It’s time to make a list and start crossing things off for going back to school in Champaign-Urbana
It may seem a little too early to start talking about children heading back to school. We get it, but there is no better time than the summer to take care of those back-to-school demands.
Check out our entire Back to School Series, presented by Christie Clinic:
- Ask the Doctor: Adjusting to Back to School
- Back to School: 8 Things You Didn’t Know You Needed
- Back to School: 9 Tips for Ninth Graders
- Save Money on Back to School in Champaign-Urbana: Free Supplies, Backpacks, Haircuts and Health Screenings
- Champaign-Urbana Area School Registration Information for 2023-24
- Champaign-Urbana Area School Start Dates
- Back to School: Dental, Vision Exams Required for Illinois Students
- School Physicals: What’s Required for Illinois Students in 2023
- Back to School: Immunizations Required for Illinois Students
Thank you to Christie Clinic for presenting our 2023 Champaign-Urbana Area Back to School series
Christie Clinic wants you to give your kids a healthy start to the school year. Parents can currently make back-to-school appointments for their children through their patient portal or by using online scheduling at christieclinic.com.
This summer, the Christie Clinic Department of Pediatrics at Christie Clinic in Champaign on Windsor is offering Saturday physicals. Call your provider for availability and scheduling.
Requirements for physicals vary based on what grade your child is entering. Here’s what you’ll need to know about school physicals to get your child ready for the 2023-24 school year. Your doctor will likely have a copy of the Illinois physical form at your appointment, or you can access it here.
Who needs a school physical?
1) Is your family new to the state of Illinois? Regardless of how old your child is, all students new to Illinois schools must turn in a completed physical examination prior to entering Illinois schools for the first time.
2) Children entering the following grades: early childhood, kindergarten or first grade (if the first year in school), sixth grade, and ninth grade.
It should be noted that a child’s athletic physical assessment does not meet the sixth or ninth grade physical exam requirements. If you anticipate that your child may participate in school sporting events, have your physician complete a sports physical form while at your child’s medical examination appointment.
When is the deadline for my child’s physical?
The deadline for physicals varies by district so be sure to check with your child’s school if you are new to the district or new to Illinois. State law requires the exclusion of students who do not have either the health exam or required vaccines “upon enrollment but no later than Oct. 15” or an earlier date established by the board of an individual district.
In the Champaign Unit 4 school district, for example, all physical and immunization forms for the 2023-24 school year must be submitted by Sept. 1, 2023. The Urbana School District 116 will not allow your student to start the school year without the required health forms on file.
If your child has had a physical recently, check with your pediatrician’s office to get the right forms. The exam must be completed no earlier than a year (365 days) prior to the start of attendance at an Illinois school. (Need a pediatrician? Check out our reader recommendations.)
If you haven’t yet made an appointment for your child’s physical, you might want to do so as soon as possible as area providers expect to be busy during the summer months.
Where can we get school physicals?
If your child does not have a regular healthcare provider, community groups often schedule opportunities for children to receive back-to-school-related healthcare during the summer.
- July 10, 2023 Promise Healthcare (Frances Nelson Clinic, 819 Bloomington Rd., Champaign)
- July 15, 2023 Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (201 W. Kenyon Rd., Champaign)
- July 24, 2023 Carle Mobile Clinic (Human Kinetics Park, 1607 N. Market St., Champaign)
- July 31, 2023 Unit 4 Immunization and Physicals Event (Centennial High School, 913 Crescent Dr., Champaign)
- NEW August 12, 2023 Unit 4 Immunization and Physicals Event (Centennial High School, 913 Crescent Dr., Champaign)
Community health resources
- Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (Main Office at 201 W. Kenyon Rd., Champaign)
- Urbana School Health Center (1002 S. Race Street, adjacent to UHS) A partnership between Promise Healthcare and the Urbana School District, serving USD116 families. USHC offers physicals, vaccines, health exams, and other primary care needs; basic dental services including school dental exams; counseling services.
- Promise Healthcare (locations in Champaign and Urbana) As a Federally Qualified Health Center, Promise provides access to affordable, quality healthcare to Champaign, Urbana, Rantoul, Mahomet and all of Champaign County.
- Community Health Partnership of Illinois (201 W. Kenyon Rd., Champaign) Community Health Partnership of Illinois (CHP) serves all, including the uninsured, underserved, migrants, seasonal agricultural workers and their families across rural and urban communities in northern and central Illinois.