Resources and Information for Parents and Guardians of Children in Child Care/Preschool or School Grades TK/K-12
Page last updated 4/21/2026.
Vaccines are safe, effective, and help protect your child and others from various diseases. By law, to protect the public’s health, children are required to receive certain immunizations in order to attend public and private:
- Elementary and secondary schools
- Child care centers
- Family day care homes
- Nursery schools
- Day nurseries
- Developmental centers
Parents and guardians, talk to your child’s doctor and make sure your child is up to date on their vaccines and ready for school. If your child does not have a healthcare provider, call 2-1-1 San Diego, or visit sandiegocounty.gov/vaccines to find a local location.
Required Immunizations
Parents must show their child’s Immunization Record with required immunizations met when their child starts:
This applies to classroom based (in-person) and non-classroom-based learning environments.
- Required immunizations include polio; DTaP, DTP, Tdap,
or TD (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis); hepatitis B;
varicella (chickenpox); Hib (haemophilus influenzae, type B)*,
and MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella).
- *Hib is for child care only.
- Immunization records are usually documented on yellow cardstock (also known as “Yellow Cards”) or come in the form of an electronic or digital health record print out.
For more information, see:
- 2026 Recommended Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule (American Academy of Pediatrics)
- Vaccines for All Ages and Stages of Life (County of San Diego)
- Educational Materials (School Infectious Disease Prevention and Response Program)
- Find Immunization Records
Exemptions
- Under Senate Bills (SB) 276
and SB 714,
beginning January 1, 2021, all new medical exemptions for school and
child care/preschool entry must be issued through the California
Immunization Registry – Medical Exemption (CAIR-ME)
website.
- Follow the CAIR-ME instructions to request a medical exemption for your child.
- Under SB 277, since January 1, 2016, personal belief exemptions are no longer allowed for a currently-required vaccine.
Contact the San Diego Immunization Unit via e-mail or call (866) 358-2966 for more information and resources.
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