Key things to consider when refreshing your team uniform
Dear Members,
Choosing the right uniform is an important decision. A well chosen uniform not only contributes to the professional reputation of your service - it also reinforces the pride that your staff have in their work and helps build a positive team morale.
When selecting a team uniform, the obvious considerations are the practical nature of the work and the day to day activities of your team. Additional things you might like to include in the thought process are the brand image of your service and the key colours, the values of your service, and feedback from your team. You may like to offer a few key piece options to allow some flexibility for personal preferences, with an overarching consistent theme throughout.
Our friends at Cargo Crew have worked closely with many early learning services to create a unique look and feel that aligns with the brand image, practical requirements and ethos of each centre.
Below is a case study from one of their valued clients based in regional Victoria, which illustrates the importance of choosing a uniform that ticks all of the boxes.
Cargo Crew is offering a free uniform consultation, free shipping on your first order $350+ and discounted embroidery to ACA members - you can check out how to take up this offer further below.
CASE STUDY: Willowbank Early Learning Centre (ELC)
Willowbank Early Learning Centre (ELC) is located in the beautiful townships of Gisborne and New Gisborne, in regional Victoria. The centre was purpose-built a little over four years ago, to offer the community a modern, fun and engaging space for the children which encourages their curiosity, imagination and play-based learning. It's also the only privately owned and operated early learning service in the local area.
We asked Company Director Jamie Vella and Assistant Director Kirri Keet to talk us through the importance of the team uniform and the decision process thev went through to select the final range.
The team at Willowbank ELC consists of almost 50 staff each with their own strong connection to the local community. That strong community connection means that Willowbank's reputation for professionalism and high quality is even more important to the team. "After all, we live within the community that we service." explains Jamie.
Why is the team uniform such an important part of Willowbank ELC?
There are a number of reasons why the uniform is so important - firstly, a great uniform gives your team a sense of pride, and helps them feel that they belong to our wonderful, supportive team.
Secondly, we feel it's important that our team of early childhood educators are easily recognisable for all the children and parents at our service - the uniform makes them stand out clearly, in a positive way.
How did you decide on the key elements of the uniform?
Firstly, I knew I wanted the staff to represent the philosophy of our centre in every way, and I wanted them to stand out as different from the competition.
The uniform needed to be modern and fresh - I didn't want to see our staff in a typical brightly coloured polo top. I wanted to make sure the uniform we chose ticked the practical boxes, but just because our team works closely with children in what can sometimes be a messy environment, that doesn't mean they have to sacrifice style for practicality.
Why did you choose Cargo Crew?
I came across Cargo Crew online, and I felt that the suite of uniforms tor the early learning sector on their website aligned with our philosophy of being fit for the nature of the job, whilst also looking stylish and modern.
We're extremely happy with the end result - the team enjoy wearing the uniform as it contributes to their sense of professionalism and being part of a team. Parents have also commented that the girls look smart and professional.
What advice would you give to someone else looking to refresh their team uniform?
I would recommend taking into account the look and feel of the uniform and the "out of work" test - if your staff are proud to be seen in their work uniform before and after their work day, that's a great outcome.
Listen to your team - we rely on feedback from our staff to ensure they are comfortable with the uniform and it meets their needs.
We highly recommend Cargo Crew as a uniform provider. My goodness - I had trouble choosing our uniform because I loved everything in their online store!
But on top of their gorgeous range, they offered a fantastic service from start to finish. They were very helpful and accommodating to our needs.
Read the full case study here
To help ACA members get started on a uniform refresh, Cargo Crew is offering ACA members:
- Free Uniform consultation
- 10% off embroidery on your first order
- Free Shipping on your first order $350+
To claim your ACA member offer, just get in touch with the team at Cargo Crew and tell them you're an ACA member.
TEL: 03 9411 9850 EMAIL: hello@cargocrew.com.au
WEBSITE: www.cargocrew.com.au
SHOWROOM: 4 Scholar Drive, Bundoora Victoria 3083
(Showroom temporarily closed under COVID-19 restrictions)