Upcoming Observances
Organizations can tie national observances, like the ones listed below, into Medicaid and CHIP outreach and enrollment efforts.
- August: National Immunization Awareness Month
- August: Children’s Eye Health & Safety Month
- August: National Eye Exam Month
Many schools and extracurricular programs have vaccination and physical exam requirements as children and teens head back to school each fall. While health care may be top-of-mind for some parents this time of year, others may be concerned with how they can access these services for their children. Free or low-cost health coverage through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) provide children with immunizations, well child visits, behavioral health care, and more services that can help them thrive in the classroom. When kids and teens have health insurance, they are more likely to perform well academically, participate fully in school, and experience improved long-term health outcomes. School is also an important setting where many children can receive care including mental health services. Approximately 96% of public schools reported offering at least one mental health service to their students throughout the year.
Back-to-School Resources Available for Outreach
The Campaign’s Back-to-School outreach materials, including posters , palmcards , videos, social media content , infographics , and more, can be used as is or tailored for organizations. These materials are available in English and Spanish, and several of them are available in additional languages. We encourage you to share these materials in your community to help connect families to Medicaid and CHIP.
The Back-to-School Webinar Recording is Available Now!
Check out the Campaign’s latest webinar focused on the importance of getting kids and teens enrolled in health coverage this Back-to-School season. The presentation featured speakers from the CDC Division of Adolescent and School Health, the Greater Flint Health Coalition, and the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services. Speakers highlighted the importance and integration of school-based health services, discussed vaccine outreach during the Back-to-School season, and shared resources to engage with families. If you were unable to attend, the presentation and slides are available on InsureKidsNow.gov.
Customized Campaign Materials for Your Outreach
Did you know that many Campaign materials can be customized to include your organization’s logo and state-specific information? These materials are ideal for community-focused outreach and can help enhance your efforts during the summer before children and teens head back to school. Check out the customization guide for instructions.
Stay Connected with the Campaign
- Share our Campaign materials. Our ever-growing, Outreach Tool Library features a variety of targeted resources to use in your outreach and enrollment efforts, available in multiple formats and languages.
- Contact us. To get more involved with the Campaign, contact us via email at ConnectingKids@cms.hhs.gov.
- Follow the Campaign on X (formally Twitter). Remember to re-tweet or share our messages from @IKNGov with your social network and be sure to use our #Enroll365 and #KidsEnroll hashtags in your posts.
Subscribe to the “Campaign Notes” eNewsletter
The Connecting Kids to Coverage National Campaign eNewsletter “Campaign Notes” is distributed throughout the year and provides updates on Campaign activities. If a friend or colleague forwarded this email to you, we invite you to sign up to receive this eNewsletter directly to your inbox.