Preschool Dress Code

Clothing for preschoolers and kindergarteners should be appropriate for school and encourage independence. The clothing should be easy to manipulate by the child, simple, comfortable, appropriately sized, washable, and weather friendly. Elastic waist pants or shorts with no belts are easy for children to get off and use in the bathroom, especially when they wait until the last minute to go. If children need a change of clothes, either due to an accident or a spill, they feel independent and successful when they can do it themselves. Sneakers without ties are the right shoes to wear. Those having Velcro closures for instance, make shoes easier to slip on and take off. The ties present a safety hazard during fire drills, recess, and physical education.

Flip flops, cowboy boots, and dress shoes make it difficult for children to run on the playground or climb on the equipment.

Keep it plain and simple. T-shirts with action figures and pants with drawstrings, zippers, or snaps are very distracting to preschoolers and kindergarteners. Children get so excited about the design on the clothes that they can’t focus on anything else. They fiddle with excess decorations like ribbons, zippers, or snaps and then need them tied, zipped, or snapped back into place further disrupting class time. Jewelry and tattoos can be distracting and causes all sorts of problems.

Please save the expensive or precious apparel to wear elsewhere. Comfortable, appropriately sized, and washable clothing should be worn daily. Many times, in an effort to be independent, we are unintentionally messy. If children worry that their parents will be upset if paint or marker gets on their clothing, they are reluctant to participate in the activity.

Weather appropriate clothing, jackets, or coats with zippers and hoods are the best. Hoods are a necessity when going to enrichment classes in the main building. Umbrellas are considered a hazard and are not allowed. The hoods keep their heads covered and their hats from getting lost in the other building. Hats and mittens are needed during colder weather. Hats stay on their heads while running and playing, and mittens can be put on independently. Zippers are the easiest for the children to learn to manipulate. Fleece shirts with half-zippers are very hard to get on and off.