Keeping your child’s vaccinations up-to-date is important. Children should receive their vaccinations according to the publicly funded immunization schedule, to keep them healthy and avoid harm from serious diseases. Certain vaccines are required for children to attend school.

You will need your child’s vaccination records at different times including when registering for school. Algoma Public Health will need a copy of your child’s immunizations and can be directly reported using ICON, our online tool for reviewing, updating and reporting immunizations, or by calling Algoma Public Health.

At this time, health care providers are not required to report immunizations to public health, and this responsibility is with parents and caregivers.

View, update or print your child’s immunization records.

Healthy teeth and gums are important as your child grows to help them develop good speech, healthy eating habits and good social skills.

• Help your child brush their teeth 2 times a day for 2 minutes each time
• Give your child healthy snacks such as water, cheese, fresh fruits and vegetables

Visit a dental professional regularly or contact Algoma Public Health about our free dental program.  

Regardless of your age or physical health, yearly eye exams from an optometrist help detect vision issues at early stages - improving treatment options. The Canadian Association of Optometrists recommend that children should have at least one eye exam before they start school, and annually thereafter, to ensure optimal vision and development.

OHIP covers an eye exam by an optometrist every year for children age 19 and under.

Eating a variety of healthy foods provides children with the nourishment they need to grow and learn.

Well-nourished children are able to concentrate longer and perform better at school.

• Allow enough time for your child to eat a healthy breakfast every morning. Ask if your child’s school has a breakfast program.
• Pack a variety of healthy foods in your child’s lunch, including at least one vegetable and/or fruit. If your child’s school follows a balanced school day timetable (two nutrition breaks and two activity breaks) instead of the traditional two recess breaks and a lunch break, keep in mind that your child doesn’t need ‘more’ food. The difference is when the food is eaten.
• Pack healthy beverages for the day. Choose water, plain milk or a plain fortified soy beverage most of the time. Packing a reusable water bottle is a great idea.
• Ask if your child’s school has any food allergies resulting in any food restrictions.

It is important for children to be active for at least 60 minutes every day. Running, jumping, throwing, catching and kicking help children learn motor skills and become physically stronger.

Regular physical activity strengthens bones, builds muscle, works the heart and contributes to a healthy body weight and lifestyle. Physical activity also helps children to express themselves, to learn social skills, deal with stress, and do better in school. Research shows that physical activity is important for healthy brain development.

Reduce the “non-active” time children spend on computers, electronic games, or watching TV to less than 2 hours a day. Encourage everyone in the family to be active.

Children often play outdoors mid-day when the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays are strong. Protect your child’s skin and eyes as well as help prevent heat exhaustion or heat stroke with the following tips:

• limit time spent in the sun when the UV index is 3 or higher, usually between 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• look for shade or create your own (i.e. umbrellas) when outdoors
• wear loose fitting, tightly woven clothing to cover exposed skin
• wear a wide brimmed hat with or baseball cap with flaps to shade the face, neck, and ears
• apply plenty of sunscreen with SPF 30 or more, labelled ‘broad spectrum’ and ‘water resistant’
• reapply sunscreen when needed, especially after swimming, sweating, or toweling off
• use a lip balm with sun screen
• wear close fitting, wrap-around sun glasses with UV400 or 100% protection

It is important to get outside during the winter months. Here are some tips to help you enjoy winter:

• dress your child in layers
• wear a hat and keep ears covered at all times to avoid frost bite
• wearing mittens will keep hands warmer than gloves
• wear warm, waterproof boots with deep treads
• use a neck warmer instead of a scarf and mitten clips instead of a string to prevent choking
• apply plenty of sunscreen with SPF 30 or more, labelled ‘broad spectrum’ and ‘water resistant’ on skin not covered by clothing
• reapply regularly and apply a lip balm with sunscreen
• wear close fitting, wrap-around sun glasses with UV400 or 100% protection

Head injuries are the number one cause of serious injury and death in children. Different sports need different helmets.

Use the 2-V-1 Rule to properly fit your helmet:

A concussion is a brain injury that cannot be seen on routine X-rays, CT scans, or MRIs. It affects the way a child may think and remember things, and can cause a variety of symptoms. It is harder for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers to communicate how they are feeling. If you have a young child, you may notice any of the following:

• crying more than usual
• unsteady walking
• lack of interest in favourite toys
• changes in eating or sleeping patterns
• loss of new skills, such as toilet training

Be sure to talk to your child about concussions - they should report any head injuries to yourself and their teachers, regardless of how severe. Concussions need time to heal like any other injury.

Injuries on the playground happen most frequently to children 5 to 9 years of age. Here are some things you can do to help your child have fun without getting hurt.

• Check your child’s clothing. Make sure there are no drawstrings or other cords, which can get trapped in equipment.
• Take off bicycle helmets. Your child’s head could get caught in a space between narrow openings and become stuck when the helmet is too big to pull back through.
• Always tie up shoelaces and remove or tuck in scarves.
• Check for signs indicating the equipment meets CSA standards and the recommended age range for children using the equipment.
• Teach your child to watch for other children and to take turns on playground equipment.

Most children, age 10 and under, should be with an older person when crossing the road. Children under the age of 10 have difficulty judging the speed and distance of traffic. Teach children about how to cross the road safely and be a good role model.

Here are some safety tips:

• wear bright coloured clothing in the day
• wear reflective and light coloured clothing at night
• unplug headphones and put down the cell phone while walking
• when possible, cross at crosswalks, pedestrian crossovers or at corners with traffic lights or stop signs
• stop, look and listen for traffic
• check all ways and around the corner
• make eye contact with drivers
• cross when the road is clear or when traffic has stopped
• obey crossing signals
• continue to watch for traffic while crossing

Our hands carry and spread germs. Washing our hands is the single most effective way to prevent the spread of illnesses and diseases such as the cold and flu. Be a good role model and wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water.

Encourage your child to wash their hands often, including:

• after using the washroom
• after sneezing, coughing, blowing their nose
• before eating foods
• before touching a cut or open sore
• after touching garbage
• when hands are visibly dirty
• after playing with animals

Head lice are tiny insects that can live and breed on your child’s head. They are greyish-brown in colour and their eggs are white. The oval-shaped eggs (nits) stick firmly to hair near the scalp.

Having head lice is common. To help prevent your child from getting head lice you can discourage head-to-head contact and sharing of hats, scarves, hairbrushes and combs and tie long hair back in braids.

You cannot prevent head lice by using head lice shampoos or products. Use them only if your child has head lice. Be sure to read the directions carefully; using the treatments incorrectly or too often can be harmful.

Stress is a normal part of everyday life and development for children and adults. It helps to motivate us and adds a positive challenge to life. However, too much stress can be overwhelming.

Too much stress:

• makes it more difficult for children to get along with others
• interferes with children’s ability to focus, think and ultimately learn
• has a profound effect on children’s physical, emotional and mental health

By helping children learn positive coping strategies to deal with stress, you can help build their resiliency and prevent stress from escalating to distress, anxiety and meltdowns.

Bullying used to take place mostly in the schoolyard but it now reaches into children’s homes via social networking, phones, emails and the internet. Many schools have antibullying programs in place to help children understand bullying is not acceptable, and help them learn coping strategies such as assertiveness, problem solving, and basic social communication. Talk to your child’s school about their anti-bulling programs.

Children are curious about bodies. Answering their questions throughout their lives will allow you to keep the lines of communication open as well as share cultural and family values. Parents are encouraged to discuss the changes of puberty with ongoing and open age-appropriate conversations.

• Communicate your values honestly and use simple age appropriate language
• Answer questions directly and honestly without judgement. It is okay not to know an answer but make sure you know where to access accurate information
• Use everyday opportunities to discuss healthy sexuality. This could be when the topic comes up on TV or in the movies, or even during a car ride.
• Use and teach proper names for all body parts.
• Repeat, repeat, repeat. It is never too late to begin talking about healthy sexuality and children learn best when they hear messages many times in a variety of ways.