It is time for parents to sign up children for kindergarten in Jefferson County, and with registration comes an offer from Jefferson County health officials to help with vaccinations required to attend public schools in Washington state.

All immunizations required for school are available to children up to age 19 at no cost for the vaccine through the state’s Childhood Vaccine Program, according to Marjorie Boyd of Jefferson County Public Health and Tina Herschelman of Jefferson Healthcare hospital. 

Public Health has walk-in immunization clinics between 1 and 4 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday at 615 Sheridan St., Port Townsend. No appointment is necessary.

Jefferson Healthcare clinics offer immunizations by appointment only, either with a well-child check or as a nurse-only visit just for immunizations. 

The clinics and their locations are:

• Jefferson County Public Health, 615 Sheridan St., Port Townsend. Call 360-385-9400.

• Jefferson Healthcare Primary Care, 915 Sheridan St., Port Townsend. Call 360-379-8031.

• Jefferson Healthcare Family Medicine, 1010 Sheridan St., Port Townsend. Call 360-385-3500.

• Jefferson Healthcare Internal Medicine, 934 Sheridan St., Port Townsend. Call 360-385-5388.

There may be a charge for the office visit and an administration fee to give the vaccine, according to a press release. All of the clinics listed above bill insurance carriers, both private and Apple Health. People without insurance and who cannot afford the administration fee can ask for it to be waived.

Immunizations required for preschool and school are listed on the Washington State Department of Health website under “For Parents.” (See tinyurl.com/ya654z5j.)

Parents may access their children’s immunization records from the Washington State Immunization Registry (www.waiis.wa.gov). 

It allows parents to see what is recommended for their children’s age and to print out a certificate of immunization status already filled out with the child’s vaccine history. 

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION

Two dates have been set for registering children for kindergarten in Port Townsend. Parents can sign up their children from 6 to 7:30 p.m. May 1 at Grant Street Elementary, at 1637 Grant St. Packets with detailed information on kindergarten are available now at the location. There will be a registration event for kindergarten from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Aug. 27 at the new Salish Coast Elementary School.

In Chimacum, Chimacum Creek Primary School has already had its open house. Parents wishing to enroll their children should go to the school, at 313 Nesses Corner Road in Port Hadlock, and request a registration packet. 

A parent information night in the Quilcene School District is set for 5 p.m. April 30 in teacher Lauren Kleinberg’s classroom. Parents are invited to contact her at

lkleinberg@qsd.48.org. The elementary school is at 294715 U.S. Highway 101 in Quilcene.

HISTORY 

In 2015, Jefferson County ranked 30th out of 39 counties in Washington state in complete kindergarten immunizations. That year, fewer than half of the kindergarten students in Jefferson County started school with the full set of required immunizations, according to the 2015 Jefferson County Community Health Improvement Plan.

In the 2016-2017 school year, 70.6 percent of all kindergarten students in Chimacum, 69.1 percent of all kindergarten students in Port Townsend and 69.2 percent of all kindergarten students in Quilcene had been immunized, according to records with the state Department of Health.