We know. School just got out and the last thing you want to think about … is school. But there are several advantages to getting ready for the next school year now.
The first is to look at your inventory of general supplies and materials before you get too forward focused on what’s fresh and new for a new year. Reflect on what items held up well over the course of the school year, which things did not, and what kind of supply stock you had at the end of the year, while you have plenty of time to assess and thoughtfully order items in the quantities you need for the upcoming year.
Signage and Banners
If you used signs and banners that were intended to last for a single school year and need to be updated, noticed that you were missing signage it would be beneficial to have displayed, or were planning on getting new signage, stay ahead of the crush and order them in June or early July.
Why? Working ahead gives you plenty of time to make any changes to artwork and design on your sign or banner. Also, backlogs can sometimes happen trying to fulfill orders when everyone places their orders at the same time two weeks before school starts, and turnaround times can sometimes get pushed out beyond a normal week’s fulfillment.
When you order in late June or early July, you don’t have to worry about turnaround times bumping up against the start of school. You can store new signage with your other school supplies and have it ready to be displayed when it’s time to set up classrooms, hallways, commons areas, or gymnasiums prior to the return of students.
Apparel
If you’re planning on ordering school branded apparel for staff, you definitely want to get started on this early, especially if you’re ordering quantities for an entire staff, because of the lead time involved. You will need to give yourself time to get sizing from the people you plan to order apparel for. You will also want to allow yourself time to find the apparel you want to order for staff, whether it is a particular brand, color, or material.
If you’re not sure what to choose, but want to make sure it’s something teachers, coaches, and staff will want to wear, schedule a visit to our Promo Showroom! There’s nothing more painful to a budget than spending money buying shirts, polos, jackets, or hats that your team doesn’t want to wear because they aren’t superior quality or don’t fit well. Our promo team can show you different options that give you a better idea of quality and fit, and they can provide popular recommendations on apparel that fit your budget.
Standard production time for items like apparel is 2-3 weeks, which is why you want to order early to mid-summer if you want to distribute it during in-staff service days for wearing the first day of school. If you have an unexpected staffing change, rush orders are available, and there are no minimums for embroidered apparel, but you will pay more for rush service – and those are dollars you likely want to use elsewhere.
School Supplies
There are several other items you may need that also have a production time of 2-3 weeks. These items include lanyards and badges for staff and students. We recommend ordering lanyards in advance, since these are standardized for your school. If you end up ordering more than you initially need, the extras are likely to get used at some point during the school year. If you’re ordering ID badges for staff and students, we recommend ordering as many as you can early, and then placing a second order as needed for ones you weren’t planning for when the school year gets closer. This will help you avoid an ordering crush for supplies you need several weeks before the school year gets underway.
Swag items also have a standard production time of 2-3 weeks. If you want to hand out items like pens, highlighters, sticky notes, notebooks, planners, bags or other supplies during enrollment or orientation it’s also a good idea to order these with plenty of lead time so you avoid rush fees.
University faculty and departments should also be planning ahead for print materials for the fall semester, including syllabuses and course guides and materials. Most of these items have a week’s turnaround time, but if you have finalized your content, it’s still advisable to submit your orders and have your paperwork in hand several weeks before you need to begin distributing it to students.
It’s clear there’s a lot to keep track of and prepare for before a new school year gets underway. It may not be fun to be thinking about these things shortly after the current school year ends, but it does mean you can make sure you don’t forget to order anything important, you won’t have to worry about having the supplies you need (or thinking about the supplies you need!) in the last few weeks of your summer break, and you won’t be paying higher prices to rush items to receive them in time – perhaps leaving room in the budget for a pizza party or two?
Whether you’re planning for the upcoming school year, placing a rush order before the first day, or doing a reorder of supplies in the middle of the year, Broadstroke is ready to help your school get top grades all year long.
