Expanding Our Uniform Options: Why We Chose a Dress Code and Not a Uniform

Starting with the 2026-2027 school year, we are expanding our dress code options. The classic Edutainment look isn't going anywhere. What's new is that families can now also choose from a full palette of colors, any brand, any store, as long as each piece is a solid color from our list. We want to share the thinking behind this change.

Let's be honest: traditional preschool uniforms are adorable. There is something undeniably cute about a room full of tiny matching outfits. But as sweet as that image is, we believe a few things matter more at this stage of childhood: comfort, choice, and expression. The comfort to move, to play, and to discover. The chance to make real decisions, even small ones. And the freedom to show a little bit of who they are, starting with the color they love.

Our approach is inspired by the Reggio Emilia philosophy, which understands early childhood as valuable in itself, not a race toward somewhere else. We don't impose; we accompany. We don't standardize; we observe. This change is simply our uniform program catching up to who we want to be.

The Role of Choice

Choice has always been part of how we do things. Even our classic uniforms reflected it: each child got to pick the color of their shirt and their favorite Frontera Friends animal to wear on it. It was a small way of saying, "your voice matters here."

Now we're extending that choice even further.

Choosing what to wear is one of the very first real decisions a child gets to make. It may look small to us, but to a three year old it's enormous: I looked at my options, I picked the one I love, and today I get to wear it. These small daily choices are how independence takes root. They teach children to evaluate, to decide, and to take pride in their decisions. In our classrooms, children make meaningful choices all day long. It only felt right that their day could begin with one, too.

Comfort Is the Key to Exploration

Our days are full of climbing, painting, digging, dancing, building, and moving. Young children learn with their whole bodies, and clothing should never stand between a child and an experience.

That's why we ask families to choose soft, flexible pieces your child can truly move in, and why we gently steer away from stiff fabrics like denim (no one naps well in jeans!). When children are comfortable, they participate fully, dig deeper, and say yes to new experiences without hesitation.

The Simple Version

Our palette of blue, yellow, red, purple, berry, pink, and grey comes from the colors of our own school, so a classroom dressed in them still looks and feels like Edutainment. Solid colors keep the focus on children's own imaginations rather than on characters and logos.

Any solid color from our palette, mixed and matched however your child likes. No characters, logos, or graphic prints, with one happy exception: our own Frontera Friends shirts are always welcome. Order here. Need inspiration? Shop from our Benable page for curated options.