Are your child’s vaccinations up-to-date? If not, book an appointment with your family doctor or visit one of our Public Health clinics to get the vaccine(s) your child needs.
If you’re not sure what vaccines your child needs for school, see the Publicly Funded Immunization Schedule for Ontario (PDF, 8 pages, 636 KB), talk to your healthcare provider or call 1-800-265-7293 ext. 4746 to speak with a nurse about questions on vaccine requirements.
Report your child’s vaccinations
Did you know that it is your responsibility to report your child’s vaccinations to Public Health? Use the new Immunization Connect Ontario (ICON) tool to report and track your child’s vaccinations. The immunization records that parents submit through this tool will be reviewed to assess requirements for attending school.
ICON is also an electronic alternative to your paper immunization record (yellow card).
Requirements for school
By law, children must be immunized against the following diseases to attend school:
- Tetanus
- Diphtheria
- Polio
- Measles
- Mumps
- Rubella (German measles)
- Meningococcal disease (meningitis)
- Pertussis (whooping cough)
- Varicella (chickenpox) – for children born on or after January 1, 2010
Get fact sheets on these diseases and vaccines.
In Ontario, the Immunization of School Pupils Act requires that all children attending schools be fully immunized or have a valid exemption on file.
For new students attending school the following form needs to be filled out and provided to the school. For those who need help translating their records please contact Immigration services for the translation of immunization records into English.
Visit School Vaccination Clincis for a list of vaccination clinics in high schools and elementary schools (held occasionally).
Grade 7 vaccination program
Do you have a child in grade 7? If so, do you know that Public Health will be at your child’s school to give three vaccines? Your child will get a consent form (PDF, 4 pages, 112 KB) from school in September for the following vaccines:
- Meningococcal
- Hepatitis B
- Human Papillomavirus
- HPV9 Vaccine in Ontario’s HPV Immunization Program: Information for Parents (PDF, 3 pages, 503KB)
Get fact sheets on these diseases and vaccines.
Fill out the consent form and return it to your child’s school. If your child is absent from school, you can still book an appointment with Public Health to have these vaccinations done. Have questions about these vaccines? Speak with a public health nurse at 1-800-265-7293 ext. 4746.
Exemptions for school aged children
To exempt your school aged child from one or more vaccinations for religious or conscientious reasons, you will need to attend an Immunization Education Session and fill out the Statement of Conscience or Religious Belief Form.
To exempt your school aged child from one or more vaccinations for medical reasons, complete the Statement of Medical Exemption form and have it signed by a physician or nurse practitioner and submit the completed form to Public Health.
These forms plus school vaccine information can be found in the School Immunization Exemption Information and Forms Package (PDF, 8 pages, 2.8 MB).
Exemptions for children in daycares and early years centres
To exempt your child attending a daycare or early learning centre from one or more vaccinations for religious or conscientious reasons, fill out the Statement of Conscience or Religious Belief for Child Form and submit to Public Health. Please note this form will expire when your child begins school.
To exempt your child attending a daycare or early learning centre from one or more vaccinations for medical reasons, complete the Statement of Medical Exemption and have it signed by a physician or nurse practitioner and submit the completed form to Public Health.
These forms plus child vaccine information and schedule can be found in the Daycare Immunization Exemption Information and Forms Package (PDF, 7 pages, 2.5 MB).
