What Parents Should Know About Flu Vaccines for Children The flu affects 90 million children younger than 5 annually. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends everyone get flu vaccines. One thing to note is that vaccines are not mandatory. Schools and health organizations can advise parents to have children vaccinated, but they cannot force it. If you wish to avoid vaccines, here are free printable waiver forms. You'll need to provide these for your child's daycare and school. Here is some information about children and flu shots, also. Read on...