Getting Ready for Kindergarten in Brampton: A Health Readiness Checklist

Kindergarten registration often opens early in the calendar year, months before the first day of school. For many Brampton families, filling out that form is the moment the milestone becomes real. Your little one, who seemed to be learning to walk just yesterday, will soon have a backpack, a lunch bag and a whole new world of classmates.

Most of the attention before school starts goes to practical matters like buying supplies and figuring out drop-off times. The health side of school readiness is just as important, and it is much easier to manage when you start early rather than in the last week of August. Some steps, such as booking eye exams or catching up on vaccines, can take time to arrange.

This article offers a health readiness checklist for families preparing for kindergarten. The pharmacists at Pharmasave BramNorth, 25 & 26 - 2 Dewside Drive, are happy to help with any part of it that involves medicines, vaccines or minor health concerns.

Start with the registration paperwork

When you register your child with your school board, you will usually be asked for proof of age, proof of address and other documents. Schools also commonly ask about health conditions, allergies and medicines. Take the time to complete these sections carefully. They are how the school learns what your child needs to be safe.

If your child has a medical condition such as asthma, a severe allergy, diabetes, epilepsy or another ongoing issue, let the school know at registration and ask about the process for developing a care plan. Ontario schools have policies to support students with prevalent medical conditions, and the earlier you start the conversation, the better prepared everyone will be.

Confirm vaccines are current and reported

Ontario’s routine schedule includes boosters for children between about four and six years of age, typically given before or around the start of school. These renew protection against diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and polio.

Check your child’s record and book the appointment with your doctor if the booster is due. After the vaccine is given, report it to Peel Public Health. Under Ontario’s Immunization of School Pupils Act, school-aged children need certain vaccines or a valid exemption, and public health maintains its own record separate from your doctor’s. Our articles on routine childhood vaccines and school vaccine records explain the details.

Do not forget the household’s seasonal vaccines. Children starting school are exposed to many more germs than before. Ask us about the flu shot for family members and the age requirements for receiving it at the pharmacy.

Book eye and dental check-ups before the first day

Children rarely complain about vision problems because they assume everyone sees the way they do. Yet good vision matters for learning to read, recognising letters on the board and even playing safely in the yard. Some vision issues, such as a lazy eye, are easier to treat when caught early.

In Ontario, OHIP covers eye examinations for children with a valid health card, generally once a year. An optometrist can check your child’s eyes even before they can read letters, using pictures and other techniques. Consider booking an exam in the months before kindergarten so any glasses can be ready for the start of school. Ask the optometrist’s office about coverage details when booking.

Teeth deserve the same early attention. Tooth decay is one of the most common chronic conditions in children, and a toothache can make it hard for a child to eat, sleep and concentrate. Before school starts, consider a dental check-up if your child has not had one recently.

Peel Public Health offers dental screening in schools and information about publicly funded dental programs for eligible children and youth, such as Healthy Smiles Ontario. Check the Peel Public Health website for current programs and whether your family might qualify.

At home, keep up twice-daily brushing with an appropriate amount of fluoride toothpaste, supervised by an adult. Pack water rather than sugary drinks in lunch bags.

Plan for medicines at school

If your child needs medicine during the school day, whether it is a daily prescription, an inhaler or an epinephrine auto-injector, talk to the school about its process. Schools usually require a form signed by a parent and sometimes by a healthcare provider, and medicines generally must be in their original labelled containers.

Ask the pharmacy for a second labelled container if one needs to stay at school and one at home. Check expiry dates before handing anything over. For children with severe allergies, our post on managing a child’s food allergy at school covers auto-injectors and Ontario’s Sabrina’s Law.

If a regular medicine needs to be timed around school hours, a pharmacist can help you work out a schedule that fits. Using our prescription refill service can help you avoid running low just as school starts.

Build self-care skills at home

Kindergarten teachers manage a room full of four- and five-year-olds. Children who can handle basic self-care with some independence will feel more confident. In the months before school, practise:

• Handwashing. Teach your child to wet their hands, use soap, scrub for about 20 seconds, including between fingers and under nails, rinse and dry. Singing a short song can help with timing.
• Toileting. Using the toilet independently, wiping, flushing and washing hands.
• Nose blowing. Using a tissue, throwing it away and washing or sanitising hands afterward.
• Coughing and sneezing into the elbow.
• Opening lunch containers. Practise with the actual containers you plan to send.
• Dressing for outdoor play. Zippers, boots, mittens and snow pants for Brampton winters.
• Saying when they feel unwell. Encourage your child to tell a teacher if they feel sick or hurt.

Adjust sleep and morning routines

Many young children need around 10 to 13 hours of sleep in a 24-hour period, including naps. School mornings may require an earlier wake-up time than your child is used to. Shifting bedtime gradually, by 10 or 15 minutes every few days over a couple of weeks, is gentler than changing it all at once the night before school.

A predictable bedtime routine, such as bath, pyjamas, brushing teeth and a story, helps signal that it is time to wind down. Turn off screens at least an hour before bed when possible. A well-rested child is better able to handle the excitement and new demands of school.

Prepare for the first wave of school germs

Parents of new kindergarteners are often surprised by how many colds, coughs and stomach bugs come home in the first year. This is normal. Young children’s immune systems are encountering many new germs, and close contact in the classroom helps them spread.

A few things help:

• Stock your medicine cabinet with basics such as a thermometer and age-appropriate fever medicine, and check expiry dates.
• Know your school’s policy on when to keep a sick child home.
• Arrange backup child care for sick days in advance, if you can.
• Keep up with handwashing at home, especially after school and before meals.

Our article on fevers in children offers a refresher on caring for a sick child and when to seek help.

Pack a lunch that keeps energy steady

Full-day kindergarten means your child will eat two or more times at school, often in short nutrition breaks. Small, easy-to-open portions work better than one large meal. Include a mix of foods from Canada’s food guide, such as vegetables or fruit, a whole grain and a protein food, and send water in a refillable bottle your child can open alone.

Check whether your child’s class or school has allergy-aware guidelines about which foods should not be sent. Use an ice pack for perishable foods, and practise eating lunch from the actual containers at home a few times, so your child knows what to expect and can finish within the time available.

Support the emotional side of starting school

Health readiness includes emotional well-being. Some children are excited from day one; others feel anxious about separation, new routines or unfamiliar adults. Both reactions are normal.

Talk positively about school, read books about starting kindergarten, and visit the school playground over the summer so the building feels familiar. Keep goodbyes short and warm. If your child continues to struggle well into the school year, speak with the teacher, and with your doctor if you have broader concerns about anxiety or development.

Your kindergarten health checklist

Here is a summary you can print or save:

• Health, allergy and medicine information completed on registration forms.
• Care plan discussed with the school for any medical condition.
• Preschool vaccine boosters given and reported to Peel Public Health.
• Eye exam booked or completed.
• Dental check-up arranged.
• School medicine forms completed and labelled medicines supplied.
• Self-care skills practised: handwashing, toileting, nose blowing.
• Bedtime gradually adjusted for school mornings.
• Home medicine cabinet checked and restocked.
• Backup plan for sick days in place.

Visit Pharmasave BramNorth before the school year

If you have questions about your child’s medicines, need a second labelled container for school, want an auto-injector technique review or simply want to restock your home supplies, our team is here to help families get ready for this big step.

You will find us at Pharmasave BramNorth, 25 & 26 - 2 Dewside Drive, Brampton, ON L6R 3Y5. Call (905) 792-7333, check our contact page, or set up a time with a pharmacist through the booking page.

This checklist provides general guidance for families. School requirements and health programs can change, so please confirm details with your school board, Peel Public Health and your child’s healthcare providers.