As your family prepares for the first day of school, health checks need to be at the top of the list.

From their first steps to their first day of school, the safety and well-being of children remain a top priority for families and learning environments. Visiting your family doctor, dentist, and optometrist in preparation for daycare, school, sports, and beyond is important to your child’s growth and help prevent life-threatening diseases.

Health checks track a child’s growth and development milestones, recognize, and monitor health concerns, and help prevent diseases like whooping cough and measles from spreading to your family and community. These diseases are extremely contagious and are serious for babies and young children. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), outbreaks of measles and whooping cough have been seen in recent years, notably in communities with low vaccination rates.

Prior to the 2022-23 school year, one in eight California children had routine vaccinations delayed or missed during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the California Department of Public Health. Now is the time to catch up and keep your child on track for a healthy future.

Locally, the Santa Clara County Public Health Department is helping families navigate routine vaccinations through its campaign, Vaccines are another part of growing up.

Below are resources to help your child stay on track for healthy development:

When children’s needs are met, they are ready to play, learn, and grow. By keeping health checks up to date and staying on track with the recommended vaccination schedule, families can ensure children are able to enroll in school and support their regular and consistent attendance and engagement in learning.