HICKORY — Catawba County Public Health said June 22, 2026, that summer is the time to catch children up on well-child visits and school vaccinations before classes resume.
North Carolina requires updated vaccinations for children and teens entering kindergarten, 7th grade, and 12th grade. Rising kindergartners and children entering public school in North Carolina for the first time should also have a health assessment completed by their health-care provider, the county said.
“Giving children their best start to the school year means keeping them healthy and present in the classroom, beginning on day 1,” School Health Supervisor Marianne Vogel said. “When your child is caught up on their vaccines, they benefit from vaccine protection against diseases that can cause severe illness.”
The notice said a child who misses school from a preventable illness may fall behind, and parents and caregivers may miss work and lose wages. “It is very important that we all work to keep children in school to make sure they can get a good education and succeed in class,” Vogel said.
School nurses are listed as a resource in each school in the county. For families without a primary provider, nurses can help find one or a vaccine provider.
“The health of our children is a high priority for us because a healthy child today means a healthy community in the future. We want to help families ensure that their children are growing and developing into healthy adults. That is why well-child visits with a health care provider are so important,” Vogel said.
Well-child visits can include immunizations, developmental screening, and early oral-health interventions, and they help identify concerns that need follow-up, Public Health said.
Besides most pediatricians and some primary-care providers, Public Health can give routine vaccinations for children and teens, including those required for school. Appointments are at 828-695-5881. Children without insurance, or whose insurance does not cover certain vaccines, may be eligible for free immunizations through the state-funded Vaccines for Children program at many provider offices and at Public Health.
“Vaccination is the safest and most reliable way to protect children from preventable diseases, such as measles, mumps, polio, whooping cough and meningitis. These diseases tend to spread in populations of children who are not vaccinated. By ensuring that everyone around them is vaccinated, we can provide a bubble of protection around the most vulnerable children, those who are too young or who have health conditions that prevent them from receiving vaccines,” Clinical Nursing Supervisor Elaine Yancey said.
The June 22 notice does not list clinic hours or a fee schedule beyond the Vaccines for Children eligibility note.
Official release from Catawba County Government, June 22, 2026. https://www.catawbacountync.gov/news/well-child-visits-and-vaccinations-during-summer-break/
