Does your student require dental or vision exams to satisfy school requirements?
One of the most annoying aspects of parenting is planning ahead for your family’s needs. GIANT. EYEROLL. But we promise — getting those back-to-school dental and vision exams on the calendar can make you feel more in control of your summer schedule. These examinations aren’t required for all grades in Illinois, and the first deadline coming up isn’t until mid-October. So don’t forget to breathe … in and out … and read on.
Requirements vary based on what grade your child will be entering. Here’s what you’ll need to know to get your child ready to go back to school in the fall.
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.
Dental Examinations
The State of Illinois requires that all students in kindergarten, second, sixth and ninth grades have an oral health examination performed by a licensed dentist.
Following your child’s exam, the dentist should complete the dental examination form required by the state of Illinois. Complete documentation should be returned to the school office no later than May 15. Translation: for school year 2023-24, a valid dental exam would fall between Nov. 15, 2022, and May 15, 2024 — within the 18-month period prior to the due date. Exam forms are available at your dentist’s office or can be accessed here.
If you are looking for a dentist in the Champaign-Urbana area, check out the Chambanamoms dental guide here. The Champaign Urbana Public Health Department also offers a dental program for youth 18-and-under which includes services such as cleanings, sealants and fillings. CUPHD is able to complete the required dental examination from the state of Illinois.
Vision Examinations
All students entering kindergarten or entering an Illinois school for the first time must have an eye exam before Oct. 15 of the year of the required exam, or within 30 days of enrollment for new students from out-of-state. The exam must have been performed any time within a 12-month period prior to this due date. This means that the eye exam for the school year 2023-24 needs to have taken place between August 2022 and October 2023. A licensed optometrist or medical doctor who performs eye exams (such as an ophthalmologist) must perform the exam. The State of Illinois Vision Exam Form can be accessed at this link.
(Note that this eye exam requirement is separate from the vision screenings provided in all public, charter, and private schools in Illinois to students in preschool, second, and eighth grades as well as certain others as required by law.)
If you are looking for an eye doctor in the Champaign-Urbana area, our readers have provided some recommendations for optometrists in the area.