that I don't like that my nursery strip my child if she's not in nursery uniform?

[musicfan]

A new policy has been introduced.

If children (3 and 4 year olds) at my nursery are not sent wearing their nursery polo shirts (regardless of the weather), they are stripped by the carers, and put into uniform polo shirts. Parents get to keep said shirts, but are charged the cost of the uniform on each occurrence.

What do people think about this? I really want to canvass opinion on this before I speak to the nursery head.

Thanks.
MF

IMO, YABU.

My DS's nursery had a uniform and I bought 4 x polos and sent him in one every day. It's really no problem to dress a child in uniform, I'm not sure why you find it so hard. Polo gets dirty - wash it! I really don't see the problem, other than the fact that you don't wish to adhere to the nursery's rules (regardless of when they are/were introduced).

Don't like it? Use a different nursery - but stop trying to disrupt the rules of the one you have chosen.

IMO YABU. It is the norm to have a uniform in private nurseries, especially if they are attached to a private school. Not sure if yours is but compared to some private nurseries I know it sounds as if you have got away quite lightly on the uniform front!

And claiming that the nursery 'strips' your child makes you sound as if you are using powerful, dramatic words to further your case. This immediately cost your credibility to me!

she won't need jumpers for the rest of the Summer.
I would love my son to have a uniform for nursery, he is ruining all his clothes.
He has "not so good" clothes for nursery, but still.
If your son is going to be there too, then surely he can wear them later, doesn't matter if they are stained, who cares if he is going to just mess them up too.
Nursery can't complain about stained, old polo shirts. HA

YABU, unless your main gripe is the cost.

Since when were English Summers warm enough to not need a jumper!?

Hear hear Bubba!
I've been trying to get some long sleeved t.shirts for DS and am finding that all the shops are full of short sleeves. Ridiculous!

do you really?
I have put all the long sleeves away.
He has jackets and zip ups but its short sleeves now.

oh, and the long trousers have gone away too.

I think this is ludicrous. I work in a (very expensive) private nursery and t shirts are available if a parent wants one. Most don't and sensibly send their children in oldish clothes so that the children can actually enjoy themselves. I would also say that if nursery staff need all the children to wear the same clothes just so they can keep track of children when they are out, I would be questioning the staff ratios and ability of the staff.

Maybe it is all because people send DCs in good clothes. Nursery is all about getting messy, if they don't come out covered in paint, grass stains etc it can't be very good! DCs need old clothes-this is one way around it.

exhausted2011 It's only been really warm for a few days so far. I really don't think it's going to stay this warm for the whole summer. I also prefer to put aged 2 DS in a thin long sleeved top rather than always have him in t.shirts. Better to cover up than keep using sun cream.

fair enough bonkers, no worries, just saying what I do.

seriously in our house, about now, most of the long sleeve stuff goes away, for all of us. we still have jackets and sweats, but the flesh is on show!

my DS sweats like a trooper, and the garden in nursery is mostly shaded.
and he gets suncream on before he goes, and if they go out they are religious about putting cream on them

You need three tops, one on, one clean, one in the wash, her brother can use them too even if they are paint covered.

Why are they not wearing little coveralls when they are painting.

Maybe this was introduced as people were complaing about decent clothes getting ruined?

I suppose that a private nursery can have a complusory uniform if they want to. If a parent has a spare nursery shirt in their bag then I think the nursery is being unreasonable.

Sometimes children can be very stubborn, even at school age. Working parents don't have time to fight about wearing uniform at 8am.

Personally I hate seeing pre school children in uniform. I have chosen a nursery were there is no uniform.

Are they putting the babies in uniform too?

That is just weird.

I agree that every day their shirts get dirty. I remember asking our son whether he had used his apron when he was drawing and he said "it was the other child that accidentally put paint on me". You can leave sighs while leaving that the teachers can hear "oh.. the 3rd shirt in a row!! What are you going to wear tomorrow poor you!". They should get the message. Public nurseries also have uniforms but they are not compulsory (although 95% of the children wear them).

Lots of interesting comments here, some for and some against my argument.

But amazed at the amount of people washing clothes every night. In a washing machine?

Changing nurseries - certainly in our area - is not something you can do on a whim. Waiting lists are generally 9-12 months long.

If I remember correctly, I was needing to do a wash pretty much every day when I had two of a similar age to yours, musicfan. I certainly have to run the machine daily now, as they are all at senior school and need a clean white shirt every day - which means that when dh's work shirts are added in, we go through 20 white shirts a week - thank heaven dh does most of the ironing. Oh, and as teenage boys they like their clothes too - especially ds3 who has (at the last count) 17 pairs of jeans, so we end up with mufti clothes in the wash too. Plus we have a labrador, who needs drying (and often de-mudding) when she's been out so there are plenty of dog towels too.

I think your nursery is being unreasonable to impose the new shirts on children who are going to be leaving in 4 months, as your dd is - as I said earlier, could you pass her stuff on down, if they are adamant about her having it, or maybe sell it on when she leaves?

The thing is , its a policy , not the law , and they cant actually enforce it . YOU are a customer and i think it wrong they impose their will on you like this with no discussion. Primary schools cannot enforce a uniform policy so i dont see how they can.

I think i would say that you dont like the uniform and you dont want her to wear it , so please dont change her into it. If they whinge state that you wasnt aware of this policy and wouldnt have chosen it if you knew it was going to be introduced .

Maybe not a wash every day (I do, but then I have nappies to wash & it all goes in together), but certainly every other day - so 2 shirts would be fine for 4 days.

But given that you have a younger child, I would possibly buy another couple of shirts; they'll get used, it's only a cost of

Goodness. What a fuss.
Polo shirts hardly constitute strict uniform.
Children have to wear something - how much are you paying for a private nursery for two kids? Are a few polo shirts - that you son can use later too such an issue?
Just buy 2 and (gasp!) wash them (in a washing machine - double gasp!) each night.
Unbelieavable stressover nothing.

The thing is , its a policy , not the law , and they cant actually enforce it . YOU are a customer and i think it wrong they impose their will on you like this with no discussion. Primary schools cannot enforce a uniform policy so i dont see how they can.

Maybe I am missing something here but a state primary school has to take the pupil, unless they have a very good reason to expel them and then there is a lengthy proceedure but surely a private nursery isn't obliged to take anyone and can simply ask your DC to leave?

Equally though, Exoticfruits, a private nursery would, I imagine, have a contract of sorts with their customers, stipulating that they can change the fees, conditions etc at any time. By signing this agreement, she is accepting those conditions. The nursery really can therefore impose their uiform policy. They have given notice and therefore have done nothing wrong. Unfortunate perhaps for the OP that her daughter leaves there in a few months, but I hardly think they would have decided this policy simply to inconvenience her.