is this ludicrous or par for the course?

The kids got into a preschool we really like for next fall (yay!). We just got the handbook, and one part of it says basically that girls should not wear hair clips, headbands, etc because those don't stay put, and instead should have an "appropriate" haircut so their hair doesn't get in their face.

:blink:

I think this is totally crazy, but I'm a noob - have you ever run across a guideline like this?

(Needless to say, I'm going to ignore it. Ivy has beautiful long hair, looks best with barrettes, and is not going to get bangs.)

 

I don't have girls, but I think I'd have an issue with something like that. How can a school dictate what haircut your child should have? Did it mention anything about rubber bands/pony tails? If anything, just pull the top of Ivy's hair back with a pony. Then her hair is out of her face & she's still following the 'rules'.

The only time I've heard of not allowing barrettes & stuff is in an infant room. I worked in a 6w-15m room & we constantly had to ask parents NOT to put little barrettes & hair clips in their baby's hair. Other babies would take them & put them in their mouth, or they'd fall out & end up in some other baby's mouth. However, I doubt that'd happen in a preschool. And what about boys? I know lots of boys hair cuts leave the bangs hanging into their eyes (or is that more of an 'older boy' cut?).

I'm curious to hear if other mama's have heard something like this...

 

No way - that is totally crazy. My girls go to school too, and no one has said anything about hair clippies. In fact, Piper wanted seven barrettes today, so that's the way her hair is styled, with barrettes all over her head.

Actually, thinking about this, I don't think I could even comply if barrettes/clippies were outlawed. My girls have fine wispy curly hair and the only way to keep it out of their faces is strategically placed clips. That or shave it all off.

I'd ignore the directive too!

 

um...wow and I thought our preschool was like the militia....I put Abby's hair up daily....

 

Totally crazy. Most of the girls in our class have long hair, and most of them have it falling in their faces all the time. Amy wears a headband, which is a godsend because she can actually put it back in herself when it falls out. If I put a ponytail in, it's usually still there at the end of the day, but looks like a wreck. When she wears barrettes, it's even odds as to whether she'll have any idea where they are at pickup time.

I'd go with the pony to pull back the hair from her face, and call it good. When you visited (I'm assuming you visited), did you happen to notice if every single girl had short hair or bangs?

 

I wish Alice had hair.

Her hair is so fine that I keep it trimmed in a bob above her shoulders. I'd let it grow out, but then it would just be long and shaggy and meh. Royce's OTOH, his hair is thicker than hers and has a lot of it already.

Please don't let her have her dad's hair, please don't let her have her dad's hair. . .

ETA: If Alice goes to school with barrettes, I say goodbye to them. Did they give a reason why? Was it because they're tired of finding them? I agree, ponytails are the way to go.

 

I don't think I could handle that. We do all kinds of braids and other hair styles on Anna's super long hair. Especially during warm weather. I use barrettes and hair clips galore. Plus, Anna LOVES headbands. She has about 20 of them and wears one, no matter what her hairstyle, almost every day. It is all necessary to keep her hair out of her face. If a school told me to cut her hair they'd just be out of luck. If they weren't willing to change the rules, we'd find somewhere else.

 

It sounds like to me they are pretty much telling you that too bad so sad if barrettes and clips are lost. Surely they can't dictate whether they wear those or not. I would definitely ask for clarification. I'm not cutting my girls hair..it never grows!

 

That is nuts. Both of my girls have long hair and no bangs (cannot deal with the upkeep). Ana's hair will stay off her face because its got a little curl, but Meara's is only wavey and without a clip or pony tail holder will be in her face. My girls have been wearing clips in their hair since they were 1 and don't pull them out.

Congrats on them getting into the preschool you wanted!

 

I've never heard of such a thing. That's one rule I wouldn't be following, Lila will not be getting bangs. I pull her hair back every day before preschool & she always comes home with it still pulled back. That's just weird.

 

That is crazy!!! (I agree with everyone else!) There is no way I"d cut my dd's hair because of a school requirement. It's not as if they might get it caught in a hacksaw or something!

 

That's crazy! I will say we do lose clippies at preschool, but I have a set of "preschool/play" clippies and then others that I would never let them wear to preschool. And they do better with a pony tail or piggy tails for school, but DH gets them ready and he's no good at those so they usually wear a clip.

Bottom line - the school should not dictate whether they wear them or not.

 

I've only heard of this at our daycare/preschool in the under 2 croud b/c of choking hazards. I don't think I'd be happy about being told how my girls' hair was to be cut/managed.

 

Yeah, I'm with everyone else on this one, it's crazy!! I wouldn't cut Angie bangs just because a school tells me too. :nea: That's a really weird "rule".

 

That is wild!!

I would not agree with that sort of statement at all! My 2 four year olds love to 'choose' hairstyles for the day--one has a bob w/ bangs and the other has long long straight hair (no bangs) becasue of their very different hair texture/thicknesses..... They like their cuts different and the fact that they wear clippies/headbands/bows/etc almost everyday is something they ask for and like making choices about.

We do braids, ponytails, 1/2 ponytail (top 1/4 pulled back with a pony holder and bow), pig tails, etc....

 

While I do think the school has the right to say no barrettes, clips, etc (same as they have the right to say no mini skirts or whatever) I do NOT agree that they can dictate how your child's hair should be cut! I would talk to the school directly about it instead of outright ignoring the rule. Speaking up is the best way to get clarification and either have them change their wording or change their policy. Or, if they are firm about the whole tihng, it could be a sign to you that it might not be the "perfect" school after all.

 

My girls are 27 months have longish hair and no bangs and I won't be cutting their hair. I do pull it back in a pony tail or piggy tails each day before daycare. I don't have them wear barrettes because they don't stay in well (super fine hair). They will start preschool next year in the same daycare setting and I expect to keep doing their hair the same way.

I will say that as a teacher (I teach K-6 music) I am frequently taking barrettes, scrunchies, headbands, etc. away from little girls who can't leave them alone and are not focused on learning because of it. I always return the hair items at the end of class. I have gone so far as to tell a 3rd grader that she is no longer allowed to wear such things to my class because she can't leave them alone. General pony tails and pig tails are never a problem. I also have no problem with the kids who wear the extra fancy stuff and are able to leave it alone.

 

I can see them mentioning no clips/barrets b/c maybe it's a choking hazard? Well.. I don't know about for 3 year olds though. However, they can't tell you how to cut your kid's hair. That's just silly. I've worked at a daycare with 3 year olds and I will say that the girls who showed up with clips usually didn't make it home with clips. They get lost very easily and the teacher can't always keep up with them. My girls have lost bows at daycare so I started just putting their hair up with a little rubberband.

 

Thanks guys! Glad to know I'm not the only one who thinks they're out of their minds. About the school - we liked it a lot, have heard great things from other parents, it's a 10 minute walk from our house, and competition for preschool slots around here is just insane, so we're lucky to even have a spot in a place we felt so good about. (Despite the crazy hair policy.) Once we get closer to the start of the school year, I'll play around and try different ponytails/braids/etc to see what will stay in the best.

Oh, and someone asked how the girls there do their hair - I never even noticed while we were visiting, no doubt because I never expected it to be an issue! :crazy: We'll be visiting again later in the spring, and I will be very curious to check it out.

 

That's just nuts. I would be surprised if they actually enforced it. I certainly wouldn't cut hair based on it.