School Uniforms: Good or Bad?

As I mentioned before, Noah goes to an elementary school that requires uniforms. Was I happy about this when I found out? Not really. Did I make a huge deal about it? No. I accepted it because it is their policy. It was hard to find the required color polo shirts. It wasn't because it was some outlandish color. I just happened to register and move to the school system late.

Let me tell you what Noah wears to school. He wears a light blue or navy polo shirt and cargo shorts or cargo pants. He also has a school t-shirt he can wear. Noah would most likely wear the same cargo shorts and cargo pants regardless because those are what he likes. They aren't stuffy starched pants or shorts. He doesn't have to wear a tie, normal or bow. His uniform has never been a big deal to him. When he gets a positive referral he doesn't have to wear his uniform. Honestly I don't see what the big deal is. I am sure you have some questions running through your head.

What about self expression? Shouldn't kids be able to express themselves through clothing?
Self expression is awesome. I believe that kids should be able to express themselves whenever they can. However I don't think that school is a place to have a fashion show. Kids get picked on for wearing off brand clothing. Kids also wear clothes that are too revealing or are too short. In high schools in some areas kids wearing  gang colors are an issue. If everyone has to wear the same thing, that will possibly help eliminate it.  I personally think that kids go to school to learn not to be complimented on their keen fashion sense. How many times have you heard a child in class say hey I love your uniform? Probably none.

Aren't they just like little clones?  I don't think that they are clones. Every child is unique and just because they are required to wear their uniform it doesn't take away from who they are. What about drones? Nope they aren't drones either. They are at school to learn and learn through art and music and work to express themselves. They will have to most likely wear a uniform when they work as an adult. School is their job.

Won't they rebel? I am sure different kids rebel for different reasons. I don't really see any correlation of wearing uniforms and rebellion. I haven't heard of tons of kids rebelling because they wore uniforms. Most of us go through a rebellious stage at some point. We do it, we move on. I have a vast knowledge of crime and serial killers and I have never heard of someone running amok because they wore a uniform in school.  There is always some kind of big issue that causes them to kill.

Think back to yesteryear when you were in school? Do you remember the majority of what you wore to school? I can probably remember a several outfits from each year. I have a great memory, especially when I have photos to remind me. It doesn't matter what you wear to school, what matters is your education. No one will look at your transcript and say oh Susie  wore Abercrombie to school and Billy wore Walmart clothes so let's give the job to Susie.

Cookie's Kids Solves Your School Uniform Problems

When I registered Noah for Kindergarten, I found out that he has to wear a school uniform.  Wearing a uniform is no big deal because a lot of schools have switched to it for different reasons. When I was in school it was a huge deal if your school had a uniform policy, mine never did. I started looking for polo shirts and shorts because after all we do live in Florida and it isn’t that cold here.  When I started shopping I had no idea that it would turn in to a quest. I went to seven stores to find bits and pieces of uniforms. I wanted to have five complete uniforms so I wouldn’t have to laundry in the middle of the week unless I absolutely had to.  I went to all the children’s stores, department stores, and big box stores and they were pretty much wiped clean.  We live in a huge school district and while not all the schools require a uniform a lot of them are.  We even had family members and went out of state and looked there. We were finally able to find enough shirts and some shorts for Noah. It was definitely a stressful experience for me because I didn’t want him to get in trouble for being out of dress code. I thought about calling the school and asking but I figured they would either offer to give me old uniforms, which someone else could really need or send me to a store I had already been to. It wasn’t their job to find me uniforms. My poor friends had to listen to me whine about the uniform situation.  I was lost and his size was really hard to find. They either had small stuff or like 10/12 sizes.  I didn’t want to get him white polo shirts because he would mess them up like the first week.  He does have art class and he has come home with paint on him. 

  

I was so relieved to have the clothes crisis solved and then about a month ago I noticed his powdered blue polo shirts were starting to look worn. The school year is half over and well, he is six and his shirts were definitely starting to need replaced. They weren’t ragged or full of holes but I dreaded starting this process again.  I had kind of been looking thinking they might have some in his size later in the year, I guess those other kindergarten parents are in need of new uniforms too. Then something happened, I learned about Cookie’s Kids.  If only I had known about Cookie’s Kids in August there would have been no stress.  Cookie’s Kids specializes in school uniforms and other kid’s clothing. They have any style you could want. They have many different brands, big brand names.  They also have long sleeve polo shirts, which was something I really wanted for Noah on the cooler days.  Cookie’s Kids also has a bunch of different colors. 

Here is the story behind Cookie's Kids:

In 1972, a young man named Cookie and his brother Marvin went into business together. They rented a 1600 square foot store in Jamaica, Queens, fixed it up, bought inventory and Summer and Fall, and opened a day after Thanksgiving with a full stock of holiday toys. The toys were a success and they put the extra money toward buying children's clothing for the next season. When that did well,they bought more clothing. The business was on it's way. As, he brothers Cookie, Marvin and Sonny, who had come in as a third partner in the business, began to open new stores in new locations, inventory expanded. Besides the latest fashions, our customers wanted shoes, toys, backpacks and accessories and we were prepared to deliver. By the late 1990's there were six superstores throughout the NYC area, and though they previously had different names, by that time they were all named Cookie's Kids. Also in the late '90s came an important addition to Cookie's Kids' inventory: school uniforms. It was the steady success in uniform sales that paved the way for founding CookiesKids.com in 2007, which originally sold uniforms and soon after the entire Cookie's Kids Inventory. 

I was amazed at the prices. I love a good bargain and their clothes are so inexpensive. They don’t have the department store mark up. I was so impressed with ordering. It was really easy to find what I wanted.  I didn’t have any trouble checking out and it was a breeze. The shipping is only $5.95. I hate when I am shopping online and the shipping is the same price or more than what I am ordering.  I am sure you are wondering what I ordered.  I ordered 2 powder blue polo shirts, 1 long sleeve navy polo shirt and 1 long sleeve powder blue polo shirt. I got all of that including shipping for 29 dollars. They have great sale prices too. If you sign up for the newsletter, you can learn about the sales and special coupon codes. Right now you could possibly win an iPad by just receiving their emails. I will continue to use Cookie's Kids to purchase uniforms  for the rest of Noah's elementary school days. 

Take it from me; check out Cookie’s Kids for all your uniform needs. Bookmark it. You have enough stress with your child starting school; their uniforms should be a breeze and with Cookie’s Kids relax and breathe and save all your tears for the first day of school. Cookie’s Kids have 7 stores in the NYC area in Bronx, Brooklyn and Jamaica as well as online.

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I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and CookiesKids.com #CBias #SocialFabric All thoughts and opinions are my own.