Money gift at center

[Anonymous]

Previously been at home daycare. Never thought anything of it and gave cash to the owner and assistant for all gifts. We moved. DD is now at a center (she is 16 months). I started to think that I would give cash but then thought maybe that is weird - I am a middle school teacher and would find it weird if a kid’s family gave me 25 in cash or 100 in cash. So maybe I should give gift cards? I hate the idea that a visa gift card or the like will charge them money. What do people do? Cash or gift card?

[Anonymous]

At our Center they collect from parents and distribute to all teachers. Because at the younger ages there are so many fewer students than at the older ages. This way all teachers get a decent bonus.

$25 or $100?? that is way too little! We all stretch our budgets, and your daycare teachers are making much less than you are as a teacher. I always give an extra month's fee at the holidays.

[Anonymous]

I give $25 Target gift cards for the lead and assistant ($20 or $25 Target gift card to an aide).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Previously been at home daycare. Never thought anything of it and gave cash to the owner and assistant for all gifts. We moved. DD is now at a center (she is 16 months). I started to think that I would give cash but then thought maybe that is weird - I am a middle school teacher and would find it weird if a kid’s family gave me 25 in cash or 100 in cash. So maybe I should give gift cards? I hate the idea that a visa gift card or the like will charge them money. What do people do? Cash or gift card?

The visa gift cards charge the purchaser of the card an activation fee, it shouldn’t charge the user

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At our Center they collect from parents and distribute to all teachers. Because at the younger ages there are so many fewer students than at the older ages. This way all teachers get a decent bonus.

$25 or $100?? that is way too little! We all stretch our budgets, and your daycare teachers are making much less than you are as a teacher. I always give an extra month's fee at the holidays.

A month’s fee is insanity. $2k in Christmas bonus? To each? Divided amongst all teachers? $100 is perfectly fine!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At our Center they collect from parents and distribute to all teachers. Because at the younger ages there are so many fewer students than at the older ages. This way all teachers get a decent bonus.

$25 or $100?? that is way too little! We all stretch our budgets, and your daycare teachers are making much less than you are as a teacher. I always give an extra month's fee at the holidays.

A month’s fee is insanity. $2k in Christmas bonus? To each? Divided amongst all teachers? $100 is perfectly fine!

+1 so someone is collecting and facilitating possible $40k+ in cash for holiday bonuses?

$25-$100 is within the realm of normal. Just depends how many gifts you intend to give. Gift cards are the way to go.

[Anonymous]

Cash. This isn't analogous to your position as a teacher. I recognize that teachers are underpaid, but not to the degree daycare workers are. Many are making very close to minimum wage. And cash holiday gifts are pretty common in this scenario, so it won't be weird to them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At our Center they collect from parents and distribute to all teachers. Because at the younger ages there are so many fewer students than at the older ages. This way all teachers get a decent bonus.

$25 or $100?? that is way too little! We all stretch our budgets, and your daycare teachers are making much less than you are as a teacher. I always give an extra month's fee at the holidays.

Yeah our center does this too.

[Anonymous]

Your Center teachers likely make $30-$35k, with benefits no where near as good as those in public school systems. Please be generous with these (usually) ladies taking care of your little ones so you can work.

-former Board member at a center. And yes, our preschool payment when we had 2 there was more than our mortgage, and yes, we doubled it in December to tip the teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your Center teachers likely make $30-$35k, with benefits no where near as good as those in public school systems. Please be generous with these (usually) ladies taking care of your little ones so you can work.

-former Board member at a center. And yes, our preschool payment when we had 2 there was more than our mortgage, and yes, we doubled it in December to tip the teachers.

That's very generous but definitely not the norm. At our center the parents organize holiday gifts (in the form of gift cards for the teachers), and ask for $25 per family. I find that to be a little low, but just to give OP a sense of the range.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your Center teachers likely make $30-$35k, with benefits no where near as good as those in public school systems. Please be generous with these (usually) ladies taking care of your little ones so you can work.

-former Board member at a center. And yes, our preschool payment when we had 2 there was more than our mortgage, and yes, we doubled it in December to tip the teachers.

That's very generous but definitely not the norm. At our center the parents organize holiday gifts (in the form of gift cards for the teachers), and ask for $25 per family. I find that to be a little low, but just to give OP a sense of the range.

Definitely not the norm at our center either- I helped coordinate the gift collection last year and IIRC the donations ranged from $25 up to $500, with most falling somewhere in the middle. We typically give $200 (for one child, we give a similar amount to the in-home daycare that my other child attends).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At our Center they collect from parents and distribute to all teachers. Because at the younger ages there are so many fewer students than at the older ages. This way all teachers get a decent bonus.

$25 or $100?? that is way too little! We all stretch our budgets, and your daycare teachers are making much less than you are as a teacher. I always give an extra month's fee at the holidays.

Our center does this but the amount they distribute depends on the teachers tenure. Both our teachers are new so it kind of pisses me off. I’m considering doing something additional but was curious to know what other people thought.