CDPHE Preschool and Childcare Vaccination Information

We know there’s nothing more important than making sure your children stay healthy and learning all year long. Getting vaccinated keeps children from catching and spreading diseases that can make them sick and potentially keep them home from child care and preschool. This letter includes important information about Colorado’s school and child care vaccine requirements, as well as other resources.

Required and recommended vaccines

Colorado law requires children who attend licensed child care and preschool to be vaccinated against many of the diseases vaccines can prevent, unless a Certificate of Exemption is filed. For more information, visit cdphe.colorado.gov/schoolrequiredvaccines.

To attend preschool and child care your child must be vaccinated against:

• Diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTaP)

• Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)

• Hepatitis B (HepB)

• Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR)

• Pneumococcal disease (PCV)

• Polio (IPV)

• Varicella (chickenpox)

Colorado follows recommendations set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. This committee is a group of medical and public health experts who study vaccines and recommend them for the public. View the recommended vaccine schedule for children through 6 years of age on the CDC website.

CDC also recommends immunizations for COVID-19, hepatitis A (HepA), influenza (flu), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and rotavirus (RV) for child care-aged children, but these are not required for child care or school entry in Colorado.

This recommended schedule is safe and effective. It’s based on how your child’s immune system responds to vaccines at various ages, and how likely your child is to be exposed to a particular disease.

Exclusion from child care and school

Your child may be excluded if their program does not have an up-to-date Certificate of Immunization, Certificate of Exemption, or an in-process plan on file for your child.

If someone is sick or there is an outbreak of a vaccine-preventable disease at your child’s school, and your child has not received the vaccine for that disease, they may be required to stay home. That could mean lost learning time for them and lost work and wages for you. For example, if your child has not received an MMR vaccine, they may need to stay home from their program for 21 days after someone gets sick with measles.

Have questions?

Talk with a health care provider or your local public health agency to ask questions and find out which vaccines your child needs. Find a vaccine provider at cdphe.colorado.gov/get-vaccinated. Read about the safety and importance of vaccines at childvaccineco.org, ImmunizeForGood.com.

Staying up to date on routine immunizations is important for adults as well as children. It's never too late for families to get back on track! 

Paying for vaccinations

If you need help finding free or low-cost vaccines, go to COVax4Kids.org, contact your local public health agency (cdphe.colorado.gov/find-your-local-public-health-agency), or dial 2-1-1 for information on Health First Colorado (Medicaid) and vaccine clinics in your area.

Vaccination records

Share your child’s updated Certificate of Immunization with their program every time they receive a vaccine.

Need to find your child’s vaccine record? Visit the CDPHE website for more information, including directions on how to view and print your student’s vaccine record.

Exemptions

If your child cannot get vaccines for medical reasons, you must submit a Certificate of Medical Exemption to your school, signed by an advanced practice nurse (APN), physician (MD, DO), or physician assistant (PA) licensed to practice in any state or territory in the United States. You only need to submit this certificate once, unless your student’s school or information changes. Get the form at cdphe.colorado.gov/vaccine-exemptions.

If you choose not to have your child vaccinated according to Colorado’s school vaccine requirements for nonmedical reasons, you must submit a Certificate of Nonmedical Exemption to your preschool or child care program. Nonmedical exemptions must be submitted at 2, 4, 6, 12, and 18 months of age. These exemptions expire when the next vaccines are due or when the child enrolls in kindergarten. There are two ways to obtain a nonmedical exemption.

1. Submit the Certificate of Nonmedical Exemption signed by an advanced practice nurse (APN), pharmacist, physician (MD or DO), physician assistant (PA), or registered nurse (RN), licensed in Colorado, or

2. Submit the Certificate of Nonmedical Exemption you will be able to access after completing the state’s Online Immunization Education Module.

Find certificates and the Online Immunization Education Module at cdphe.colorado.gov/vaccine-exemptions.

How’s your child care or school doing on vaccinations?

Annually, programs must report immunization and exemption numbers (but not student names or birthdates) to CDPHE. Programs do not control their specific immunization and exemption rates or establish the Vaccinated Children Standard described in §25-4-911, CRS.

How’s your school/program doing on vaccinations?

Find previous years’ data at COVaxRates.org.