BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — To help families get their children ready to head back to the classroom this fall, the Berrien County Health Department will host a “Back to School Bash” later this month.
It’ll be held on Monday, Aug. 23 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the health department’s Niles Office, located at 1205 Front St., and on Aug. 30 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Benton Harbor office located at 2149 E. Napier Ave.
The health department announced the events in a news release Tuesday, stressing the importance of readying kids for a healthy school year.
At the events, the health department will provide free hearing and vision screenings and immunizations required for school entry, including the strongly recommended COVID-19 vaccine for children 12 years and older.
The events will also feature healthy snacks, activities and giveaways for kids of all ages, as well as information about WIC, parenting education classes, health insurance assistance and other programs and services that may benefit families in Berrien County.
Representatives from local law enforcement will be at the events in an effort to build positive relationships between police departments and the community, allowing kids to see inside police cars and a fire truck.
Other community agencies, such as the Berrien County Great Start Collaborative and the Lions Club Project KidSight, will also attend.
All attendees are strongly encouraged to wear face masks while participating in any of the indoor activities.
“As kids head back to school in-person this year, it’s so important that they are healthy and ready to learn,” said Courtney Davis, acting health officer at the Berrien County Health Department. “We know that the back-to-school season can be a busy and stressful time for everyone, so we are happy to help families prepare for that transition.”
Michigan state law requires children to receive certain immunizations before entering school, including measles, chickenpox, whooping cough and hepatitis B.
In addition, children entering preschool and Kindergarten need to have their hearing and vision screened.
