Equity in Childhood COVID-19 Vaccination
CDC recommends everyone ages 5 years and older get a COVID-19 vaccine to help protect against COVID-19
COVID-19 vaccine equity is when all people who are eligible ─ including children ─ have fair and just access to COVID-19 vaccination. Expanding the vaccination recommendation to children ages 5 through 11 years now paves the way for 28 million more children to receive the vaccine.
We know some children will face barriers to receiving COVID-19 vaccines. On this page, learn what work is currently being done and get resources to improve vaccine access in your community.
chevron right icon Learn more about barriers to equity in childhood COVID-19 vaccination.
- Making sure vaccines are available in convenient places and at different times of the day and evening.
- Tracking vaccination trends among children of different ages, genders, racial and ethnic groups, and geographic regions to rapidly identify places where more efforts are needed.
- Sharing health information that is culturally and linguistically appropriate through trusted messengers, such as faith-based and community leaders.
- Funding partners working to build vaccine confidence by offering vaccines and communicating with parents in community spaces like community clinics, libraries, and children’s museums.
- Funding Prevention Research Centers to implement and evaluate programs training pediatric primary care professionals to communicate with parents about COVID-19 vaccination and empower youth to serve as COVID-19 vaccine ambassadorsexternal icon with their peers.
- Pediatricians are often the ones who vaccinate children, and many do this through the federally funded Vaccines for Children (VFC) program. However, pediatricians aren’t not the only providers who can vaccinate children.
- In many areas, pharmacies and community clinics—such as Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs)external icon, rural health clinics, and community health centers—also administer vaccines to children, and some of these are also VFC providers.
- Many schools and school districts partner with health departments, pharmacies, and other healthcare providers to hold vaccine clinics in schools to vaccinate children and families of schoolchildren who may not otherwise have access.
- Community organizations, including faith-based organizations, can serve as an informational resource to help families find community-based vaccination sites.
Spotlight on Community Health Initiatives
Families arriving to receive a COVID-19 vaccine for eligible children at the Kids Mobile Medical Clinic/Ronald McDonald Care Mobile. Source: MedStar Healthexternal icon
In medically underserved communities of Washington, DC, MedStar Health is taking COVID-19 vaccines “on the road” ─ making sure the newest group of eligible children have easy access to the lifesaving vaccines.
Children ages 5 through 11 years are now getting vaccinated at pediatric offices and mobile clinics across these communities.
Source: Montgomery County Immunization Coalition, Pennsylvania
The Montgomery County Immunization Coalitionexternal icon (MCIC) in Pennsylvania arranged tailored town halls on COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 5 through 11 years for Black/African American, Asian American, and Hispanic/Latino parents, with content delivered in English and Spanish.
MCIC also created an educational flyer on pediatric COVID-19 vaccination available in Chineseexternal icon, Englishexternal icon, Koreanexternal icon, Spanishexternal icon, and Vietnameseexternal icon.
The following resources can help providers and organizations increase children’s COVID-19 vaccine access within their communities.
Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups
- COVID-19 Vaccine Equity for Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups
- A Guide for Community Partners: Increasing COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake Among Members of Racial and Ethnic Minority Communitiespdf icon (Also available in Spanish)pdf icon
- Health Equity Considerations and Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups
- COVID-19 Vaccine Equity: Best Practices for Community and Faith Based Organizations Fact Sheetpdf icon
- Communication Toolkit for Migrants, Refugees and Other Limited-English-Proficient Population
- Resources on Vaccines for Childrenexternal icon (National Resource Center for Refugees, Immigrants, and Migrants) Resources to support organizations working to vaccinate children in refugee, immigrant, and migrant communities including updated fact sheetsexternal icon in 40+ languages.
- Racial Disparities in COVID-19 Impacts and Vaccinations for Childrenexternal icon (Kaiser Family Foundation)
- What Is Vaccine Equity external icon(Save the Children)
People Experiencing Homelessness
- COVID-19 Vaccination for People Experiencing Homelessness: Frequently Asked Questionsexternal icon
- Interim Guidance on People Experiencing Unsheltered Homelessnessexternal icon
- List of COVID-19 Resources for Homeless Populations
Community Engagement
- 12 COVID-19 Vaccination Strategies for Your Community
- How to Tailor COVID-19 Vaccine Information to Your Specific Audience
- Strategies for Reaching People with Limited Access to COVID-19 Vaccines
- Resources to Promote the COVID-19 Vaccine for Children & Teens
- COVID-19 Vaccines for Children: Exploring Immunization Strategies for Individuals Under 12external icon (National Governors Association)
- Community Engagement Resourcesexternal icon (Vaccine Equity Cooperative) – Tailored tools and vetted resources to support vaccine decisions in communities with information for parentsexternal icon, youthexternal icon, and schoolsexternal icon.
- COVID-19 Vaccine Resourcesexternal icon (Made to Save) – Information about the vaccines, answers to common questions, digital toolkits, translated materials, training guides, and more.
Health Equity
- Health Equity Guiding Principles for Inclusive Communication
- Understanding Literacy & Numeracy
- Leaders Talk About Health Literacy
- Vaccinating Children with Disabilities Against COVID-19 NEW April 2022
Vaccine Confidence
- Building Confidence in COVID-19 Vaccines
- CDC’s Strategy to Increase Confidence and Demand for COVID-19 Vaccines: Pediatric Edition pdf icon
Setting Up COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics
- How to Request a COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic On-Site or in a Retail Pharmacy Location
- Considerations for Planning School-Located Vaccination Clinics
- 6 Ways Schools Can Promote COVID-19 Vaccines