Vaccinations, Illness and Honesty
When I quickly put together this site in 2018, the worst we worried over was flu. I very dutifully received my flu shot each year, and remained current on all other vaccinations required to work in a child care center. These are NOT required to be a nanny— there are no requirements at all for such a position in the US, but I regarded it with the same level of solemnity that I approached preparing to become a part of a classroom.
With that in mind,the last 18 months have been extremely difficult for many of us. What rifts were not opened by the previous administration were gouged out by attitudes towards the current global health crisis. There have always been parents who have fought against vaccinations for their children, and there always will be. I have always accepted that, while using the same breath to inform them that they are not welcome to be a part of my care community. I believe in receiving and maintaining not only the Covid-19 vaccination shot, but have also received the following:
MMR (measles, mumps and rubella)
TDaP (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis)
Influenza (flu)
Hepatitis B
Because I had chicken pox as a child, it is not necessary for me to receive the vaccine (although getting the shingles shot would be great!). Due to the fact that I was naturally at high risk for pneumococcal disease, I also received the Prevnar13 vaccination (pneumonia) before my move to California.
2022 Updates
I received both Pfizer doses of the Covid-19 vaccination shot in March of 2021. I also received a booster shot in December of 2021. As many places move towards a level of comfort allowing for the removal of mask mandates, I am still very firm in my desire to work only with families in which all members who are of age and health status to receive the Covid vaccination have done so. Additionally, this also holds true for all other applicable childhood vaccines, as it always has for me. Because I primarily work with children 5 and under, I recognize that there may be a mix of vaccination status for the children of a single family.