How Vaccines Work

Vaccination is a medical intervention with direct benefits to both individuals and communities. When a large percentage of a population is vaccinated, the entire community (vaccinated and unvaccinated) receives additional protection from vaccine preventable diseases. This concept, known as 'herd immunity,' is a primary justification for mandatory vaccination policies in the United States. By following the recommended schedule and fully immunizing children on time, parents protect their children against 14 vaccine preventable diseases. If a high enough percentage of children are vaccinated, outbreaks can also be prevented.

In the U.S., all states require children attending public school or state-licensed day care facilities to receive a series of vaccinations. Vaccination requirements for school and day care attendance are critical to ensuring high rates of vaccination. Linking vaccination with school attendance, which is also required by law, ensures that vaccines reach the greatest number of children. Schools are a prime venue for the transmission of vaccine-preventable disease, and active school-age children can further spread disease to their families and others with whom they interact.

Specific vaccine requirements for school and child care vary by state. The Connecticut immunization laws and regulations can be found on the Department of Public Health’s Immunization Laws and Regulations web page. Each school and child care program is responsible for ensuring that attendees are in compliance with the vaccine requirements.

State of CT  Immunization Requirements for 2022-2023 School Year are listed below:

School Entry Requirements 

All children entering New Haven schools for the first time must show written evidence of a current physical exam dated within one year of the student’s start date, and immunization records.

Returning students in Kindergarten, 7th and 10th grade MUST turn in updated physicals/immunization records to the Bureau of Nursing at 54 Meadow Street, 1st Floor or to the school nurse no later than the start of the school day on the first day of school.

Please be aware that your child will not be allowed to attend school if the school entry requirements are not met.

If you haven’t done so already, we encourage you to contact your medical provider for an appointment or to confirm that your child is fully compliant.   

This medical provider could be:  

• Your child’s primary care provider; 
• A school nurse in your child’s school; 
• An APRN in your child’s School Health Center, if there is one; 
• A nurse at the New Haven Health Department Clinic at 54 Meadow Street; 
• A provider at Project MotherCare located at 674 Washington Avenue in West Haven; 
• A provider at the local agency such as Yale New Haven Hospital, Fair Haven Community Health Center, or Cornell Scott Hill Community Health Center. 

Below is a list of New Haven medical providers and their clinics where parents can obtain physical exams and immunizations:

Before school reopens for in person instruction, completed health assessment forms containing information on physical exams and immunizations can be dropped off at the Bureau of Nursing, at 54 Meadow Street, 1st floor. 

Download health assessment form below:

You may also have your provider fax the required physical examination and mmunizations records to the Bureau of Nursing using fax number (203) 946-6508.   

If you have any questions about your child’s immunization and physical exam status, please contact the New Haven Health Department Bureau of Nursing at 203-946-7301.