MedStar Family Choice District of Columbia is committed to supporting you in living a healthy life so you can feel your best. This information will help you understand more about well-child visits.
What is a well-child visit?
Well-child visits are preventive checkups performed by your child’s doctor near your child’s birthday or at any time of the year. During these visits, your child’s doctor or healthcare provider can look for potential health issues and treat them before your child gets sick. This includes providing vaccines that are necessary for your child to attend school.
Please keep your child safe with vaccines; they are safe and effective.
They have been saving children’s lives for many years. Altogether, vaccines can prevent 16 different types of disease. Children get vaccines at well-child visits, so it is important to make sure that your child goes to every visit their doctor recommends. Getting vaccines at the right time can help keep your child from becoming very sick.
Most vaccines are given by injections (shots). Talk to your child’s doctor or healthcare provider about what shots they need at the following ages:
| • Birth | • 6 months | • 4–6 years |
| • 1–2 months | • 12–18 months | • 11–12 years |
| • 4 months | • 2–3 years | • 13–18 years |
Your child’s healthcare provider must complete Universal and/or Oral Health Forms before they can enter school. Bring these forms to your child’s visits. The Universal Health Certificate is available online at DCHealth.DC.gov/Service/School-HealthServices-Program.