My son attends a large day-care, and the PTA asked the teachers to post "Wish Lists" on the doors of their classrooms. They are usually things like socks, gift cards, candles, stationary, etc. But it's nice to know that you're buying something they WANT, not just some knick-knack they will throw away.

Of course baked goods always seem to be welcome (unless someone is on a diet or has a food allergy).

I always make cupcakes. I could spend a fortune, like the other moms do (on things from l'occitane, etc) but the teachers always rave about my cupcakes, and seem to really appreciate the time spent (and the yumminess)!

My daughter goes to a small, in home daycare. Last year we got the woman who runs it a beautiful glass ornament as well as a gift card to dunkin donuts (she loooooooves their coffee). I'm not sure what we'll do this year - what I struggle with is that we don't have a huge budget for gift giving, but this is the woman who cares for our child forty hours ever week, you know? She's really super important to us and to our daughter, so I have to fight the urge to go overboard sometimes!

homebaked treats are delish, but kinda cheapo. these people deal with your children all day long- spend like 10 dollars on a gift certificate AND make them a treat.

I've heard from a lot of teacher friends that they don't want anything they can't use up in a short time frame (so edibles are in, knick-knacks are out). And our daycare providers stress that they'd rather have something useful for the room.

So we've purchased sets of bubbles, books, craft supplied, etc in the past, or have given all the teachers a giftcard to the book store with an extra card for the room to buy books.

An ornament is a great idea, especially if you know a bit about her tastes. It would be less expensive, but not totally guilt inducing if it wasn't great for her.

When I taught, I loved getting small gift cards to places like Starbucks, Chipotle, or Target.

Every provider I've ever spoken to has said NO baked goods and NO crafts!

Because I know that teachers often spend their own money on supplies, I usually give a gift card to a place that I know they buy stuff at (Target, Michael's, Staples).

Target gift cards are always a huge hit with my son's daycare teachers. Just $10 or $15 (which I know isn't small potatoes when all of the other holiday expenses are adding up, so maybe buy them now).

I love the idea of getting supplies for the room! My family is full of teachers and they're always getting so much sugar they don't know what to do with it!

from my research and experience money or gift cards are the best options. at our preschool, the parents are asked to contribute any amount to a gift card purchase for all the teachers.

As a working parent, childcare is critical to a child's well being and a parent's emotional life. If you have good quality childcare you should show it. A starbucks card doesn't really cut it.

We do a card/drawing from the kids and a check.

I think one important thing to consider is the number of other people buying your provider similar gifts. If there are 10 kids for example, and the child care provider gets these gifts every year.....well, you can see why they might like things that are consumable or useful rather than keepsake/knick-knacky.

My daughter's daycare is a strictly vegan, gluten-free facility. I like to make little viles of spice blend. But not everyone is into experimental cooking like they are. Starbucks & Target gift cards are usually very well received.

Baking is very nice, just try to be aware of any dietary restrictions & feel out what they like.

As a former preschool teacher and current preschool director, I know the teachers appreciate anything that shows you care.

At our center, the PTA organizes a fundraiser every November and encourages families to donate to a holiday bonus fund (being a small non-profit center we can't afford to pay holiday bonuses). Every family makes a cash donation in an amount they're comfortable with. Usually between $50-$100. The money is then divided amongst the teachers. The parents are off the hook for buying something for each of their child's 2-3 teachers and the support staff (like the cook) are treated to a bonus when they might be overlooked by parents. Typically the teachers take home around $200-$300 each year!

I echo meheramanija. I think you gotta go giftcard (or cash). I do agree that baked goods are better than stuff, but $$ is best. Wrap it up with some baked goods or socks your kid picks out. There is a "holiday tip" aspect to gifts you give to employees and service providers.

Our last daycare had a holiday bonus fund that parents could contribute to which was split up among all the teachers....

I like to do something for the classroom--donate books or toys. Then we bake Christmas cookies, my daughter helps decorate them and we take a plate to each teacher. Our daycare celebrates a "teacher appreciation" day earlier in the year so I don't feel I have to go overboard at Christmas.

Not to shill my own business, but we have a pretty unique list of gifts we recommend for teachers, tutors & day care providers. The feedback we get from customers is that teachers etc. all appreciate a little something special they wouldn't buy for themselves, just like the rest of us. :)
http://www.delight.com/HOLIDAY-GIFT-GUIDE/Teacher-Tutor-Gifts

I sell Scentsy which is a wickless candle air freshener...always a fun little treat and they even have gift cards available if you don't want to do the choosing. You can get the link through my profile page if interested!

Last year we gave our daycare providers gift cards for a dinner out at a nice local restaurant. I questioned the amount my husband suggested to spend on each one, but he told me - 'These women take care of our baby all day, every day. We should say thank you appropriately.' I'm sure as our son gets older, we'll back off a bit, but for these first years it feels right.

I taught pre-school for years, and had to work three jobs to be able to pay my bills (the employees are not as well paid as you think they are) and always appreciated cash gifts or gift cards , but sometimes giving an inappropriately small gift (seven dollars in singles) is more offensive than no gift at all.
Baked goods are nice in theory but recieving 25 boxes of cookies is not so great, especially when they are from the little friend who refuses to wash their hands/picks their nose/always has their hand in their pants/always comes to school in dirty clothes

I was reminded the other night that there are websites out there that sell restaurant gift certificates for half-price...this is a good option if you want to give more, but finances make that impossible.

Money- or something very close to money (like a Visa or Target gift card.) As the previous poster implied, they usually get paid very little and really could use the cash to get presents for their own families. To "show you care," put the gift card in a photo holiday card with your kid's picture and write a nice note about how much they mean to you.

Yeah, I'm on the "money is best" side here. I have two little ones in daycare and last year gave each teacher $100 to Target - I'm thinking of splitting it up this year, $50 to Target, $50 to Mardel, because this year they both have teachers who are very into their classrooms and curriculum, and I know they're spending way too much of their own money at the educational supply store!

I'm a preschool teacher, and yes, I would appreciate anything with thought and sentiment behind it. A notecard with a heartfelt thank you for what I do always makes my day! As I work hard to make sure the child takes home something special and child-made as a gift for the parents, and also send home something from me to the family...it doesn't seem wrong to hope that each family also thinks of me. It doesn't have to be expensive, but something that shows they thought of me is always appreciated! Starbucks or Target gift cards are a staple, or amazon.com maybe?

As someone completely new to this can anyone clarify whether you give gifts to ONLY the teachers/caregivers in your child's room? or to all of them? My son is 6 mos. and though there are main caregivers in his room they do have some employees that sub in and out of rotation for the baby room. All in all, I would say I'm talking about 6-8 people with 3 main caregivers as constants. Thanks!

keegs, I give "big" gifts to the main teachers (when my kids were newborns there were two main ones in the room) and then do smaller gifts to the part-timers who would rotate in the afternoons. Now that my kids are a bit older they each just have one main teacher, so it's much easier! I remember having that same confusion when mine were tiny though with all the caregivers in the baby rooms!

We have our kids in a small in-home daycare as well. I give gift cards to places where she can spend the money on herself: LL Bean, Amazon, Barnes & Noble. I typically do $100; she has cared for both my kids since they were infants and is a really huge constant in their lives. It's more than I can afford, but her care is priceless to me so I try and budget for that.

Sorry, but I am going to disagree with many posters on here. I have taught preschool and now teach elementary school, so I have received many gifts from parents.
First of all, I think it is very thoughtful of you to think think of your child's day care providers at the holiday time.
I think a gift card to target or just a visa gift card is the best way to go. Either are very useful, and no one really wants an ornament and nicknack. I also don't like getting food as gifts like chocolates or cookies, it all ends up in the staff room! We eat enough junk at holiday time we don't need more. I think getting a gift for the teacher and not the classroom is much more personal. I don't mean to sound greedy or rude, but it's nice to be appreciated as a person and not just a care giver. One of the best gifts I received was a set of crane personalized note cards, they were thoughtful and useful.

I was a daycare teacher while in I was in school. The best gift (in my opinion), was a gift card to a coffee shop or bookstore, or to someplace like Target, along with a nice message in a card, and occasionally a drawing from the child, or a picture. I sometimes received homemade food gifts, but there are so many children in the room, you can quickly receive too many of these. Also, I am gluten intolerant and have several other allergies, so I was never able to enjoy them (the sentiment was appreciated). I never received cash gifts, but it also would have been much appreciated. You don't exactly make a lot of money, and there were never any bonuses at my workplace.

Definitely some kind of thoughtful trinket, such as an ornament that reminds us of our students and a gift certificate to somewhere useful. I am a teacher and such things are greatly appreciated (and add enormously to the budget of an overworked-underpaid school teacher) : )

As a preschool teacher, one of the most thoughtful (if not original) gifts I ever received was some really nice hand soap, the kind that minimum wage can't buy. The parent--a nurse--who gave it to me said that she thought "what would someone who works with nasty, germy kids want?"

It was always nice, after washing my own hands well over 100 times each day with cheap, drying school soap, to come home and wash the remaining preschool germs off with something deliciously scented and moisturizing.

I've gotten several recommendations from friends to give something that can be used in the classroom. The teachers at our daycare are completely into books and with infants, their books take a lot of abuse. So, we're going to give them a set of Eric Carle books.

I work at a social services agency with children and families, many of whom are Vietnamese and Haitian -- it's a norm in both cultures to give holiday gifts to everyone, particularly people who help your children.

My favorites have been supplies that are useful for working with kids and gift cards to generic places where I can get whatever.

My least favorite (but of course nonetheless very appreciated) have been gifts that were expensive and not at all something I'd use. I got an elaborate basket of sausages and hams once and am a Jewish vegetarian and have gotten expensive and gorgeous cosmetics and accessories and things that my butch dyke self didn't know what to do with. I managed to regift these things with great success, but the moral here is that people who work with kids are usually paid like ass, so we really enjoy getting gifts like a Target card so we can get some new socks or some pants that don't have spit-up stains on them. :o)

There are teachers I've never met who rotate in and out of the baby room at my son's daycare. It is a small center but I know I've not met them all (although any time I pick up my son, they all know Henry). I was thinking of ordering treats from a local bakery for the whole staff (muffins and coffee one morning perhaps) and then giving gift cards to the primary infant room teachers. Now I'm rethinking the muffins but I'm not sure what else to do.

my daughter is 17 months and last year I donated a flock of ducklings from heifer international for the room and gave each of the two regular teachers a gift card for target (it was a running joke that about half the time I picked my daughter up we were on our way to target to run errands).

I am a public school teacher myself so I couldn't afford a lot, but they seemed to really appreciate it. the flock of ducklings was different and they especially loved it, the card with the info got pride of place on the classroom fridge.

I always gave our sitter a nice gift certificate to Target or the like (~$150). She watched our daughter part-time BUT she was invaluable and we loved her. I'm sorry but even on a budget $10 is really cheap. Be generous - these teachers/sitters/providers care for our babies.

As a former preschool teacher, I beg you to go the gift card route along with a really nice, handwritten note expressing your appreciation.

A knit or crocheted blanket or scarf and hat set.

Visa gift card. $100, and let me say that this is the most expensive gift we gift to anyone. I would have done a check but I know she sometimes has a hard time getting to the bank.

I run a small in home daycare and last year I received letters from the parents thanking me for taking their children into my home-definitely the best gift I could have received.On hard days I take out those notes and know that I am appreciated.

I also get bonuses from all the families-with very clear instructions that the money is to be spent on me ONLY and not to buy things for the kids in my care

I gave my daughter's teacher a gift certificate to a local specialty foods market. She had never even heard of it, but when we came back from winter break, she was so thankful and said she went there with her daughter and bought shrimp for the two of them to eat for Christmas dinner (she is a single mom). That just made me feel so good! Best $50 I spent that whole holiday.

Another preschool teacher here! EVERYTHING was always appreciated. Although I admit there were definitely things that I used more than others. Gift cards (even small $5 ones to coffee!) were always appreciated. Amazon, Target, Borders, etc. Yes, a $5 or $10 gift card may seem small to some people, but consider parents who have three children, each with 3 teachers in their room... to give $50 or $100 to each of those caregivers is clearly not possible for many families! Consumables like soap and baked goods can be a bit hit-or-miss, good when it's to one's taste, less useful if it is a flavor/scent one doesn't care for or is allergic to.

If it's not RIGHT before the holiday break (when everyone is inundated with treats), bagels or donuts or muffins and coffee for the staff as a whole is also very appreciated!

And: Honestly, truly, the gifts that I kept and love the most are the heartfelt cards and notes from the parents and children. Things that mention specific ways in which I positively influenced their lives are like power-up boosters in a sometimes discouraging profession! (Bonus points for the few times I've gotten hilarious portraits of myself from small children - I have purple hair, so you can imagine the stylized images the children create...)

The Director at my son's daycare is fabulous, so I give her a $50.00 gift certificate to a restaurant. I usually buy $10.00 gift cards to Starbucks for the 10 part time assistants. It might sound like a lot, but they all love my son and take excellent care of him, so I'd give them the moon if I could!