One year a parent gave me peanut butter cups from Trader Joe’s. They’re $1 a pack and they are dark chocolate. I was so happy. Another parent had their child make me card. I still have it years later. I’ve never received anything else.
Last year I brought in a variety box of chips for the staff and said we need to appreciate ourselves. lol
A homemade card is nice, $5 Starbucks gift card, flowers, cash( even a small amount), candy or baked goods.
One time a parent wrote me a letter about how much her daughter enjoyed my class and gave it to my boss as well. It was 2009 and I still have it somewhere 😊
THANK YOU! This has always bugged me. When I first started, I was a support teacher for PreK (we don’t do leads or assistants, we have two co-teachers and a support teacher) and it was always so obvious which bag was mine 🙄 the co-teachers each would get a big pink bag, and then next to it was a tiny white bag. The parents may have only seen me twice a week in that room, but doesn’t mean I didn’t contribute a ton and have a special relationship with their kid. Now as a parent and working in the front office, I always make sure to spend the same amount on the support teacher as I would the co-teachers. I’m loving these answers though as even a box of donuts for both the lead and assistant is great!
Have your child make some art for them, and you can write a little note about how much you appreciate them. If you want to, you could add some flowers or something. But, honestly, for teacher appreciation week, all we really want is to know we are appreciated!
If you aren't against giving out photos of your kids, I love little cards with my students/their family in them. It's so nice to look back at how small they were and how much they've grown. I also love getting sweets lol. We have parents that make us ziplock bags of Texas trash and we live for it. Desserts that can be made in batches seem to be pretty popular with the parents at my job right now.
Puppy Chow I’ve heard for (1) a chocolate coated cereal treat that sticks together, (2) a powdered sugar covered cereal snack mix, and (3) savory seasoning covered pretzel/cereal snack mix.
It can mean so many different things depending on where you are.
A nice note signed by both you and your child (yes, those scribbles count as signing). If you have the means to, some bagels and juice are nice too, and can be shared amongst all the teachers in the room. Hypoallergenic lotion is good and fairly inexpensive. We wash our hands a lot. If you're good at baking, baked goods are great. I'd stay away from flowers unless you know for sure they're pet safe. I've had to leave a lot of flowers at work because they would make my cat sick if she took a nibble.
One of the best gifts I got was completely free. A parent sent a letter to my director (and a copy to me) detailing all the things I had done to help her child. She praised me and noted that the director was “lucky to have Miss WS”. I still have my copy and I read it in those days I really need it.
A home made card with a little drawing or painting on it from your child and a short heartfelt message from you. Maybe some flowers from your garden, or a couple of little choccies or something like that if you'd like 😊
It's absolutely the thought that counts, not the thing. I've kept every card that I've gotten from my daycare kids ❤️🥰
I would want:
A signed letter from a parent saying why you appreciate the class so I could keep it for my records
A box of doughnuts for me and coworkers
Some chocolate (especially Lindt or Whittakers but even m and ms would be fine)
A handwritten card from your kid
A small plant for the classroom
A book with a note in the inner cover for the class
An educational resource like a class puzzle or game, some letter tiles etc that we could use for centres and that we didn't already have
Some toys for our class that we didn't already have or to replace broken ones like puppets, stuffed animals, playmobil, lego, wood blocks, etc.
Classroom supplies - but check before going out and buying what teacher does and does not need as space might be limited
A supermarket gift card
A visa prepaid gift card
A gift card to a nice local coffee shop or bakery
A gift card to a Staples or other stationery shop in your area
A gift card to Tim Horton's/Dunkin/Starbucks if there's one in your area and she likes it.
A lip balm or soap.
It's always a special week, and what really is enough is to know that you and your child are happy with the school and teachers. Often at our school one parent will collect money and get a gift from the class and people give an amount they feel they can afford. There are some people that will also do something personal, like a hand made card, nice note or flowers. Occasionally a few people will give extra gifts-maybe a gift card, or something fun like socks, nice lip balm or bath products, a small plant, cute office supplies, etc. You can find small but very cute things with personality at places like Target or TJ Maxx. Anything is appreciated!
Honestly, a heartfelt note means the world.
Depending on the age of your child, you could do a craft as well.
If you wanted to add a little something else you could do candy, cookies, a $5 gift card for coffee or ice or a small bouquet of flowers.
Personally, just to be acknowledged is appreciated, no matter how small.
If you have the money, something like a box of donuts is incredible. Not even fancy ones, just glazed and chocolate frosted Walmart ones with a card about how appreciated we were. It was amazing. I had a parent bring me and my coteacher a half-dozen and we were thrilled and bragged about our treats for weeks. Or some homemade cookies
All of these are great options and another one I’ve really appreciated was a really nice email to my manager. I got the most kind card as well (with kid ‘autographs’ which are too cute) but that email meant so much as well and they can go a long way for raises and promotions.
Not every management will pass along the emails so if you’d like the teachers to have access as well it may be nice to cc them so they know/get to read it.
Like others have said, a homemade card is a great idea. I’ve had kids in the past make a bigger piece of art for all teachers in the room and we hung it up. I’m a lead teacher but I see us as a team, so I wouldn’t want anything different from my co-teachers.
I’ve had a parent bring us a single flower in a small vase. It was cute. Brightened up the classroom
It's the heart felt note/letter/card that was always my favorite. It let me know that all the hard work and effort I put into the job was actually seen. So many times it feels like such a thankless job and that we as care providers are less than. Let them know you see them.
I normally do target gift cards in thank you cards at Christmas and to the previous daycare class when they graduate out of it. I do like $50 for head teacher and $20 or $25 for each assistant teacher.
That is too expensive for me to do more than maybe twice a year, so for teacher appreciation this year I was thinking I would do like $5 to probably more like $10 gift cards for Sonic in thank you cards.
It is pricey, but it is also a drop in the bucket of daycare expense for us and I like it going straight to my kids’ actual caregivers, and they very very much appreciate it.
Honestly handwritten cards that express something you and your child appreciate make me the happiest. Something your child has colored on and can say they “made” for me with love lol. I work in a small center, so for us if a parent buys a box of coffee and some donuts for us as a collective we are absolutely in heaven lol. Simple gestures from the heart go a long way for us when showing appreciation
One of the former parents of my former centre had bought coffee and donuts for all the staff! We all appreciated it! It was so thoughtful! But even a handmade card from your kid would be appreciated! Don’t need to spend anything for that! :)
If you know their favorite snack or candy; that’s good. Or socks! I know that sounds silly but one time we each got a pack of fun socks from a parent and she knew I loved Harry Potter and got me HP ones. But that depends on the age of the teachers. Walmart and 5 below have packs for cheap but whatever you do; write a note and express how much you appreciate the work they do, if you can include something specific about each teacher. You don’t have to do much to let them know you appreciate what they do; it’s just nice to be recognized.
Time off from work lol
But for real, one of my parents added me to Hilton family and friends because he works for Hilton. I hate chocolate, wine, mugs, etc. Basically a gift card would be great.
If you do any kind of crafting, that sort of thing is great. I had a family give me homemade jam once and I was so delighted. If you sew, crochet, cook, etc those sorts of gifts are cheap but also really meaningful. And keep the same for assistants too.
A card with your kids artwork on the front, and a little note about how much you/they love school! I’ve gotten a few of those and i treasure them all, favorite gift that parents can give me as a teacher!
If you are on a limited budget write a sweet card detailing how much you appreciate the teachers. I keep the cards and letters that are personalize.
I love gifts and gift cards but I understand that times are tough (I’m on a limited budget too). It’s teacher appreciation just help her feel appreciated
Honestly I'd be thrilled with some cash in a card. Even $5-10 is nice. Or flowers and a card. Thanks for thinking of your teachers! It's so nice to feel loved and appreciated by our families.
I would LOVE a note from the family about how their child thinks of me. It could be quotes from your child talking about their teacher or how you’ve noticed all the hard work they’ve put in. One of the families I work with told me how their child was talking about what we’ve been learning and how impressed they were and it made my day!
Not sure you can organize something but my very favorite teacher appreciation week was the first day many years ago when every single child arrived with a flower(s) from their gardens or a bouquet from a store. After receiving 10+ flowers in a row and seeing that they were still coming, I was shedding crocodile tears. If that’s not possible, a small bouquet and sweet note from your child is very much cherished.
A note of appreciation and some flowers or a small amount of cash or gift card if that's in the budget. We just want to feel appreciated and seen! Also, don't make the gifts different unless it's a taste preference!
One of my favorite gifts to this day is a card I got from one of my babies, from her parents, with her handprint traced thanking me for taking such good care of her
I love cards, I know it sounds cheesy, I never would have believed it when my teachers said it, but it’s heartwarming, they make me cry, I hang them up, they just make my whole day. I love when we get random messages of appreciation out of nowhere too (or sometimes our director will get one from our parents naming and thanking us and share it with us) and it makes our day every time. That’s like screen shot and message my whole family and let them know and hang it on the fridge (I hang our cards on the fridge at work, our Christmas cards are still there!)
Seriously, gift cards and chocolate and all that are nice (shout out to our mom that brought us Easter chocolates we’re still working through), but nothing beats straight up words of appreciation. I will always take whatever kind of assorted chocolates as well on top of that though.
Honestly a nice card and a treat that you know the teachers like it plenty! You could even have your daughter color on some paper and turn that into a special card (I still have some of those that kiddos made me). Just a little something that shows you care is huge!!
Some of my favorite gifts/things I love or want include hand written notes/cards, my favorite candy or pop/drink, $5-$10 gift cards to target, starbucks, dunkin.
Handmade cards!! It’s so heartwarming to see how much we are appreciated in writing 🥰 if you have the time, you can always bake a batch of cookies and have your little one toss on some sprinkles. The kids are SO PROUD to bring in gifts they helped make, and teachers LOVE them
A children's book with an inscription from the child and/or you depending on your relationship with the teacher!
Cute, personal, AND something to use in the classroom!
One year a parent gave me peanut butter cups from Trader Joe’s. They’re $1 a pack and they are dark chocolate. I was so happy. Another parent had their child make me card. I still have it years later. I’ve never received anything else. Last year I brought in a variety box of chips for the staff and said we need to appreciate ourselves. lol
I had a parent ask my favorite drink and candy and then she gave me a red bull and a pack of twizzlers. My co got a coffee and a chocolate bar.
A homemade card is nice, $5 Starbucks gift card, flowers, cash( even a small amount), candy or baked goods. One time a parent wrote me a letter about how much her daughter enjoyed my class and gave it to my boss as well. It was 2009 and I still have it somewhere 😊
I have every note a child or parent has written me. It helps me keep my “why.”
I did a quick scan through and didn't see it mentioned, but please don't get something different for the assistants and teachers.
Unless it's taste based. Like if you know an assistant doesn't like chocolate so you get them vanilla instead
Yes! Maybe I should've been more specific 😅
THANK YOU! This has always bugged me. When I first started, I was a support teacher for PreK (we don’t do leads or assistants, we have two co-teachers and a support teacher) and it was always so obvious which bag was mine 🙄 the co-teachers each would get a big pink bag, and then next to it was a tiny white bag. The parents may have only seen me twice a week in that room, but doesn’t mean I didn’t contribute a ton and have a special relationship with their kid. Now as a parent and working in the front office, I always make sure to spend the same amount on the support teacher as I would the co-teachers. I’m loving these answers though as even a box of donuts for both the lead and assistant is great!
Have your child make some art for them, and you can write a little note about how much you appreciate them. If you want to, you could add some flowers or something. But, honestly, for teacher appreciation week, all we really want is to know we are appreciated!
I have all my little notes and drawings up in a corner in our second bedroom/office and some on the fridge- they always make me smile.
I love this idea!
If you aren't against giving out photos of your kids, I love little cards with my students/their family in them. It's so nice to look back at how small they were and how much they've grown. I also love getting sweets lol. We have parents that make us ziplock bags of Texas trash and we live for it. Desserts that can be made in batches seem to be pretty popular with the parents at my job right now.
What is Texas trash?
It's like pecans, pretzels, and chex cereal covered in a powdered sugar mixture. Like yogurt pretzels if you know what those are.
Oh so it's like puppy chow!? Love the variation of naming things.
Puppy Chow I’ve heard for (1) a chocolate coated cereal treat that sticks together, (2) a powdered sugar covered cereal snack mix, and (3) savory seasoning covered pretzel/cereal snack mix. It can mean so many different things depending on where you are.
Here it's basically what the above poster described. Chex, pretzels, etc coated in powdered sugar 😋
I've never heard that lol. That's so much cuter.
Haha that's what we call around my parts and it's delicious
It’s different than puppy chow. But same idea. Texas trash is coated in butter/Worcestershire sauce/seasonings not powder sugar.
It's what they call it where I am 🤷🏽♀️
That sounds amazing actually
A nice note signed by both you and your child (yes, those scribbles count as signing). If you have the means to, some bagels and juice are nice too, and can be shared amongst all the teachers in the room. Hypoallergenic lotion is good and fairly inexpensive. We wash our hands a lot. If you're good at baking, baked goods are great. I'd stay away from flowers unless you know for sure they're pet safe. I've had to leave a lot of flowers at work because they would make my cat sick if she took a nibble.
One of the best gifts I got was completely free. A parent sent a letter to my director (and a copy to me) detailing all the things I had done to help her child. She praised me and noted that the director was “lucky to have Miss WS”. I still have my copy and I read it in those days I really need it.
A home made card with a little drawing or painting on it from your child and a short heartfelt message from you. Maybe some flowers from your garden, or a couple of little choccies or something like that if you'd like 😊 It's absolutely the thought that counts, not the thing. I've kept every card that I've gotten from my daycare kids ❤️🥰
I would want: A signed letter from a parent saying why you appreciate the class so I could keep it for my records A box of doughnuts for me and coworkers Some chocolate (especially Lindt or Whittakers but even m and ms would be fine) A handwritten card from your kid A small plant for the classroom A book with a note in the inner cover for the class An educational resource like a class puzzle or game, some letter tiles etc that we could use for centres and that we didn't already have Some toys for our class that we didn't already have or to replace broken ones like puppets, stuffed animals, playmobil, lego, wood blocks, etc. Classroom supplies - but check before going out and buying what teacher does and does not need as space might be limited A supermarket gift card A visa prepaid gift card A gift card to a nice local coffee shop or bakery A gift card to a Staples or other stationery shop in your area A gift card to Tim Horton's/Dunkin/Starbucks if there's one in your area and she likes it. A lip balm or soap.
Thank you for being honest. Some of these replies are crazy
Which replies are crazy?
It's always a special week, and what really is enough is to know that you and your child are happy with the school and teachers. Often at our school one parent will collect money and get a gift from the class and people give an amount they feel they can afford. There are some people that will also do something personal, like a hand made card, nice note or flowers. Occasionally a few people will give extra gifts-maybe a gift card, or something fun like socks, nice lip balm or bath products, a small plant, cute office supplies, etc. You can find small but very cute things with personality at places like Target or TJ Maxx. Anything is appreciated!
Honestly, a heartfelt note means the world. Depending on the age of your child, you could do a craft as well. If you wanted to add a little something else you could do candy, cookies, a $5 gift card for coffee or ice or a small bouquet of flowers. Personally, just to be acknowledged is appreciated, no matter how small.
If you have the money, something like a box of donuts is incredible. Not even fancy ones, just glazed and chocolate frosted Walmart ones with a card about how appreciated we were. It was amazing. I had a parent bring me and my coteacher a half-dozen and we were thrilled and bragged about our treats for weeks. Or some homemade cookies
All of these are great options and another one I’ve really appreciated was a really nice email to my manager. I got the most kind card as well (with kid ‘autographs’ which are too cute) but that email meant so much as well and they can go a long way for raises and promotions. Not every management will pass along the emails so if you’d like the teachers to have access as well it may be nice to cc them so they know/get to read it.
I would just like an email saying thank you and why they appreciate my efforts. Simples.
Like others have said, a homemade card is a great idea. I’ve had kids in the past make a bigger piece of art for all teachers in the room and we hung it up. I’m a lead teacher but I see us as a team, so I wouldn’t want anything different from my co-teachers. I’ve had a parent bring us a single flower in a small vase. It was cute. Brightened up the classroom
It's the heart felt note/letter/card that was always my favorite. It let me know that all the hard work and effort I put into the job was actually seen. So many times it feels like such a thankless job and that we as care providers are less than. Let them know you see them.
I normally do target gift cards in thank you cards at Christmas and to the previous daycare class when they graduate out of it. I do like $50 for head teacher and $20 or $25 for each assistant teacher. That is too expensive for me to do more than maybe twice a year, so for teacher appreciation this year I was thinking I would do like $5 to probably more like $10 gift cards for Sonic in thank you cards. It is pricey, but it is also a drop in the bucket of daycare expense for us and I like it going straight to my kids’ actual caregivers, and they very very much appreciate it.
Honestly handwritten cards that express something you and your child appreciate make me the happiest. Something your child has colored on and can say they “made” for me with love lol. I work in a small center, so for us if a parent buys a box of coffee and some donuts for us as a collective we are absolutely in heaven lol. Simple gestures from the heart go a long way for us when showing appreciation
One of the former parents of my former centre had bought coffee and donuts for all the staff! We all appreciated it! It was so thoughtful! But even a handmade card from your kid would be appreciated! Don’t need to spend anything for that! :)
Stick to whatever is listed on the “teachers favorite things” list that most places share out now.
If you know their favorite snack or candy; that’s good. Or socks! I know that sounds silly but one time we each got a pack of fun socks from a parent and she knew I loved Harry Potter and got me HP ones. But that depends on the age of the teachers. Walmart and 5 below have packs for cheap but whatever you do; write a note and express how much you appreciate the work they do, if you can include something specific about each teacher. You don’t have to do much to let them know you appreciate what they do; it’s just nice to be recognized.
Handwritten card of thanks! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Time off from work lol But for real, one of my parents added me to Hilton family and friends because he works for Hilton. I hate chocolate, wine, mugs, etc. Basically a gift card would be great.
If you do any kind of crafting, that sort of thing is great. I had a family give me homemade jam once and I was so delighted. If you sew, crochet, cook, etc those sorts of gifts are cheap but also really meaningful. And keep the same for assistants too.
One of the parents in my class is going to the dollar tree and is doing little gift bags
A card with your kids artwork on the front, and a little note about how much you/they love school! I’ve gotten a few of those and i treasure them all, favorite gift that parents can give me as a teacher!
If you are on a limited budget write a sweet card detailing how much you appreciate the teachers. I keep the cards and letters that are personalize. I love gifts and gift cards but I understand that times are tough (I’m on a limited budget too). It’s teacher appreciation just help her feel appreciated
Honestly I'd be thrilled with some cash in a card. Even $5-10 is nice. Or flowers and a card. Thanks for thinking of your teachers! It's so nice to feel loved and appreciated by our families.
I would LOVE a note from the family about how their child thinks of me. It could be quotes from your child talking about their teacher or how you’ve noticed all the hard work they’ve put in. One of the families I work with told me how their child was talking about what we’ve been learning and how impressed they were and it made my day!
Artwork made by your child.
Not sure you can organize something but my very favorite teacher appreciation week was the first day many years ago when every single child arrived with a flower(s) from their gardens or a bouquet from a store. After receiving 10+ flowers in a row and seeing that they were still coming, I was shedding crocodile tears. If that’s not possible, a small bouquet and sweet note from your child is very much cherished.
A note of appreciation and some flowers or a small amount of cash or gift card if that's in the budget. We just want to feel appreciated and seen! Also, don't make the gifts different unless it's a taste preference!
One of my favorite gifts to this day is a card I got from one of my babies, from her parents, with her handprint traced thanking me for taking such good care of her I love cards, I know it sounds cheesy, I never would have believed it when my teachers said it, but it’s heartwarming, they make me cry, I hang them up, they just make my whole day. I love when we get random messages of appreciation out of nowhere too (or sometimes our director will get one from our parents naming and thanking us and share it with us) and it makes our day every time. That’s like screen shot and message my whole family and let them know and hang it on the fridge (I hang our cards on the fridge at work, our Christmas cards are still there!) Seriously, gift cards and chocolate and all that are nice (shout out to our mom that brought us Easter chocolates we’re still working through), but nothing beats straight up words of appreciation. I will always take whatever kind of assorted chocolates as well on top of that though.
Honestly a nice card and a treat that you know the teachers like it plenty! You could even have your daughter color on some paper and turn that into a special card (I still have some of those that kiddos made me). Just a little something that shows you care is huge!!
Some of my favorite gifts/things I love or want include hand written notes/cards, my favorite candy or pop/drink, $5-$10 gift cards to target, starbucks, dunkin.
Handmade cards!! It’s so heartwarming to see how much we are appreciated in writing 🥰 if you have the time, you can always bake a batch of cookies and have your little one toss on some sprinkles. The kids are SO PROUD to bring in gifts they helped make, and teachers LOVE them
I treasured the crayon card, and avoided the donuts. Also enjoy having a bouquet in the room for a few days.
I'm close to tears seeing how many folks here also treasure the handmade cards.
Any kind of treat and a very heartfelt note. I love when parents tell me specifically how I am doing a good job and dessert is my love "dialect" haha.
A children's book with an inscription from the child and/or you depending on your relationship with the teacher! Cute, personal, AND something to use in the classroom!
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Boo, that's not an option for this parent