Hellobee Boards

We will probably give them extra cash, and a heartfelt thank you card. Charlie is really thriving in daycare, and we are so so grateful.

i think i may do some sort of apple themed gift. there are only 2 teachers at charlie's daycare and 1 assistant, and i definitely want to do something for them because they really take good care of him.

I don't think we ever gave teachers gifts when I was younger. Were we supposed to? Oops. HAHA. I'm sure when my LO starts school I'll probably make something for her teacher(s) or give them gift cards.

As a teacher the best gift I can receive is something off my classroom wishlist. If those things aren't provided I have to pay for them out of my own pocket because of budget cuts. I would recommend asking the teacher if they have a classroom wishlist and going from there. A lot of the things can be found really cheap or even bought with coupons. Examples include: ziploc bags, stickers, printer paper (this one is H.U.G.E! We always run out of paper around March), snacks for a younger class, dry erase markers, kleenex, etc.

You could also personalize it by including a nice handmade card from your little one.

@Looch: I can assure you that most homemade baked goods go straight in the trash. Our district actually doesn't allow homemade baked goods for things like holiday parties and birthday treats for this very reason. You are allowed to bring them as a gift to the teacher if you'd like but it's discouraged and most won't get consumed.

I just started a new thread about this same topic on the holiday board. Sorry about that.

One thing I'm considering is an ornament. We had pro pics done this month of our baby partly for Christmas cards. It looks like Mpix.com has an ornament that could be a decent idea.

Monetary gifts are the best (Starbucks gift cards, Target, restaurants, etc.), followed by school supplies stuff.

I was a student teacher for a couple of classrooms and the teachers I knew weren't fans of goodies (they got SO MANY cookies/treats, it wasn't healthy at all), cutesy themed things, and generic gift sets (like "spa themed" loofahs and body washes and stuff).

I have a live in nanny that I love like a little sister! She has family in California (we're in NYC) and I offered to pay for a ticket out there for her to spend Thanksgiving or Xmas with them but they don't really get along. For Xmas so far I got her a Kate Spade bag, a LV scarf (she always jokes she is going to steal mine! haha) and I think I'm going to buy her skydiving lessons. She always talks about doing this with her bf so I thought I'd get them a package but I'm scared because I don't know what my son would do without her! I need the company to guarantee me she'll be ok!

I'm wondering what to get our day care provider. Baby T is in an in-home day care and the woman and her husband are farmers in more rural upstate NY. I think Gift Cards would be iffy, unless it was to Walmart (but I Hate Walmart!). She usually has an array of baked goodies already, and I'm not good in the kitchen. I think I might just put some extra cash in with her weekly check.
If you are giving cash/gift cards what is a good amount? I was thinking $40 or $50? Keep in mind we are rural and pay about half of what parents pay for day care in urban/suburban areas.

Like @mediagirl, I'm always surprised to read about what, to me, seems like mandatory gift giving. When I was a kid, we didn't give daycare teachers gifts -- when did this become the norm? On my local boards people have posted about giving their nannies one weeks pay. Um, sorry, I can't afford that; besides that total would be more than I spent on gifts for my son or my husband. I love my nanny, but I'm not funding her Christmas shopping.

When I worked at bath and body works a lot of the moms would come in and purchase teacher gifts. Usually not the pre made gift sets but something like hand soap or hand sanitizers.