Daycare Teacher Gifts

We have 3 children 4 and under in daycare/Montessori school. Yes, I agree, we would be rich if we didn't have to pay their tuition lol. but seriously, I personally always write a handwritten letter/card to thank them for everything and include a gift card or gift, usually around 20-25 dollars. I also try to include a picture of my child the teacher...personalization mall.com has some great daycare gifts..I probabaly tend to be on the higher side, but I figure these people are responsible for my children and I could never thank them enough.

I'm a preschool teacher and as tacky as it may sound, but I looooove giftcards....

I got as much as $ 50 at times....sometimes a $ 5 gift card to Starbucks....

Loved it all !!!!!!!

Got way too many candles, soaps and stuff....so I get really excited when I receive a card with a giftcard and some appreciative words in them....

I keep all the cards too, because I might be able to use them in the future when I want a new job, to prove how good of a work I've done ....

I am a daycare teach and have been for many years. I've seen some amazing gifts, and I've seen parents who ignore the fact that we've cared for their child all this time. >.:(

Honestly, a simple heartfelt thank you note would be nice. Besides the AMAZING stuff we see from well off families on occasion (once I got a $50 bill in a card with a thank you!!!) homemade treats are always nice. A little plate of cookies or such. There was one family and I had both their kids come through my class as they got older, man that Mom could bake. I looked forward to christmas every year when I had her kids! yum!

For thanksgiving last year (it was right after my daughter had started at the daycare, my son's been there for 5 years since he was 4 months old) I wrote up two identical thank you notes on large paper, thanking everyone for caring for my kids and welcoming me back to work after maternity leave. Then I filled a basket for each note with cookies, cakes, fruit, and chocolates and left one in the teacher's room and one in the office. Something simple like that makes a huge impression.

Other common and well appreciated gifts are gift cards to book stores, coffee shops, outlet stores (here in Massachusetts teacher love the Job Lot! LOL)

But really, it doesn't matter as long as you show you care and notice their existence. Every year we fawn over the lovely heartfelt notes we get and rumple our faces at the parents who do nothing. Even an amazing gift will be looked at sideways if the note says "to- Mrs. Rumplebottom, from - The smiths". with nothing else to say. I hope that helps.

OH! PS - don't give coffee mugs or candles. The only teacher who doesn't have a million coffee cups and candles is one who just started her career! LOL

A gift is not needed but appreciated, something under 20 bucks is standard.

I would think it would be like if they were in grade school where you give a gift at the end of the year. If you know other moms in the class, perhaps you could all give a certain amount together and get a gift card. Or maybe just a potted plant she could have at home or leave at school.

If I don't know something specific about the teacher that would help me pick a good gift, I get a gift card to a local lunch-type restaurant so that she can get lunch a couple of times or coffee or whatever (Panera is great if there's one nearby, or there might be a local deli that the teachers get takeout from). In the past I've had teachers comment about something specific that they really loved - a perennial fave was the water bottles my kids use, which are super-cold and don't sweat. So when teacher have raved about something like that or said "wow that's really useful" or "that's the best I've seen" then I try to remember to get one for them and incorporate it into an end of year gift.

For years when my kids had multiple teachers, I would gift a restaurant gift certificate to a local place for all of the teachers in the classroom. The director would let me know what was popular and I would make it big enough in $$ for all of them to get a decent lunch but it was still less than buying $20 gifts for everyone. That was always welcomed and was a nice change because a lot of them B.-bagged from home and ate with the kids at those teeny tables so to be treated to a real grown up lunch was a nice surprise.

I would say it depends on how many people you're getting a gift for. If you have just one or two main care providers you're buying for, I'd recommend a gift certificate for a pedicure (we have a place locally that you can get a nice one for $25), so that's a nice treat for them to take time for themselves. However, if you have a number of different folks to buy for, I have bought $5 gift cards to PeachWave (a soft serve frozen yogurt place) and attached a note that says, "Mrs. Smith - We think you’re just PEACHY! Thanks for ALL your hard work!" I like play on words though. So, set a budget and I really think they appreciate the effort of any kind and a nice note that includes a thank you, you're appreciated! Good luck! Hope this helps.