Christmas Gift Ideas

Hi, D.,
I'm now a grandmother, but have 4 grown children and 3 grandchildren. I had a home-based child-care business, until my mother became ill and we moved her in with us so I could care for her.
You're fortunate that your son enjoys his teachers...and so is he! Some of the best gifts I received as a child-care giver were tickets to movie theaters, gift certificates to restaurants, Dairy Queen gift certificates, a massage from a local massage school (inexpensive), a gift certificate for a haircut from my favorite hairdresser and some cozy slippers. If any of the teachers have little ones of their own, maybe you could offer to babysit for them on one of their days off, so they could have a little time to pamper themselves.
By far, my favorite gifts were seeing those little ones coming to my door every day and helping ME to be a happier person! I loved those days and am considering doing childcare, again, as Mom passed a couple of years ago.
Wishing you and your son a wonderful Holiday Season!
Pat

Depending on how much you are willing to spend, some ideas I have seen on provider message boards on what they have liked to get or have gotten and enjoyed. I am a former provider and just being included with a small gift meant a lot to me:

one week's salary (lol, who wouldn't?)
one of my families gave me $100 as a bonus
one of my daycare moms was a manager at Bare Escentuals at MOA, so she gave me makeup samples, LOVED it!
gift certificates to a restaurant
gift certificate to Bath & Bodyworks or other things you may know she enjoys pampering herself with
look around her house and see if she collects anything special
gas cards
IF your provider has kids of her own, offer to babysit so she can get out!!! (I'd of loved this one!)
a poem about being a provider in a nice frame
"handwritten" note from your son on a nice card (ya know, give him the markers and he'll get down to it!!)
there's a day spa in town, THAT would rock...
provide pizzas or another treat meal for the entire daycare for a day
hair salon certificate

There's so many more ideas. Just make it personal and make it clear how appreciated she/they are. Just knowing the parents understood how hard I worked meant TONS to me because the day to day gets tough!!

I think a giftcard to Starbucks, or one of the other popular coffee stores would be nice. It gives them an opportunity to stop and treat themselves, especially on a cold day when they are headed into work to take care of our babes. Goodluck!

You can buy some inexpensive cooking spoons. Wooden or plastic and fill them with Hershey's Kisses. Even Hershey's Hugs if you want. Cover with Saran Wrap or Colorful plastic and then tie with curling ribbon. Add a cute tag with somekind of cute saying like " A spoonful of Kisses(and Hugs) for a special teacher I love." Or something like it.

Another one is to consider that each one of them work full time and are busy with little ones all the time. They could use some grown up time. Find out if there is a theatre close and buy a set of tickets for each one. Some aren't as expensive as you'd think.

yourmusic.com has cd's for $6.99 each. There is a membership thing, but it's really a great deal. You could join and then purchase them each a cd maybe even a Christmas one.

Have a great time and have fun with the giving!

Gift cards to either book store, coffee shop, etc. Even $5 will be appreciated.

I gave our daycare provider a cup with some useful things. Like, erasers, pens and tape. Those are things that they need all the time. I didn't have to do much and it was cheap. You can get cups at the $ stores. good luck and happy holidays

Hopefully this helps... I put together little gift baskets of Arbonne aromaessential lotions and scrubs for my daughter's teachers at Montessori. I went with the aromatherapy for the relaxation & energizing benefits. I couldn't imagine working with 12 toddlers all day and not need some help with relaxing and re-energizing. Of course coffee & tea can do this too and can be made into nice gifts as well. I have a listing, if interested. Good luck and Happy Holidays. K.

Envelopes with cash is always appreciated. Daycare workers make so little and contribute so much.

Gift cards are always appreciated and they don't have to be for huge amounts. Five dollars at a coffee shop or bookstore is great. As a teacher myself, I often get a variety of items that range from practical to ornamental, but gift cards have always allowed me to go find something I specically want to get to use in the classroom. I would also suggest going to a bakery in your town that makes delicious breads. Instead of a gift card, you could get a specialty loaf of bread for each teacher and wrap a pretty ribbon around each one. That way you could give a yummy gift without having to spend the time baking it yourself. Good luck.
K.

I thought about this issue last year with my son's daycare too, and then they put out a notice that in lieu of individual gifts, they had a "wish list" for items needed at the daycare itself.

I always thought it would be nice to bring in some muffins, fruit and juice for them one day as an easy way to say thanks to everyone and give them something nice. I'm not sure of the logistics of them taking breaks, etc. to enjoy it so you might want to coordinate that with the supervisor.

Make up a food basket, either with Tastefully Simple products (all come open and serve or add 1 to 2 ingredients to prepare) or with sausage and cheeses. Movie gift certificates. Video rental certificates with popcorn.

Gift cards are always appreciated and they don't have to be for huge amounts.These fun gifts are sure to please your little ones. Nice work.

Hi,
Michaels has wooden ornaments for $1. I picked one up for my daughters teacher and she painted it herself. I think that it helps with the childs creative side and the recipient will apreciate the time put in from the child. Hope this helps.

Hi D.! I am a stay at home mom and a Mary Kay consultant and I have some really fabulous, inexpensive gift ideas for your son's amazing daycare teachers! I do all of the wrapping and would deliver it to your house so all you have to do is bring the gifts to the teachers. I so understand the lack of time, especially around this time of year! Let me know if you would be interested and I could definitely get you squared away at your convienience! Hope to talk to you soon!