Updated Vaccine Recommendations 

In June, 2024, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its recommendations for vaccination against COVID-19, flu, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

CDC recommends everyone ages 6 months and older receive an updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine when these vaccines are available later this year. The 2024-2025 vaccine is formulated to protect against currently circulating variants of COVID-19 and will protect people from the potentially serious outcomes of COVID-19 illness this fall and winter. 

Vaccination continues to remain the safest and most dependable strategy to build immunity and protection against severe illness, hospitalization, and death caused by COVID-19.

CDC recommends everyone 6 months of age and older, with rare exceptions, receive an updated 2024-2025 flu vaccine to reduce the risk of influenza and its potentially serious complications this fall and winter. Most people need only one dose of the flu vaccine each season. While CDC recommends flu vaccination as long as influenza viruses are circulating, September and October remain the best times for most people to get vaccinated.

The updated 2024-2025 flu vaccine will be trivalent and will protect against H1N1, H3N2 and a B/Victoria lineage virus.

For staff, who have not already received an RSV vaccine and are age 60 or older, CDC now recommends a single dose of RSV vaccine as listed below:

• Everyone ages 75 and older.
• People ages 60–74 who are at increased risk of severe RSV, meaning they have certain chronic medical conditions, such as lung or heart disease.

The best time to get vaccinated is in late summer or early fall, before RSV usually starts to spread in the community. However, eligible adults can get an RSV vaccine at any time.

Slow the spread of germs in your child care.

Mouthing objects is an important part of feeding and speech development for children under 1-year-old. This is one way that young children develop oral-sensory awareness in their mouths, as they explore their environment. When toys and other objects have been mouthed in the classroom, they must be removed until they can be cleaned and sanitized. More information can be found here WAC 110-300-0241: Cleaning Schedules. This can be true in both the infant, toddler, and waddler classrooms.

Having a designated container for mouthed toys is a great way to be sure you are keeping the children in your care safe and healthy; these bins help to reduce the spread of germs which is important, especially during flu season or illness outbreak. Keep a clearly labeled bucket, bin, basket, or plastic container easily accessible and out of reach of children. When a toy or other object has been mouthed, put it in the designated container until it can be cleaned and sanitized, allow to dry overnight.

Cleaning and sanitizing the mouthed toys can be implemented as part of the end-of-day routine. If time does not allow you to do this chore daily, other toys can be rotated into the classroom throughout the week as mouthed toys are removed. Rotating toys can also increase children’s interest and even spark their imaginations.

Lead FAQ for Famlies

Because of the harms that lead can cause to young children, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) supports widespread lead screening. They have put together a website with common questions asked by families about lead poisoning. Here is a link to their website: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/all-around/Pages/lead-exposure-and-children-faqs-for-families.aspx. We encourage you and your families to check it out.

PROTECT YOUR CHILD'S FUTURE FROM LEAD: 

A COMMUNITY LEAD AWARENESS SERIES

Snohomish County Health Department is offering a no-cost video series on lead exposure prevention for the community. This series consists of six short (less than 5 minutes) videos that share current information on childhood lead poisoning prevention. Share widely with staff and families. The video series is now available on SCHD's Youtube page.

Stress Management for Child Care Providers

This class identifies stressors child care providers experience and suggests ways to manage these stressors. In this course, you will learn about the impacts of personal stress, job stress, burnout, and secondary trauma and how to combat these stressors with coping skills and self-care practices.

Register Here