End of year gifts for preschool teachers?

[Anonymous]

Is anyone giving gifts to dc's preschool teachers on the last day of school? I know we just had teacher's appreication week, so maybe this is overkill. But I really think the world of my kid's teacher and just want to say thanks for a great year. Is this appropriate? Do other parents do this?

[Anonymous]

Yes, we do a plant and a homemade gift/picture with a "note" from our child to each teacher.

[Anonymous]

We do a class gift (basically cash), but I think a small homemade gift (plus a note) is also lovely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We do a class gift (basically cash), but I think a small homemade gift (plus a note) is also lovely.

Cash is what they all want, because unfortunately preschool teachers don't make alot. They all want money. Alot of my friends are former teachers and they have mentioned this.

[Anonymous]

We do cash, the school suggests $20 per family as a floor, but most people do a lot more. The director pools the funds and then distributes to the teachers based on seniority.

[Anonymous]

We've never done anything for preschool teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We've never done anything for preschool teachers.

That is a shame that you have never done anything for your teachers. They do so much for your children and they don't make alot of money. You should take the bull by the horns and make sure they feel appreciated. I can't believe you don't do anything.

[Anonymous]

We wrote out nice notes and gave a box of yummy chocolates.

[Anonymous]

Gift cards to Target or Barnes and Noble are always appreciated. We've also done generic mall gift cards (Westfield/Montgomery Mall...which can be be used at any store in the mall)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We wrote out nice notes and gave a box of yummy chocolates.

If people can hopefully reshape their thinking on this. Remember these teachers have been with the kids shaping them everyday, although chocolates are nice, remember they don't make much. If every family gave 100 bucks. That's less than a penny for everyday they've comforted your child they can probably take a nice vacation. More memorable than a starbucks card or food substance. They will never ask for it, but their all hoping for money to pay bills. I have talked to alot of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Gift cards to Target or Barnes and Noble are always appreciated. We've also done generic mall gift cards (Westfield/Montgomery Mall...which can be be used at any store in the mall)

Also, with gift cards your basically telling them what to get, a book, etc. Staight up cash is their favorite thing, why not give it to them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gift cards to Target or Barnes and Noble are always appreciated. We've also done generic mall gift cards (Westfield/Montgomery Mall...which can be be used at any store in the mall)

Also, with gift cards your basically telling them what to get, a book, etc. Staight up cash is their favorite thing, why not give it to them.

Not exactly. Obviously at Barnes and Noble books are the primary inventory (but they also have music, stationery, etc.) MOST teachers spend their own money purchasing materials for the classroom (including books). Yes, the school systems provide a stipend for replenishing the basics, but all of the teachers I know spend a decent amount of their own money for things they use in the classroom. Maybe this isn't the case at the expensive, elite schools, but in public schools this is a fact. Who can't find something at Target? If you go in on a gift card with other families, a generic mall gift card is a good choice. On the last day of school of last year I was presented with a $150 gift card to the mall. I shopped that afternoon! I just purchased a gift card to a local teacher/school supply store for my college intern. She loved it! Any preschool or elementary school teacher would be glad to receive a gift card.

~An elementary school teacher

[Anonymous]

Yikes, now I'm feeling very guilty. My son is in preschool two mornings a week (9am-11:30am) and I got his teacher a pretty little tile that she can put up in the classroom or at home and a bar of chocolate. The aid got a candle and bar of chocolate. Just little things as a token of my appreciation but it didn't dawn on me to give them money or spend that much. Perhaps I should have done more?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gift cards to Target or Barnes and Noble are always appreciated. We've also done generic mall gift cards (Westfield/Montgomery Mall...which can be be used at any store in the mall)

Also, with gift cards your basically telling them what to get, a book, etc. Staight up cash is their favorite thing, why not give it to them.

Not exactly. Obviously at Barnes and Noble books are the primary inventory (but they also have music, stationery, etc.) MOST teachers spend their own money purchasing materials for the classroom (including books). Yes, the school systems provide a stipend for replenishing the basics, but all of the teachers I know spend a decent amount of their own money for things they use in the classroom. Maybe this isn't the case at the expensive, elite schools, but in public schools this is a fact. Who can't find something at Target? If you go in on a gift card with other families, a generic mall gift card is a good choice. On the last day of school of last year I was presented with a $150 gift card to the mall. I shopped that afternoon! I just purchased a gift card to a local teacher/school supply store for my college intern. She loved it! Any preschool or elementary school teacher would be glad to receive a gift card.

~An elementary school teacher

I am a teacher at a public high school in Fairfax County and I have to say I rarely have to spend my own money to buy things for my classes. Maybe I am the exception, but Fairfax Co. is pretty generous in the amount of money you get for supplies. As a high school teacher I rarely get gifts from my students and that is OK with me, but in my opinion a nice note would be wonderful - knowing that someone actually took the time to sit down and tell me what I did for their child - amazing! Of course I would not mind getting a gift card, but I actually think getting cash would be a little weird and I would probably return it. Is this actually done at some schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We wrote out nice notes and gave a box of yummy chocolates.

If people can hopefully reshape their thinking on this. Remember these teachers have been with the kids shaping them everyday, although chocolates are nice, remember they don't make much. If every family gave 100 bucks. That's less than a penny for everyday they've comforted your child they can probably take a nice vacation. More memorable than a starbucks card or food substance. They will never ask for it, but their all hoping for money to pay bills. I have talked to alot of them.

I am the poster who said they gave the nice note and chocolate.

I understand your point in wanting to give more to the preschool teachers than that. And I realize preschool teachers do not earn a whole lot. However, as a former public school teacher myself, I always appreciated the expressions of thanks given to me in whatever form they were given. We don't have an extra $100 to give to our preschool teachers, but I want to make sure they do realize how grateful I am to them. So even if my note and chocolates aren't appreciated for what they are, I hope they can be seen simply as a token of my gratitude. They are gifts and I want them to like them even if it's not the cold hard cash they prefer.