Day Care Gifts

mommymegan831 · December 2014

DD has had the same teacher since last year. She also used to have Ms. L, but she came after the holidays and is now in the toddler room with DS. I believe DS's main teacher is Ms. C. I see on the chart she's in charge of changing him. She came right around the holidays last year and I gave a small gift. She's nice enough, I've seen her lead some crafts, but I think Ms. L is the head teacher and seems to take more of a lead in the class. The weekly newsletter is usually signed by her.

I'm thinking of giving DD's teacher and Ms. L a $25-$50 gc and a box of munchkins per room for the various helpers in each room. I could also give Ms. C a $10 gc to Dunkin Doughnuts, but I worry they may compare amounts, however there is an age gap and I don't think they have a friendship relationship. WWYD? I'm not spending a ton.

[Deleted User] · December 2014

I would spread the gifts evenly amongst the teachers. This is what I have done each year.

eyenigh · December 2014

I take what I pay for one week of childcare and spread it out evenly between all of the teachers.

Samiantha101 · December 2014

I wouldn't buy them anything. I don't buy gifts for anyone but my children and parents. Why buy for daycare providers? I don't get it.

[Deleted User] · December 2014

Samiantha101 said:

I wouldn't buy them anything. I don't buy gifts for anyone but my children and parents. Why buy for daycare providers? I don't get it.

Are you serious?

I'm just going to assume this is trolling because I'm fairly certain 99% of the board would agree they deserve appreciation.

lilies&orchids · December 2014

We give equal amounts to each teacher.

MickeyM04 · December 2014

Samiantha101 said:

I wouldn't buy them anything. I don't buy gifts for anyone but my children and parents. Why buy for daycare providers? I don't get it.

You don't get why you would buy a gift for the person who takes care of your child all day so that you can have the peace of mind to go to work and know that they are well-cared for and loved? The person who knows that your child is having a bad morning as soon as they walk in the door in the morning because she just knows your child's facial expressions that well? The person who's practically as excited as your child is to tell you that he went in the potty for the first time? The person who takes the time to chat with you after daycare to tell you about some ideas she has for helping your child with a new issue he or she is facing? Who lets your child snot all over her when he has a cold, because he wants snuggles, and she says to hell with whether I get this kid's cold, I'm going to hold him and hug him today anyway?

Yeah, why the F would I want to get a little token for this person to tell her I appreciate her? No freaking idea.

[Deleted User] · December 2014

Troll. Right? It has to be.

MickeyM04 · December 2014

She does have quite a few posts but there are some strange ones. Like one was a post indicating she didn't want her child to go to daycare where the teachers were of other races/ethnicities because of a concern over her child learning other languages or something. A lot of people flipped about that.

[Deleted User] · December 2014

I have become so Bump jaded that I can't even freak out anymore. Is that bad? All I can do is laugh hysterically at those type posts.

I'm fairly certain that's a sign I need a break.

[Deleted User] · December 2014

Anyway, back on topic.

I would pick a budget and divide evenly. Or if it is a class with a lot of teachers and you aren't sure who does what in the class- do a pizza lunch for the teachers or bagels for breakfast to cover the whole room. Then a card to each teacher thanking them for all their hard work throughout the year.

DS's school has many teachers who celebrate other holidays. I use this season as a chance to say thank you for all their work and love the give DS. Any thought is appreciated.

MickeyM04 · December 2014

Oh and to answer the OP, I would pick an amount you are comfortable with and divide evenly. DH and I discussed this last night. Each kid has 3 teachers in their room. 1 is the "main" teacher, but they all spend relatively equal time with the kids.

We are spending approximately $25 per teacher for 6 teachers. Part of the gift will be a homemade treat and the rest will be a gift card, probably to Target since who doesn't like Target?

Samiantha101 · December 2014

PrivacyWanted said:

MarlaSinger& said:

Samiantha101 said:

I wouldn't buy them anything. I don't buy gifts for anyone but my children and parents. Why buy for daycare providers? I don't get it.

Are you serious?
I'm just going to assume this is trolling because I'm fairly certain 99% of the board would agree they deserve appreciation.

I'm fairly certain the same opinion was disCussed around teacher appreciation day.

Um, yes, I am serious. I don't buy my mail man a present either. The HORROR. Oh and guess what, my boss doesn't buy me a present. I've come to the conclusion that all these gifts just enable all sorts of mommy wars you hear about. It's beyond ridiculous.

[Deleted User] · December 2014

LOL. Mailman is so totally like the person who keeps my child alive for 10 hours a day.

I can't even rage. It's just too comical.

rodiesmum · December 2014

I'll give equal perhaps

kmos816 · December 2014

We are going to provide lunch one day as there are 2 infant rooms and they all help out. We will do something extra (card and small gift) for her primary teacher and primary assistants. She loves them and they love her- we want to do something nice :-)

Unknown · December 2014

This content has been removed.

mlee116 · December 2014

Yeah, the mailman =/= my child's caregiver. Not even close. The mailman sticks some envelopes in our mailbox, which takes less than a minute per day. My child's teacher spends 8 hours+ with him a day, loves him and is a huge part of his life. Plus, she wipes his ass...nuff said. Yes, I pay the DC for their services, but I'm happy to show a little extra appreciation to his teacher who goes above and beyond.

I've budgeted what we spend on one week of care to spend on his teacher and the assistants/floaters, but I'm allocating more to his main teacher. This year I'm doing scarves plus lotion for the assistants and a scarf + GC for the main teacher.

newenglander71 · December 2014

MarlaSinger& said:

LOL. Mailman is so totally like the person who keeps my child alive for 10 hours a day. I can't even rage. It's just too comical.

This.

And related to showing appreciation, how would you guys gift here: DS is transitioning slowly to next room, but now that we've started potty training (kind of sort of), the staff in the new room are the ones putting him on the potty all day. Even when he's not in there "transitioning". What would you give to those teachers? Feels weird to give them as much as the teachers who have taken care of him FT for the last year, but they deserve something IMO. Ideas?

Tink112011 · December 2014

I love what our daycare does. They take a collection of cash from any interested parent and then divide it evenly among all teachers. The teachers get a card listing who all contributed, but not how much.

It's a great way to give however much you can afford and still be able to recognize all the different teachers that impact your LO. It's tricky at a daycare center because in a given year, a child is cared for by many different teachers.

So I will give about $50 to the collection. I wish I could give more, but that's what we can afford right now. When teacher appreciation week comes around in the spring, we will give again.

[Deleted User] · December 2014

newenglander71 said:

MarlaSinger& said:

LOL. Mailman is so totally like the person who keeps my child alive for 10 hours a day. I can't even rage. It's just too comical.

This.

And related to showing appreciation, how would you guys gift here: DS is transitioning slowly to next room, but now that we've started potty training (kind of sort of), the staff in the new room are the ones putting him on the potty all day. Even when he's not in there "transitioning". What would you give to those teachers? Feels weird to give them as much as the teachers who have taken care of him FT for the last year, but they deserve something IMO. Ideas?

Some donuts/munchkins or bagels one morning with a note of thanks.

Will she transition next year around the same time?

newenglander71 · December 2014

MarlaSinger& said:

newenglander71 said:

MarlaSinger& said:

LOL. Mailman is so totally like the person who keeps my child alive for 10 hours a day. I can't even rage. It's just too comical.

This.

And related to showing appreciation, how would you guys gift here: DS is transitioning slowly to next room, but now that we've started potty training (kind of sort of), the staff in the new room are the ones putting him on the potty all day. Even when he's not in there "transitioning". What would you give to those teachers? Feels weird to give them as much as the teachers who have taken care of him FT for the last year, but they deserve something IMO. Ideas?

Some donuts/munchkins or bagels one morning with a note of thanks.
Will she transition next year around the same time?

That's a good idea, I was thinking of doing something along those lines initially but wasn't sure. Thanks! And I don't think he will transition again until after the holidays next year, based on what I've seen, so I won't miss "appreciating" these teachers next year.

[Deleted User] · December 2014

bellaxanthe said:

We just had a huge swap of teachers and to be honest I can barely tell who the lead ones are since they keep floating her over to the next class up. Her primary teach quit so now I'm at a bit of a loss. I will get a token set of giftcards - all the same amount and some treats for the rest of the staff and call it good. I cannot provide GC for 10+ teachers that may or may not be her teacher only at drop off time.

It will not be 1 week's fee though, that is too much for me.

Daycare for us is akin to a monthly mortgage payment. We are not in the position to do a week's worth of tuition as gifts either. I totally get that. I think any token of appreciation is nice.

One year DS had a lot of floaters (a teacher had just gone on maternity leave). We did a gift for the room that year to cover all the teachers. I arranged for lunch to be delivered one day and let the Director and teachers know in advance. That was the easiest and most efficient way to say thank you and not accidentally skip a floater.

aglenn · December 2014

Our center is big and they have a good system that I appreciate, because a lot of teachers float from room to room and I can't keep track of who's where and was always worried about forgetting someone. They have a general teacher gift collection that you donate whatever you want to, and they use it for a staff celebration and gifts that they distribute. We also do cards and a small gift card for the primary teachers.

[Deleted User] · December 2014

A card. A simply card that says thanks. It isn't that difficult or expensive.

BabyHope2013 · December 2014

We give $50 to our daycare provider/owner of our daycare in the form of a gift card to somewhere that she likes. Then for her two assistants we give them a $25 gift card. It is quite a chunk of our holiday budget---but they are with my son 5 days a week for 8 hours a day. I'd rather sacrifice a few things from our grocery budget or not go out to eat in order to recognize how much that I appreciate them and how much that I love the care they give to DS when I am not around.

PhDMomma · December 2014

newenglander71 said:

MarlaSinger& said:

LOL. Mailman is so totally like the person who keeps my child alive for 10 hours a day. I can't even rage. It's just too comical.

This.

And related to showing appreciation, how would you guys gift here: DS is transitioning slowly to next room, but now that we've started potty training (kind of sort of), the staff in the new room are the ones putting him on the potty all day. Even when he's not in there "transitioning". What would you give to those teachers? Feels weird to give them as much as the teachers who have taken care of him FT for the last year, but they deserve something IMO. Ideas?

DS changes rooms based on his birthday at the end of October. Last year we gave the teachers in the room he had just transitioned from a larger gift (because they took care of him for most of the year), and then the teacher's in his new room a smaller gift. We will do the same this year. We typically give cash or gift cards (totaling a week of tution), along with a handwritten note.

ridesbuttons · December 2014

I think daycare workers are scandalously underpaid.

I used to give $50 (cash) to each of the teachers in my kids' daycare at Christmas. Less than $1 per week per teacher; I would put the cash in a simple card of thanks and best wishes for the new year.

I don't like GCs for lots of reasons.

bumpuser10331514 · December 2014

Samiantha101 said:

Samiantha101 said:

I wouldn't buy them anything. I don't buy gifts for anyone but my children and parents. Why buy for daycare providers? I don't get it.

Are you serious?
I'm just going to assume this is trolling because I'm fairly certain 99% of the board would agree they deserve appreciation.
I'm fairly certain the same opinion was disCussed around teacher appreciation day.
Um, yes, I am serious. I don't buy my mail man a present either. The HORROR. Oh and guess what, my boss doesn't buy me a present. I've come to the conclusion that all these gifts just enable all sorts of mommy wars you hear about. It's beyond ridiculous.

Then don't get them a gift.

As for what OP asked about, I gave extra to the DCP who was clearly the primary for my DS. This year, however, it's less clear - partly due to the DC getting busier and the my LOs transitioning between rooms. So everyone is getting the same. Even the girl I don't like. Ever have someone who just rubs you the wrong way?

2chatter · December 2014

The floater thing is stressing me out. DS had less exposure to floaters in the past, but this year he starts in one room, floaters get him out of my car every morning and one switches out in there during the day (they had a three staff turnover recently and I don't even know which one).

Should I gift the two teachers in his room and the admin (who sort of runs the place and handled the whole "calling DS bad" thing for me beautifully) and then bring a treat for everyone?

Also - this doesn't apply this year, but next year all of his teachers will be non-Christian. Should I gift around Eid or another holiday instead? Whose faith wins the gifting timeframe from a courtesy standpoint? (I know it's a gift and it's the thought that counts but I have this irrepressible desire to get it right).

[Deleted User] · December 2014

I use it as a thank you. Many of DS's teachers are Jewish, Muslim, etc. All are appreciative of the thanks.

Mustardseed2007 · December 2014

On the faith issue, I'm giving amazon's "Happy Holidays" card at DD's Jewish DC and a "Merry Christmas" one at my son's DC b/c I'm almost certain they all celebrate Christmas there, whereas I'm almost but not quite certain that all DD's teacher's celebrate Hanukkah. I would have done a Happy Holiday one for all of them but they had some pretty Christmas cards that I found more aesthetically pleasing. 25 for each teacher plus contributing to the group pool.

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