ELMIRA N.Y. (WETM)– Protecting your child’s health plays a big role in setting them up for success at the start of each school year, and that includes keeping your child’s vaccination up to date.

There are several immunizations your child needs if they are going into middle and high school. Students behind or missing these vaccinations that do not have an approved exemption risk being excluded from their schools, depending on which state they live in.

In New York State, by grade 6 all students must receive their booster shots of the TDAP vaccine for tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis. In Pennsylvania, this booster is required by the first day of grade 7. Also required by 7th grade in both New York and Pennsylvania is your first dose of the meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV) which fights against several types of meningitis. This vaccine also requires a booster shot by 12th grade, or on or after your child’s 16th birthday.

If your child has switched schools between state lines, or if you have moved from out of the country, you will want to make sure that your child’s vaccinations are up to date as laws on immunization requirements vary by state.

Health experts say that vaccinating your kids is a process, and the best way to understand the different vaccines and when they are needed is to talk to your family doctor or pediatrician.