Report Says Parents Want All Day Care Children Vaccinated; In Kentucky, (Most) Kids Have To Be

Yesterday, NPR reported that a poll found that 81 percent of parents say they believe all children in day care should be required to be up to date on vaccines. In fact, 41 percent said children who aren't up to date should be kept out of day care.The poll was part of the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health. NPR reports: A majority of parents also believed that child care providers should take responsibility for getting children vaccinated — 74 percent said day care providers should be required to check the vaccines status of each of the children every year. Overall, just 10 percent of parents said children who aren't fully vaccinated should be allowed to attend child care without any penalty.How do those beliefs play out in Kentucky?The state Cabinet for Health and Family Services requires licensed child care centers and homes certified for day care to maintain a current immunization certificate for each child enrolled, or a statement from a physician or parent objecting to the immunization pursuant to state law.That state law stipulates that parents are required to immunize their child unless a physician finds that  immunization would harm the child's health, or if parents send a written sworn statement that they oppose medical immunization on religious grounds.The cabinet does not track how many parents have submitted objections to immunization to child care centers for their children, a cabinet spokeswoman said.A majority of parents polled—70 percent—said they would take their children out of a child care facility where one quarter of the children were not fully vaccinated.