Summer has flown by for thousands of students all over the Sacramento region, and while kids may be avoiding it, parents are thinking about school supply shopping, immunizations and other essentials before that first day of class comes up on the calendar. Fortunately there are plenty of resources for Sacramento families to make everything a bit easier - from school supply discounts to free shot clinics.

School Supplies on a Budget
For those on a shoestring budget, school supplies can be a killer. Fortunately, there are some ways to avoid the financial stress. If you are located in the Natomas School District, the office supply chain Staples has a special offer for you - purchase $50 worth of merchandise and get $10 off. Plus they have every grade's required supply list available online in both PDF and Word format.

For students in other districts, plenty of Sacramento's chain retailers are offering discounts on school supplies to help those who are low on either time or resources. All available for purchase online, the popular coupon and discount site RetailMeNot has a great batch of deals for those heading back to the classroom.

Sears is offering 20% off of all kids and juniors clothing through August 14th, while Famous Footwear has a Buy One Get a 2nd Pair Half Off deal running through August 15th.

Target is offering $10 off when you buy two Jansport brand backpacks. This deal is good until August 4th and is the perfect way to save a little money when you need to shop for more than one child.

Get some new school shoes without breaking the bank with the various offers around town focusing on footwear. Steve Madden will take $20 off orders of $100 or more through August 8, and Sports Authority is doing the same through August 1. Finally, Target is offering Buy One Get One Half Off on kids shoes, good through mid-August.

Sacramento Back to School Destinations
Outside of chain retailers, Sacramento is fortunate enough to be home to quite a few educational stores that are great for back to school items, homeschool materials or end-of-summer enrichment supplies to get a jump start on the school year. Many of these are unique to the Sacramento region, and can help you further your child's individual learning style and personal interests whether you're a homeschool parent or just need to pick up some great new items for the new year.

A Brighter Child
Long established as a homeschool resource house, this Citrus Heights shop offers a diverse array of books, media and curriculum kits. They also offer Christian materials appropriate for many homeschooling co-ops, private schools and furthered home study.

Lakeshore Learning
Definitely not the most affordable store around, Lakeshore still reigns supreme when it comes to the most whimsical and appealing school supplies and educational playthings for children. Kids will love the interactive portions of the shop, and Lakeshore Learning also offers regular story times and crafting events to get kids excited about learning. Roseville is home to the closest Lakeshore location.

Utrecht Art Supplies
Over on Howe Avenue you'll find Utrecht Art Supplies, which is home to plenty of kids' art items. There are also regular student art contests to enter and a website with art enrichment class opportunities listed. Perfect for a child attending a school with a strong creative-arts focus, or for older students hoping to study a major visual art discipline in college, Utrecht has long been established as the leader in educational art supplies.

Scholastic Book Fairs Warehouse
Perhaps you remember the excitement of receiving a Scholastic book order form in your elementary school class - countless American students received deep discounts on books and other education-based items through these simple paper catalogs. Here in Sacramento, we have the Scholastic warehouse, which offers thousands of books to purchase - though it's only available to teachers and other education professionals. Still, it is a great resource for those who have access to it and want to promote good reading skills and a healthy imagination in local Sacramento children.

Vaccinations and Start Dates Sacramento school districts have enforced some new rules for this coming school year, including one that states all students entering grades 7 through 12 must have proof of a whooping cough vaccination. In fact, many public schools within Sacramento county and its surrounding regions are requiring full, up-to-date vaccinations from incoming students.

You can learn more about Sacramento's immunization requirements for students here

Sacramento is such a large area that it contains multiple school districts, many of which start on different dates from one another. If you are not sure about when your child goes back to school, your district is likely listed here.

Center Joint Unified School District - School starts on August 8.
Elk Grove Unified School District - Elk Grove's school district hosts both a traditional school schedule as well as modified traditional and year-round school. Traditional school begins this year on August 16.
Elverta Joint Elementary School District - School starts August 13.
Folsom Cordova Unified School District - School starts August 13.
Natomas Unified School District - School begins August 15.

For all other district listings, you may look up your school start date here .