Belts for School for Kindergarten and Elementary aged Kids

I'm aware of the controversy that requiring a belt as part of school dress code can stir in different communities. Some say that it simply completes an outfit. Others argue that it is a way to fight the fashion trend known as sagging, to get kids to wear their pants with the waistline above the hips. Debating the merits of such "droopy drawers" laws or the motivations of them is not why I bring it up today. Instead, I bring it up to open the conversation around compliance and enforcement in school uniform policies, especially for the youngest students.

Reviews of Girls Cardigan Uniform Sweaters

As this is our first year buying school uniforms, I bought sweaters by three different brands with the intention to see which lasted through the year while continuing to look good.

The first item I bought for my daughter was the School Uniform Girls' Fine Gauge Cotton Cardigan Sweater - Classic Navy. My personal preference for a quality soft material may have factored into this purchase.  I had read great reviews online. I got it at the Back to School sale at Sears when all Lands' End items were 30% off.  The navy color faded a bit initially after the first time it was laundered, but it has held steady in repeated washings since.  The buttons are small which may be difficult for little fingers still learning to button and unbutton. It is the favorite of the three and is the one that gets packed in the backpack most days.

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The second sweater I bought for her was a white Fine Gauge Knit Cardigan Sweater from French Toast.  It is 100% Acrylic.  I thought she might also get some use wearing it over her non-uniform dresses.  We've also washed this sweater many times over the season and it has not held up as well.  It is piling a bit and the color is no longer bright and clean looking.  I launder most white and light in Warm or Hot water and typically with a dye free detergent. The instructions on the tag recommend cold water, delicate cycle and to dry flat.  I'm lucky enough to have a husband that helps out with the laundry which means I'm sure this item has taken a spin in our dryer on low.  I got it on sale for under $10, so I say it has "met expectations".

Later in the fall, I picked up a third sweater at Target -the Cherokee Girls School Uniform Cardigan.  I is 100% cotton in a button up v neck with pockets.  It has held up well to repeated washings, even the color has not faded.  The buttons on this sweater are much larger than on the Lands' End sweater which are easier for little fingers that are still learning how to button and unbutton.  I bought this item on sale too for around $10, and I would rate it as "above expectations".



So next year or when my daughter grows into the next size, I'll most likely pick up another Lands' End sweater for her.  The reality is that she doesn't end up wearing the sweater everyday and could get by with only one and holding on to one of these as a backup.

(Photos by Uniform Mom)

Uniform Locker Program at LCTA

I first learned of the Uniform Locker program at my daughter's local school during Kindergarten Prep orientation week. The PTA had sent a flyer to the parents in the K-Prep materials that the Uniform Locker would be open on the school playground after school pick up one afternoon that week.

School Uniforms at Walmart - Retail Round Up Series

Walmart is a multinational corporation that  runs chains of large discount department stores.  In the US, they are located in all 50 states and Puerto Rico including over 625 Walmart discount stores,  over 3,000 Wal-Mart Supercenters, and the online store at walmart.com

The online School Uniform Shop offers all the basic items needed to assemble a school wardrobe for girls and boys that attend schools with a uniform dress code.  Uniforms are offered across all sizes: Toddler 2 - 5, Girls sizes 4 -16, Boys 4 - 22, Juniors 3-15, and the Young Men's link which includes Men's and Men's Big and Tall items.   Most items offered are George brand (a Walmart store brand), Dickies, or Hanes.  All uniforms are tagless, treated with Scotchgard, and have reinforced knees.

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The Spend - our actual cost for School Uniforms

So after reflecting on the school uniform items we purchased for our daughter's first year at public school, I wondered how much it all cost.  I tend save my shopping receipts in a box during the year, so I dug through the box to find the receipts for all of the items I mentioned in our Kindergarten Wardrobe post.

According to Statistics Brain, the average annual cost to parents for school uniforms is $249.  Unfortunately, this source doesn't provide any background on what they include as school uniforms.  If I don't include items such as shoes, coat, backpack and lunchbox that we'd need regardless of dress code, I come in right under the average at $234.  If those big ticket items are included, my spend is way above average adding an additional $146 to my annual spend.  So here's how it breaks down:

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Tops:
Izod short sleeve polo $7, Old Navy short sleeve polo $6, George Girls' Long Sleeve Polo Shirt 2/$11, H&M short sleeve t-shirts (2) $6, H&M long sleeve t-shirt (2) $10

Bottoms:
Lands End skort $20, Izod skirt $7.50, Cherokee Uniform Pants (2) $12, Children's Place Yoga Pants $5, Circo leggings $5, Izod shorts (2) $7

Dresses and Sweaters:
Lands End dress $22.50, Lands End sweater $22.50, Cherokee sweater $10, French Toast sweater $10

Accessories:
French Toast Tights (2pk) $11, French Toast socks $7, French Toast bike shorts $8, French Toast belt $9

Other necessities:
Lands End lunch box $14, Lands End Backpack $26, Oshkosh jacket $30, Stride Rite sneakers $30, Stride Rite shoes $46

All items are rounded to the nearest twenty five cents.  In some cases, I could not locate my actual receipt, so I then substituted the retail cost of the item that I could verify online.  In most cases, I purchased items on sale, used a coupon code and/or received free shipping.

(photo used with permission from Microsoft)

Related Posts:

Our Kindergarten Wardrobe
Modesty on the Playground
Building a Boys School Uniform Wardrobe

School Shoes with Man Made Materials

During my Back to School shopping last fall, I bought a paid of navy school shoes for my daughter.  They were the very cute French Toast's Navy T strap which I got at my local JCPenney store in late July at the beginning of the Back to School season. 

We learned while on the way out the door on the first day of school that they no longer fit.  Instead she wore the old sneakers that were very broken in after months of use in preschool.  After just having met the Kindergarten teacher, I respectfully requested she give my daughter a hall pass on dress code on the first day.  I quickly explained why she wasn't in proper shoes and promised that she would be on following day.

That evening after work, I went off to the mall to see if I could exchange the shoes for the next size.  By that point in the school shopping season, my local JCPenney did not have that shoe or any uniform shoes in her size.  JCPenney has a wonderful return policy and gave me no problems with the return.  With about 2 hours left to find proper school shoes for the next day, I headed to the local Target store.  There I found the last pair of  Cherokee uniform shoes (Falda Ballet) in her size.  I am not a fan of shoes made from "Man Made Materials".  It has been my experience that they don't hold up well, but with one hour to go, I didn't have much of a choice.  I put them in my cart, checked out, and headed home for the night.

Re-Uniform UK

I just happened upon this video of a school uniform recycling program that appears to be run by the Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council in the United Kingdom. These folks are taking the local school uniform exchange idea to new levels.

Items are donated to the program at drop off points in the schools.  The items are them laundered and packaged by employees with learning disabilities "helping them live independently through employment".  They are returned to the school and offered for sale for around 5 pounds per item. The program mentions it is opening a storefront retail location and may expand to include additional items such as sports equipment and musical instruments.

You'll have to click to see this video (3:44 run time) because I can't embed it here (its not on YouTube), but it will make you feel good.  Recycling + opportunities to improve the well being of the disabled + and helping families save money on school uniform items. Warm fuzzies all over;)

School Uniforms at the Cookie's, the Kids Department Store - Retail Round Up Series

Cookie's was established in 1972, now with 7 retail locations in New York City.  The are known as the World's Largest Kids Department Store and they were noted in 2007 by Crain's Magazine as the #1 School Uniform Headquarters in the United States.

The Cookie website features a special school uniform section. It is well organized making it easy to find items by gender, size and item type. They carry a wide range of brands including a Cookie store brand, French Toast, Dickies, U.S. Polo Assn., Blueberry Knitting, and Rifle School Wear.  They carry both plaids and solid uniform items.  As the "school uniform headquarters" they have a wide selection of uniform items available including polos, pants, shorts, skirts/skorts, shirts, sweaters, vests, blazers, gym wear, jumpers, outwear, shoes, ties and accessories.

For boys, they offer the following sizing options: Toddler Boys 2T - 4T, Boys 4 - 20 including husky sizes, and Men's.  For girls, they offer little girl 2 - 6X, girls 7 - 20 including plus and half sizes, as well as juniors and adult. Online orders ship for $5.95 everyday in the contiguous US.

If you have a few minutes, you can check out this great video segment from the Balancing Act (Lifetime Television) with an interview with Cookie executive highlighting the benefits of school uniforms and a fashion show of uniform looks.

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Related Posts:

CookiesKids School Uniform Fundraiser Program

Uniforms, Poverty, and Inspiration

Reblogged from From Boyle Heights to Downtown L.A.:

In the 8th grade, I was about 13 or 14, I was elected student body president. My teacher, Ms. Kane, was very passionate and talented at instilling patriotic ideals and an appreciation for the little we possessed as well as reminded us of the world that lay at our doorstep.
Her mother was a Holocaust survivor; a slowly fading tattoo of her serial number that was her only identity during the war, still marked her for what she had lived through.

Read more… 880 more words

School Uniforms Made in the USA

Have you seen the ABC news series “Made in America”? If so, you’ve heard the quote that “If each of us spent just $64 on American-made goods, the result would be 200,000 new jobs.” So if you’re looking for a way to spend your dollars on American made products and you’re going to buy school uniforms, check out the retailers below.

I recently came across a blog called Mom in the USA: Shopping Directory of Products Made in the USA. Katrina, the blog’s author, says that for a company to make it to her Shopping Directory she verifies “with the company via email that their product or products are made in the USA and where they are made. Retailers make their way onto the list by having a Made in the USA search option, either by having a dedicated button or by entering Made in the USA into their search and successfully finding the products this way.”


I found a few companies in her directory that make and/or sell school uniforms. She has kindly allowed me to reprint them her with permission:

Our Kindergarten Wardrobe

Before I set out shopping for "uniforms" for my daughter's first year at public school, I came across a few articles that offered advice on back to school shopping for uniform kids. Since most of us do laundry weekly, they pointed out that you only need a weeks worth of clothes for each child.  I also learned you have to take into account the number of PE days your child has each week and to factor in a backup outfit (to leave in the school cubby or backpack, just in case of "an accident" or a mishap in art class or in the cafeteria). Next you have to account for the seasonal weather changes in your region. And finally, add in shoes and accessories.

My daughter's school dress code is a full page of do and don't but it boils down to navy bottoms and a white shirt with a collar. No collar needed on PE days. I learned from a neighborhood Mom that for us PE is twice a week.

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I printed out a copy of the school's uniform policy and made a list of the following items on my phone so I could checked things off as I found pieces for her new school wardrobe.

• 2 pair of shorts
• 2 pair of pants
• 2 scooters
• 2 pair of leggings (Yoga Pants and basic leggings)
• 2 short sleeve t-shirts
• 2 long sleeve t-shirts
• 2 short sleeve polos
• 2 long sleeve polos
• 2 sweaters (a cardigan and a v-neck varsity)
• 1 dress
• PE shoes
• navy or black shoes
• a belt
• bike shorts (for under the dress)
• cuff socks, knee socks and tights

While it was still warm, she could wear the shorts and t-shirts on PE days. The two other days she could wear skirts with short sleeve polos and a dress on another day to round out the week. As the summer turn to fall, we could stick with that routine but switch to knee socks instead of cuff socks. As fall turned to winter, we could change to long sleeve t-shirts and yoga pants or leggings for PE days. On non-PE days, she could switch up to long sleeve polos with pants or the skirts with tights. The sweaters could be used over the short sleeve shirts when she got cold due to the air conditioning inside during warm months and as another layer of warmth in the coldest months.

Before I got started shopping, I went through her closet and dresser and crossed off items that we already owned that complied with the uniform dress code. She already had a few t-shirts and navy yoga pants that could be used on PE days. She also had a navy active skort and a few pairs of tights.

This Pinterest board, Kindergarten Wardrobe Items, shows many of the item I found, and some I've purchased since. I couldn't find images for everything. And some items pinned in the wrong color, but you get the idea. In future posts, I'll share with you what I spent, what worked, what didn't and why.

(photo used with permission from Microsoft)

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Related Posts:

• The Spend - our actual cost for School Uniforms
• Belts for School for Kindergarten and Elementary aged Kids
• Modesty on the Playground
• Building a Boys School Uniform Wardrobe

The Hunt for the Long Sleeve White Polo

When I bought school clothes in the fall, I didn't stumble upon any long sleeve white polos. I instead bought a few cardigans for my daughter to wear over her short-sleeve polos and blouses. As the weather got colder, I kept an eye out for them to show up at the locals stores. As far as I can tell, they never did.

As some point over the holidays, my daughter began asking for "a shirt with sleeves". Even during the post holiday sales, none of the online stores were offering free shipping and I couldn't find any valid promotion codes. Call me a penny pincher, but I back out of an online sale when the shipping is more than the item itself.

I headed out shopping mission to find her a long-sleeve white polo.

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I hit the local Sears to check the Lands End offerings. They were pricer than I wanted to pay. I found only short sleeve polos at Old Navy. Target did not have any uniform items in stock. And the local JCPenney had one, but it wasn't her size. Then I decided to stop in the big box store that I rarely shop at -- Walmart. Our local store was so crowded on a Saturday afternoon in January that folks were circling for parking spaces like it was Black Friday. So I bailed on that madness and checked out their website from the comfort of my couch.

I learned that they carry a small selection of basic uniform items. Since I'm not typically a Walmart shopper, I was not familiar with their store brand, George. The website organized items into a School Uniform Shop. Most items were George and Dickie brand items. They also featured Hanes brands socks and undergarments in the uniform store. The prices were some of the lowest I've seen. The also offer value bundles in qualtities of 2, 4 and even a 7 item mixed bundle. After you add a bundle to your cart, they smartly let you mix up sizes and colors within the bundle. Brilliant!

The item I had spent the day shopping for all over town was in-stock in her size. I ordered a 2 pack of George brand long-sleeve polos for $11 and 97 cents shipping. The item shipped later that night and arrived later that week. At that price, I had low expectations. The cotton is softer than I was expecting, and my daughter is happy with them. We've washed them a few times already and they are holding up fine. I can update this post later in the Spring to let you know ow they hold up after a season of wear.

H&M's Organic Cotton T-shirts

On PE days, my daughter is required to wear "navy sweat pants, skort or shorts, and a plain white or navy t-shirt or sweat shirt". As we started the school year, she had several plain white short sleeve Organic t-shirts from H&M. They were a staple in her preschool wardrobe. She wore them with basic navy shorts when it was warmer. As the weather grew colder, I returned to H&M and found the long sleeve version of the same shirt. She paired them with basic navy leggings from Target and Children's Place. Today during the heart of winter, I found the turtleneck version of this same organic t-shirt. Two for $14.95.

Although our school policy allows the basic t-shirt (think Hanes), these have worked as a more stylish and comfortable alternative for our daughter. They have a feminine fit, are soft and have the right amount of stretch to them.

Most of H&M t's kids shirts are sold in a 2 pack; however, it seems I've bought some of these as individual items too. And not all of their t-shirts are the same. I just browsed through my daughter's dresser and found that the ones we like better have "Made in Bangladesh." printed at the bottom of the sewn in tag or printed in the shirt on the tagless variation. We have several of a similar style that are "Made in Turkey". Attached to the sales tag was a green tag that encouraged me to visit hm.com/conscious. I checked it out and browsed the site that summarized H&M's "...vision is that all business operations shall be run in a way that is economically, socially and environmentally sustainable." This lead me to click on a link to read more about H&M's Bangladesh Development Plan. It was nice to see a brand acknowledge difficult issues in the clothing industry and present a plan to let us, as consumers, know that they are working to make things better for those folks who make the clothing items that my daughter enjoys wearing.

H&M's online store is not available in all areas. Here is their store locator.

Lands' End Iron Knee Pants

This picture was taken to commemorate the first day my daughter tied her shoes "all by herself". However, it also shows the dreaded knee patches that had become a signature accessory in her wardrobe during her last year of preschool. She blew out the knees on every pair of pants she owned. I don't know how, but she also managed to tear off or tear through the patches I'd iron on. By the end of the Spring, I'd found some success by ironing a patch on each knee on the inside of the fabric, as well as the outside of her pants. So when I saw a recent promotion for Land's End Little Boys' Pleat Front Iron Knee Blended Chino Pants - Classic Navy, I could relate.

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This product was recently awarded the 2013 Good Housekeeping VIP (Very Innovative Products) Award. For boys, they offer these in a few styles that would like be acceptable for various uniform dress codes. The flat front chinos are available in little boy and big boy sizes for $30.

For Girls, they are only offered in basic uniform pants in several styles and for jeans in toddler sizes, little girls sizes and big girl sizes 7 and 8. They retail for $34. Do you have a pair of these for your son or daughter? If so, please tell us what you think. I also found boys pants that seem to get at the same knee blow out issue by French Toast called Double Knee Pants.

Share with the Class

As I mentioned, I'm the Mom of a Kindergartner at a public school with a uniform dress code, and I'm learning things from that perspective. And I fully acknowledge that I don't know it all.

To that end, I invite you to share your experiences, advice and lessons learned, even if your opinions and perspectives differ from mine. Here are a few ways you can get involved:

Back to School

My daughter started Kindergarten this fall at the local public school. I began to research their policy in the early summer as she grew into the clothing size that I thought would carry her into the school year. I then began searching for stores that carried "uniforms". And then I began reading reviews to learn about the quality of the brands. Even though I'm not even a full school year into this process, I've hope to share what I've learned so far. I also hope you'll share advice, tips and lessons learned with me.

As a busy working Mom, I won't focus on the merits of a uniform policy, but the practical issues such as shopping and laundry. I didn't find much advice as I prepared for my first year of "back to school" shopping, so I hope this blog can serve as a community for parents of kids that wear school uniform to share information about brands and products, sales and promotions, as well as advice to help us manage the uniform wardrobe for our school aged kids.

As I get started, I would like to invite you to share your experiences. There are several ways you can help get the conversation started: