Baby, Children and Youth Vaccinations

What to do if you've been suspended from school.

Reporting an up-to-date immunization record or valid exemption is required by law in Ontario for children attending licensed child care or school.

  • Public Health maintains theses immunization records and uses them to protect your child if an outbreak of a vaccine-preventable disease occurs
  • Complete immunization records are needed to quickly identify who is at risk. Children will be notified and may be excluded from child care or school for their protection until the risk of infection is over. In Niagara, this was done in 2015 for measles and 2017 for mumps.
  • Protect your child's future

    As you make your decision, remember that vaccine preventable diseases can have severe impact - they can make even a previously healthy child very sick.

    Childhood vaccines have been around for decades and have been proven to protect children from diseases.

    Many of these diseases can result in serious complications, some may be permanent. For example, polio infection can cause paralysis and mumps can lead to deafness.

    Vaccines help keep all children safe, protecting their long-term health and well-being.

  • Protect others

    Most people can get vaccinated.

    Some people in our community are unable to get vaccine(s) because they are too young, have a medical condition or severe allergy.

    These people may be our family, friends, neighbours, classmates or coworkers. They are counting on the rest of us to protect them from vaccine preventable diseases.

  • Making the decision with your child

    Parents and guardians are encouraged to discuss vaccination with their child. Look for trustworthy information to help you make informed decisions.

    Learn more about when a person is capable of giving consent to vaccination under the Health Care Consent Act.

If you have questions and would like to talk to someone, you can:

Getting vaccinated

Your child's vaccines are based on a routine schedule  starting at two months of age.

When following the routine schedule, timing matters. It's designed to protect your child when they are most at risk for those diseases. A delay or gap leaves your child at high risk of infection.

The schedule gives optimal age ranges for your child to receive a vaccine. For example, the adolescent Tdap (tetanus / diphtheria / pertussis) booster is indicated between 14 to 16 years of age.

This means if they get their four to six year booster at four years of age, they become due for their adolescent booster 10 years later at 14 years of age. If you have any questions, contact our Vaccine Team.

Find out:

Report vaccines received to Public Health for children 0 to 17 years

The fastest and most convenient way to report vaccines (except for COVID-19 vaccinations and flu shots) or request records is to use Immunization Connect (ICON).

Every time your child receives a vaccine, it must be reported to Public Health. Doctors, child care facilities and schools don't do this for you.

Access your vaccination record or report vaccines

Checking immunization records

To see if your child has the vaccinations they need to attend child care or school, you can:

  • Compare their personal immunization record (yellow card) to the required vaccines
  • Ask your health care provider
  • Request your records online using Immunization Connect (ICON). Children 16 years of age and older must request their own records due to privacy laws.

Newborns and babies

In infancy

Your baby can receive common respiratory illness vaccines:

  • Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) immunization product (typically before hospital discharge)
  • Annual flu shot (six months of age and older)
  • Follow Ontario Ministry of Health recommendations for COVID-19 vaccine for children six months of age and older

At two months of age

Your child can start following the routine schedule for vaccinations. The schedule is designed to protect your child when they are most at risk for those diseases.

Protecting your newborn using cocooning

Cocooning is an easy way to prevent babies younger than six months old from getting sick from the people around them. This can be from parents, siblings and grandparents.

When everyone in your baby's circle is up-to-date on their vaccinations, they are less likely to spread infections to your baby. They create a "cocoon" of protection, keeping your little one safe from serious diseases such as pertussis (whooping cough), the flu and other respiratory illnesses.

Everyone should stay up-to-date according to Ontario's free vaccine program:

  • Teenagers and adults need a booster dose of Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis) vaccine followed by a dose of Td (tetanus and diphtheria) every 10 years
  • Ontario offers Tdap vaccine in every pregnancy to protect the mother and baby. Regardless of any previous doses of Tdap, all pregnant women should get the pertussis vaccine in every pregnancy.
  • Everyone six months of age and older should receive the flu shot every year
  • Everyone six months of age and older are recommended to follow Ontario Ministry of Health recommendations for COVID-19 vaccine

Children in child care

By law in Ontario, Public Health must have an up-to-date immunization record or valid exemption on file for each child attending a licensed child care centre or licensed home child care agency (Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014).  

  • Diseases your child will be protected from

    The Child Care and Early Years Act (CCEYA) protects children and others at child care centres from getting and spreading vaccine preventable disease.

    Some of these diseases spread easily in childhood and children are at highest risk of getting very sick if they are infected with a vaccine preventable disease.

    By vaccinating your child, you are protecting them from the following diseases:

  • Vaccination information is needed for enrolment

    During the enrolment process, you will need to provide your licensed child care operator with any of the following as applicable:

    • Up-to-date immunization record
    • Original completed Statement of Medical Exemption
    • Original completed Statement of Conscience or Religious Belief Affidavit

    Your licensed child care operator will send a copy to Public Health so it can be applied to your child's immunization record.

    After your child is enrolled

    It's important to keep your child's vaccination record up-to-date by reporting each vaccination to Public Health.

    If you chose to submit a valid exemption, you don't need to do anything more until the September your child enters school. At that time, you will need to complete the exemption process for your school aged child.

  • Continue to report each vaccination your child receives while your child attends child care

    The Child Care and Early Years Act requires parents and legal guardians to report an up-to-date immunization record or valid exemption to their licensed child care operator. In turn, child care operators send a copy to Public Health.

    In the event of an outbreak, Public Health reviews immunization records to quickly identify children who are at risk.

    While your child is attending child care, continue to report each vaccination they get to:

    • Your child care operator
    • Public Health
  • If you received an Immunization Reminder Notice from Public Health

    Public Health reviews immunization records annually. If you received a letter, it means that Public Health is missing vaccination information, such as the following:

    • Your child may have received all the required vaccines, but Public Health does not have this information on file. Report any vaccines received to Public Health.
    • If your child needs to get vaccinated, find out where to get vaccinated in the community, then report any vaccines received to Public Health
    • Public Health does not have a valid exemption for your child on file. Submit a valid exemption to Public Health.

School age children

By law in Ontario, Public Health must have an up-to-date immunization record or valid exemption on file for each child attending school (Immunization of School Pupils Act). This law is important to protect our community from diseases.

Niagara Region Public Health is reviewing immunization records and exemptions for all school age children. You will not be contacted if Public Health has complete vaccination information on file for your child.

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