Hosting Vaccination Clinics: Best Practices for School Districts and Early Care and Education (ECE) Programs

• Lead engagement and outreach to children and families.

• If an on-campus clinic is requested:
  • Provide a clinic location (must be well-ventilated, clean, and spacious enough for social distancing before and during vaccination and for the 15–30-minute observation period after vaccination).
  • Provide clinic facilities (e.g., tables, chairs, garbage bins, signage, restrooms).
  • Provide an on-site clinic coordinator to liaise with vaccine provider to plan each clinic.
  • Provide logistical and administrative support (e.g., security, scheduling support).
  • Work with partners to ensure there is a plan for children  to receive additional doses at the appropriate interval.
  • Establish supportive leave policies for children and staff who get vaccinated.
  • Plan for training vaccinators, school or program staff, and others involved in implementing the clinics. Evaluate whether available staff can work with younger children and define the age range for which vaccines will be offered accordingly. See You Call The Shots: Vaccinating Adolescents.

Vaccine Success Stories from the Field
Explore some of the different ways ECE programs are working to ensure positive vaccine experiences. Some programs have become vaccination sites or created partnerships with local pharmacies and health departments to successfully improve their staff’s access to the vaccine.

• Manage aspects of vaccine administrations, including:
  • Supplying vaccine
  • Set-up
  • Scheduling support
  • Clinical staffing
  • Immunization
  • Observation
  • Reporting
  • Other requirements

It is important for staff, including teachers, care providers, and administrators, to know what role they play in COVID-19 vaccine-related communication, education, and activities.

• Use workshops, staff meetings, and newsletters to promote staff involvement in COVID-19 vaccination efforts, including sharing resources to encourage all staff to get vaccinated themselves.
• Refer staff to resources to help promote and encourage COVID-19 vaccination of children and teens.
• Ask staff to stress the importance of children getting their well child visits or check-ups with their regular healthcare provider, including their routinely recommended vaccines that may have been missed during the pandemic.
• For children, teens, or adults who worry about vaccination or have a fear of needles, share tips for making shots less stressful and managing fears of needles.

Vaccine confidence is the trust that people have in vaccines. Families in your community may be wading through a lot of information—and misinformation—about COVID-19 vaccinations.

• Be prepared to address questions and address misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine with your students and their families by sharing materials from credible sources.
• Prepare a frequently asked questions (FAQ) document about COVID-19 vaccines for children and teens. Include any planned efforts to vaccinate staff, students, and their families through school vaccine clinics.
• Include COVID-19 vaccine fact sheets with other information given to parents and caregivers and add to school and ECE program websites.
• Announce information about the COVID-19 vaccine and vaccine clinics during school and program events, such as sporting events, assemblies, and holiday gatherings.
• Work with your vaccine provider on the best strategy to obtain parental/guardian consent and to sign up children for clinics. Many providers may have their own scheduling tools and consent forms but will rely on you to share them with parents and guardians.