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Dear Child Care Partners,
This month’s email from the Public Health – Seattle & King County (PHSKC) Child Care Health Program (CCHP) includes the following topics:
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New School Year - Health & Safety Reminders |
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Get ready and organized for the new school year with these important reminders about immunizations, care plans, toothbrushing, and bleach. |
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August is National Immunization Awareness Month
Child care and early learning programs play an important role in helping children catch up and stay up to date on their childhood vaccines.
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This handout tells families what documentation your program needs each year and why (also available in Spanish). Be sure to let families know when these documents are due each year.
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Each family needs to submit a medically-verified immunization record for their child, which can be:
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a current immunization record printed from either the WA Immunization Information System (WAIIS) or MyIR Mobile
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a handwritten Certificate of Immunization Status (CIS) completed and signed by the health care provider or
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a handwritten CIS completed and signed by the parent or guardian with the vaccination records attached.
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Children who are NEW to a child care or early learning program may only begin attending if:
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They have all the required vaccine doses they are eligible to receive for their age, AND
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The program receives their medically-verified record (see list above) on or before the first day of attendance.
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Children who are ALREADY ENROLLED and ATTENDING a program need an updated medically-verified record to be submitted each year showing they have received all required vaccine doses for their age.
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Children without medically-verified records, or a Certificate of Exemption (COE) excusing them from vaccinations they don’t have, cannot start child care until the paperwork is turned in, unless they are in foster care or experiencing homelessness.
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It is the program's responsibility to determine if a child has met the immunization requirements for child care or preschool. To do this, staff can compare the immunizations listed on the CIS with those on the vaccines required for child care chart (available in 18 different languages).
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Reminder: Children who are 4 years old or older on September 1st need to have a booster dose of DTaP, polio, MMR, and varicella vaccines. (This new requirement started in the 2022-2023 school year.)
Still have questions about what’s required for child care and early learning programs? Check out these resources:
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A Toolkit for Child Care and Early Learning Providers in Washington State is available in English, Chinese, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese. This resource will help you feel confident when you talk with families. It includes information about vaccines and the diseases they prevent, the vaccines required in child cares, and tips for communicating with families.
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MyIR Mobile allows parents to view and print their children's official immunization records.
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New CCHP Toothbrushing at the Table Poster
As a reminder, WAC 110-300-0180 requires programs to offer children age-appropriate toothbrushing activities at least once per day. Now is the time to think about how you will meet this requirement in your program.
Our new Toothbrushing at the Table poster offers step-by-step instructions on how toothbrushing can be done at the table as a group activity. It also includes tips to prevent the spread of germs, pictures of needed supplies, and recommendations for toothbrush storage. It is available on the Toothbrushing section of our website in Amharic, Arabic, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Oromo, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.
We recommend printing this poster on 11”x17” paper for best quality.
In child care or early learning programs, toothbrushing at the sink is not recommended because of its potential to spread germs.
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Updated Care Plans and Forms
As you prepare for a new school year, remember our care plan documents were updated in March 2024. You can review the details in our May Newsletter or view materials on the care plan documents section of our website.
Important highlights include:
- All the information required by WAC is organized into new care plan packets, which are available for Allergy, Asthma, Diabetes, Food Intolerance, and Seizures. Children with any other health condition or behavioral health need should use the Individual Care Plan.
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New care plan checklists help identify missing items and ensure the care plan is complete. Whether you are reviewing a CCHP care plan packet or a care plan provided by a healthcare provider, all items in the new checklists are required for a care plan to be compliant with the early learning WACs.
For authorization forms for other items, such as medications that are not part of a care plan, hand lotion, hand sanitizer, diaper cream, sunscreen, and toothpaste, please visit our care plans and authorization forms webpage.
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Review New DOH Bleach Chart and Updated CCHP Bleach Materials
Did you see our announcement about the new Disinfecting and Sanitizing with Bleach chart published by Washington Department of Health (DOH)? If not, please take a look at our July Newsletter. Key points to note:
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The disinfecting solution is now slightly stronger at ~1000 parts per million (ppm). (It was 500-800 ppm before the pandemic.)
- The sanitizing solution concentration has not changed.
Print updated disinfectant labels, available at the bottom of our labels webpage.
Review our How to Mix Bleach Solutions document for safety considerations and instructions on mixing bleach. This is now available in Amharic, Arabic, Chinese (Simplified, Traditional), Oromo, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese on our bleach resources page.
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Information to Share with Families
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Free Back-to-School Vaccination Clinics
Are there children in your early learning program who need vaccinations or will be starting kindergarten in September? In the coming weeks, the Public Health - Seattle & King County Immunization Program is offering multiple back-to-school clinics that will be providing free vaccines for children ages 0-18.
Check kingcounty.gov/findaclinic for clinic dates and times and confirm details before attending. These clinics are hosted by Go-Vax Kids in collaboration with school districts and other community partners. For more information, please contact vaccineinfo@kingcounty.gov or 206.296.4774.
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Continuing Education & Training Opportunities |
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Community of Practice: Grounding Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health and Social Justice in Child Care Settings
Best Starts for Kids is sponsoring a Community of Practice that will encourage child care health consultants and providers working in King County to engage in connection, reflection, and community to support infant and early childhood mental health for children birth to 5. Sessions are held one Saturday per month for 9 months at no cost to participants. Topics will include theories on global child development, infant and early childhood mental health, different abilities, nutrition, and health. Individuals supporting children in child care in King County are welcome from all cultures, linguistic backgrounds, and education levels. STARS credits will be offered.
Registration deadline is September 13 and sessions begin October 12. For more details and to register, visit: The World Around Me: Grounding Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health and Social Justice in Child Care Settings.
Flyers in English, Arabic, and Spanish available. Contact Alicia Martinez at amartinez@kingcounty.gov if you have any questions.
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ASQ & ASQ:SE: Una Nueva Perspectiva, en español, septiembre 6 y 13
Este taller educativo ofrece una nueva perspectiva sobre el uso del Cuestionarios edades y etapas (ASQ) y el Cuestionarios edades y etapas: Socio-emocional (ASQ-SE) que va más allá de la simple calificación de sus diferentes componentes. Este taller ofrece herramientas que enriquecen el conocimiento de los participantes y concientiza sobre los factores culturales y de familia que impactan las diferentes áreas del desarrollo infantil. Además, mantiene como objetivo identificar de manera efectiva los problemas del desarrollo. El taller está dirigido a educadores, trabajadores sociales, y de centros de cuidado infantil. El taller tiene dos sesiones, cada una durando 3 horas. Se ofrecen créditos STARS para este taller.
This educational workshop offers a new perspective on the use of the Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ) and the Ages and Stages Questionnaires: Socio-emotional (ASQ-SE) that goes beyond the simple grading of their different components. This workshop offers tools that enrich the knowledge of the participants and raises awareness about the cultural and family factors that impact the different areas of child development. In addition, it aims to effectively identify developmental problems. The workshop is aimed at educators, social workers, and child care centers. The workshop has two sessions, each lasting 3 hours. STARS credits are offered for this workshop.
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In Health,
The Child Care Health Program
kingcounty.gov/childcare
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