It’s that time of year again! Welcome to a new school year! Now that the summer is over, it is time to start to get back into the swing of things. Besides the usual back-to-school shopping, making sure your child is up to date on his or her vaccinations is key to starting off the new school year right!

The flu shot is the only vaccination that is yearly, others are 2 years, 5 years, or even 10 years. Be sure to ask your pediatrician if your child is due for anything. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides complete lists of which vaccines kids and even adults need. To help you get started, here are a few vaccinations that are needed for children ages newborn to 6 years.

• MMR Vaccine: measles, mumps and rubella.
• IPV Vaccine: polio,
• DTaP Vaccine: diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (also known as whooping cough).
• In addition, young kids should be vaccinated against hepatitis A and B, the chicken pox, rotavirus and pneumonia (the PCV vaccine).
• Another vaccine you might want to consider is the hib vaccine, which protects against Haemophilus influenzae type b. This vaccine is only for kids, because the risk of the disease diminishes after the age of 5.

At my school, we take every precaution possible to prevent the spread of germs. We teach the children good hand washing habits and have a hand-sanitizing dispenser at each door. Toys are sanitized daily and babies do not share swingers until they have been properly sanitized.

For more information, please visit the New Jersey Department of Health’s website at www.state.nj.us/health/cd. On that website you will find a list of required vaccinations by New Jersey schools (including mine). Welcome back to a new school year!