Now's the Time to Schedule Your Child's Physical for the Coming School Year

As your child (or children) heads out to enjoy some summertime fun with friends, it’s never too early to start looking ahead to the fall and the start of school again. 

From vaccines to sports and school physicals, our extensive team of healthcare providers at LaSante Health Center can help you check all of your child’s healthcare boxes — quickly and easily — before school starts in the fall.

New York school system health requirements

Let’s first take a quick review of what’s required in the New York education system when it comes to physicals and healthcare requirements. 

School physicals

General physical exams are required for all students entering the following grades: 

• Pre-kindergarten
• Kindergarten
• 1st grade
• 3rd grade
• 5th grade
• 7th grade
• 9th grade 
• 11th grade

A health exam is also required for any new student entering the New York school system, regardless of grade, and the physical needs to be completed within 30 days of entry.

Sports physicals

If your child wants to participate in interscholastic sports, they need a sports physical annually.

Special education physicals

If your child is in special education, you should check to see about any further health forms they might need.

Vaccinations

Kids in the New York City public schools system need to be vaccinated for:

• The DTaP (diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis)
• Poliovirus
• MMR (measles-mumps-rubella)
• Varicella
• Hepatitis B

For more information about required vaccinations, please click here. Bear in mind, we’re also very familiar with immunization requirements, so you can come see us and we can make sure your child gets what they need.

What we check during a physical

The sports and school physicals are basically the same, and we check several different areas of your child’s health, including:

• Eyesight
• Hearing
• Weight and height
• Basic vitals
• Preexisting conditions, such as allergies, asthma, and diabetes
• Scoliosis

If your child wants to participate in certain sports, such as contact sports, they need to be cleared for participation during their sports physical.

Getting a school physical is easy

While it may seem like a lot to organize, we’re here to simplify your life. We understand the NYC school requirements, and we ensure that your child gets the health examinations they need.

Our staff is also familiar with the forms and requirements and can help you make sure that you have the correct paperwork and certifications.

Even better, we welcome walk-ins for all of these physicals, so if you find yourself with a little extra time and want to get one thing off your back-to-school list, come on in. Here’s a look at our hours of operation for walk-ins.

If you’d prefer to schedule your child’s school or sports physical, we invite you to book an appointment online or call us at our Brooklyn, New York, clinic at 718-246-5700.  

Our team proudly serves the Flatbush and East Flatbush, Crown Heights, Park Slope, Little Haiti, Little Caribbean, and Prospect Lefferts Gardens communities.