Information for School Nurses on Preparedness Planning

Preparedness Planning, Data, and Clinical Guidance for the Care of Children

School nurses work every day to prevent the spread of infection in schools, childcare facilities, and the community. Learn more about how to prevent the spread of COVID-19 within your school.

Slowing the spread of COVID-19 within the community involves prevention of the spread amongst children within schools and childcare facilities. Limiting the spread within schools protects not only our children, but their families, particularly elderly family members and family members with compromised immune systems and chronic health conditions. Here you will find the most up-to-date information for preparedness planning, data sharing, and clinical guidance for the care of children.

Schools and Childcare Programs

Find strategies from the CDC to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and maintain safe operations in schools, child care programs, and institutions of higher education.

Operational Guidance for K-12 Schools and Early Care and Education Programs to Support Safe In-Person Learning

This CDC guidance can help K-12 schools and ECE programs remain open and help their administrators support safe, in-person learning while reducing the spread of COVID-19. Based on the COVID-19 Community Levels, this guidance provides flexibility so schools and ECE programs can adapt to changing local situations, including periods of increased community health impacts from COVID-19.

COVID-19 Vaccination for Children

For the best protection, the CDC recommends COVID-19 vaccines for everyone 6 months and older. We strongly encourage all students who are eligible to get vaccinated as soon as possible, and those who are fully vaccinated and eligible to get a booster as soon as timing permits.

Preventing the Transmission of COVID-19 Within School Buildings

Read the June 2021 ABC Science Collaborative report, co-funded by the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities, which provides information to help school leaders and policy makers safely resume in-person learning while also preventing the transmission of COVID-19 within school buildings.

Find additional guidance for preventing Covid-19 in schools on the CDC Schools, Child Care, and Colleges page.

Return to Learn

Read through preparedness information and guidance for the safe reopening of schools provided by the National Association of School Nurses.

COVID-19 and Children

Find the most up-to-date data on how COVID-19 is impacting children through the American Academy of Pediatrics State Level Data Reports.

Clinical Guidance for the Care of Children

Find up-to-date clinical guidance for the care of children during the COVID-19 pandemic including care of children with Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS-C), care of children with special health needs, care within the ambulatory setting, and care of infants.

Cleaning and Disinfecting Guidance for Schools and Other Public Spaces.

Read the latest guidance on disinfection of public spaces including schools, disinfection procedures when someone is sick, and guidelines for reopening after shutdown.

Toolkit for School-located Vaccination Clinics

School-located vaccination clinics support a safe school environment, and provide opportunities for Covid-19, flu and catch-up vaccination for children returning to in-person learning.