider, you should report your child’s updated immunization records to your local public health unit. Health-care providers do not report these records for you.

After you or your child receives any immunization, make sure your health-care provider updates your child’s immunization record, the "yellow card."

Immunization Connect Ontario

Use the Immunization Connect Ontario (ICON) tool to update and view your child’s immunization records. You can access this tool through your local public health unit's website.

Once your child’s immunization record is complete in ICON, you can access a copy of their records at any time. You can also view and print an electronic yellow card when proof of immunization is required.

Children in licensed child care centres

The Child Care and Early Years Act (CCEYA) requires all licensed child care centres to ensure children have complete immunizations appropriate to their age before being admitted.

If you want your child to attend a child care centre (for example, daycare), and decide not to vaccinate them due to medical, religious or philosophical reasons, you will need to give the child care centre a valid written exemption. If the disease appears in your child’s care centre, your child may not be allowed to attend until the disease is no longer present.

Flu and COVID-19 vaccines for children and adolescents

The best defense against infection and severe outcomes from the flu and COVID-19 is to get vaccinated. Unless there is a medical reason not to, everyone aged 6 months or older is recommended to get immunized against flu and COVID-19 each fall when the vaccines become available.

It is safe and convenient to receive both COVID-19 and flu vaccines at the same time, or at any time before or after other routine immunizations. Talk to a health-care provider or pharmacist to learn more.

Find out more about kids and the flu vaccine.

Find out more about kids and the COVID-19 vaccine.

Special medical conditions

If your child has special medical conditions or other high-risk factors, they may need additional immunizations. Talk to a health care provider or your local public health unit about other recommended vaccines.

Resources for parents and guardians

These resources can provide information about childhood immunization, share tips about improving a child’s experience, and to help you learn about infectious diseases and the importance of vaccines.