ALTRA INFORMACIÓ Honoraris d’ auditors de comptes

Immunizations are powerful tools to prevent illness and diseases. They are so important that you cannot admit a child into your program unless his/her immunizations are up-to-date according to New York State Department of Health requirements, or the parent has provided you with specific appointment dates to get the required immunizations. This includes your own children! One exception to this regulation is that you may admit a child without up-to-date immunizations if the parent provides you with a statement indicating genuine and sincere religious beliefs that prohibit the immunization of the child.

Immunizations are given to children at various ages. Some are given to a child right after birth, and others when the child is older, such as at 6 months and 1 year. Some are given in a single dose and others in two or three doses a few months apart. The children in your home should have all immunizations that correspond with their age. The New York State Department of Health updates its list of required vaccines regularly. This list is available on their Web site at www.health.state.ny.us or from your county health department. A list of county health departments is included in the Appendix of this handbook.

417.11(e)(1) Any child not yet immunized may be admitted provided the child’s immunizations are in process, in accordance with the requirements of the New York State Department of Health, and the parent gives the provider specific appointment dates for subsequent immunizations.

417.11(e)(2) Any child who is not immunized because of the parent’s genuine and sincere religious beliefs may be admitted if the parent furnishes the provider with a written statement to this effect.

417.11(e)(4) With the exception of children meeting the criteria of paragraphs (2) or (3) of this subdivision, children enrolled in the family day care home must remain current with their immunizations in accordance with the current schedule for immunizations established by the New York State Health Department.

417.11(e)(5) The caregiver’s children receiving care in the home must meet the health and immunization requirements specified above.

All the children in your care, including your own, must be up-to-date with their immunizations in accordance with the New York State Department of Health Immunization Schedule. This means that you will need to be organized and have a plan to remind families when their child’s immunizations need to be updated. An effective way to do this is to go through all of the children’s medical forms and record on a special calendar when their next immunizations and physical examinations are due. Write yourself a note or include a statement in your parent handbook that you will remind families that their child’s immunizations are due a month ahead of time.

Immunizations can be expensive. Many counties offer free clinics. Some families may be eligible for Medicaid. Some families may be eligible for Child Health Plus or Family Health Plus. These statewide programs provide low cost health insurance. Check with your county health department or visit

www.health.state.ny.us.

There are some specific situations when children who have not received immunizations can be enrolled in your program. These situations include:

• families who have genuine and sincere religious beliefs that prohibit immunizations; and

• children who have health conditions that may be made worse by immunizations.

If the family has a genuine and sincere religious belief that their child should not be immunized, ask the parent for a written statement explaining this belief. You should notify your registrar when this occurs. This statement must also be kept in the child’s file.

417.11(e)(2) Any child who is not immunized because of the parent’s genuine and sincere religious beliefs may be admitted if the parent furnishes the provider with a written statement to this effect.

417.11(e)(3) Any child who is missing one or more of the required immunizations may be admitted if a physician licensed to practice medicine in New York State furnishes the provider with a written statement that such immunizations may be detrimental to the child’s health.

If parents say that there are immunizations that would be detrimental to their child’s health, ask the parents to provide you with a written statement from a physician, licensed to practice medicine in New York State, explaining how the immunization may be detrimental the child’s health. This statement must also be kept in the child’s file.

Lead poisoning can cause major harm to a child, such as learning disabilities and serious health and behavior problems. Because lead poisoning often occurs without clear symptoms, it can go unrecognized. When you enroll a child under six years of age, you need to ask the parent for a certificate that indicates that the child has had a lead screening. If the parent doesn’t have a certificate

417.11(i) The provider must try to obtain a copy of a lead screening certificate for each child under the age of six years. If the parent does not have one, the provider may not exclude the child from child day care, but must give the parent information on lead poisoning and prevention, and refer the parent to the child’s health care

or plans not to have the child screened at all, give the parent some written information about lead poisoning and prevention and continue to enroll the child. You can’t exclude a child from care because she doesn’t have a lead screening certificate. You must

give parents information and encourage them to have their child tested for lead poisoning.

provider or the local health unit for a lead blood screening test.

For more information and resources on lead poisoning, you can contact your Department of Health. A list of state and local departments is included on pages 162 and 166 in the Appendix of this handbook.