Before kids file into classrooms, kindergarteners like Niko Lindstrom say they've had to get immunized.

“I got two shots,” he says proudly, adding that they didn’t hurt.

His mom Bethany says she made it a priority to stay on top of the requirements for school.

“Doctor visits, and eye exams and dentists we just followed what the doctor said, so he got his set of four shots this year,” says Lindstrom.

Wisconsin state law says kids entering kindergarten need 4 shots for diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis, 4 shots for polio, 3 for hepatitis b, 2 for measles, mumps, rubella, and two chicken pox vaccinations.

The other kinds of shots may vary depending on grade level and immunization history.

“Previously students didn’t get another pertussis vaccine after age seven, but unfortunately we've had lots of cases of pertussis, which is also called whooping cough,” says Registered Nurse Carol Lendel, with the Chippewa County Health Department.

School nurses say if you don't get your kids vaccinated within 30 days of school starting, you could be fined $25 per day, and your kids won't be able to go to class.

“It's important to keep your kids in school so they get a quality education, and so they also don't spread communicable diseases to other children,” says Registered Nurse Anita Schubring, at Pederson Elementary in Altoona.

And parents we talked to say despite some reported risks of vaccines, they're having their kids get the shots.

“I believe my child should be vaccinated because of what he can be brought around with other kids,” says Lindstrom.

Public health nurses say Badgercare and other state health programs provide vaccinations for school aged children for free at your health department.

There are waivers available for parents who decide, for either religious, personal, or medical reasons, not to get their children vaccinated. You can find those forms at your child's school or at your local health department.

Eau Claire City-County Health Department clinics are held in the Eau Claire County Courthouse, Room G034. Clinics are the 2nd and 4th Monday of the month from 4-6 pm, the 2nd Wednesday of the month from 10-11:30 am, and the 2nd Thursday of the month from 4-6 pm.

The next clinics in Chippewa County are on Wednesday, September 22 from 3 to 7 pm, Tuesday, September 28, from 9 to 10 am, and Wednesday, September 29 from 4 to 6 pm. They are in the Chippewa County Courthouse in Room 123.

If you've lost track of your or your child's immunization records, you can find them online at the Wisconsin Immunization Registry: http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/immunization/WIR.htm