TAHOE/TRUCKEE, Calif. – Kindergarten Round-up is March 4-7 for the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District. Parents will begin the process of registering for school and learning what their child may expect when they begin kindergarten in the fall. It’s also the perfect time to make sure children are up-to-date on their vaccines.

The state of California requires children be current on vaccinations before beginning kindergarten. Today’s childhood vaccines protect against serious and potentially life-threatening diseases including polio, measles, whooping cough, and chickenpox.

“Thanks to vaccines, most of these diseases have become rare in the United States,” said Liz Ewing RN, TTUSD school nurse. “But many still exist here, and they can make children very sick, leading to many days of missed school, missed work for parents, and even hospitalization and death.”

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In 2010, California experienced a whopping cough epidemic – with more than 9,000 reported cases – that resulted in the death of 10 infants. This same year, more than 27,000 cases of whopping cough were reported nationally. “Without vaccines, these numbers would be much, much higher,” Ewing said.

When children are not vaccinated, they are at increased risk of getting preventable diseases and spreading diseases to others in classrooms and the community, including babies who are too young to be fully vaccinated, and people with weakened immune systems due to cancer and other health conditions.

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School-age children still need vaccines. Children who are entering kindergarten are due for boosters of four vaccines: DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis), chickenpox, MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella), and polio. Check with your child’s doctor to find out what vaccines they need this year. Parents can find out more about the recommended immunization schedule at http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents.

Kindergarten Round-up schedule

Donner Trail Elementary School, Wednesday, March 6, 6 p.m., 52755 Donner Pass Road, Kingvale.

Glenshire Elementary School, Thursday, March 7, 6 p.m., 10990 Dorchester Drive, Truckee.

Kings Beach Elementary, Monday, March 4, 6 p.m., 8125 Steelhead Ave., Kings Beach.

Tahoe Lake Elementary School, Wednesday, March 6, 6 p.m., 375 Grove St., Tahoe City.

Truckee Elementary School, Tuesday, March 5, 5 p.m., 11911 Donner Pass Road, Truckee.

Sierra Expeditionary Learning School, Thursday, March 21, 6 p.m., 11603 Donner Pass Road, Truckee.

Parents who attend the Kindergarten Round-up will be required to bring a copy of their child’s vaccination records, original legal birth certificate, copy of birth certificate, proof of address, and emergency contact information to complete the enrollment process. Visit http://www.ttusd.org.

Tahoe Forest Health System is a not-for-profit rural healthcare facility. For more information visit http://www.tfhd.com.