OT: I Need Pre-School Teacher gift ideas fast

[AlwaysEeyore]

DD has 4 teachers, 2 full time & 2 part time. She only goes to Pre-School 2 days a week 12:30-3. What am I supposed to get them as gifts? Should I just get them all Bath & Body work gift cards or something? How much should I spend per teacher? Do I get the 2 part time ones something cheaper then the full time. This is all new to me. I got them candles for Christmas.

Thanks!

 

[eeyorefan74]

I think gift cards are always appreciated. Maybe to a bookstore so they can buy something for themselves or for their classroom? Gift cards to ice cream places or movie theaters are also good for summer. You could have your child decorate cards for the teachers and put the gift cards inside.

 

[emma'smom]

My dd4 has a total of seven teachers when you count all of the assistants and lunch aides. This year, I gave each of them a small piece of pottery from a local pottery guild that was an "apple baker". It had apples painted on its sides and cost about 7.00 each. I added a recipe for baked apples and a thank you note.

I gave all of the teachers the same gift (and then a token wooden figurine for the director). I figured, they all equally give of themselves to my child regardless of their official title or status.

I'd say a 10.00 gift card to B and Bworks or Starbucks would be just fine as well. Anything is appreciated.

 

[daisyduck123]

Hi....teacher here

A gift card, no matter how small, is always appreciated...much more than little trinkets or knick-knacks.

 

[mom2aredhead]

That sounds similar to my son's preschool schedule (he's there a few more hours, but only 2 days)
Last year we made his teachers cards that had his handprints on them and a "thank you" list of some special memories during the year

A few of them were...

Thank you for reading me the duckie book 500 times
Thank you for teaching me my abc's
Thank you for giving me hugs when I was upset about mommy leaving
Thank you for trying to get me to eat new foods
Thank you for helping me make nice presents for mommy and daddy
etc etc,
and ended with "Thank you for being my teacher"
I put an American Express gift card in the one for his "main" teacher and scratch off lottery tix for the 3 "helpers"

Honestly It didn't even matter what I put inside, they loved the cards more!

 

[AlwaysEeyore]

Thank you so much! We are heading out first thing in the morning to get something. DD's last day of school is tomorrow and she is suffering from Strep so we haven't been able to go shopping and I don't think she will make the last day but I want to at least drop off gifts for the teachers.

 

[caracap]

MY DS only has 2 teachers, so I got them both pedicure GC's to a local spa in our town. For X-Mas I got them Border's GC's and some books for the classroom.

 

[Karel]

As a part time preschool aide, thank you for thinking of us. We do as much for your child as the teacher does. We go to all the specials, take your child to the bathroom (and potty train them!), to the nurse, wash their hands, get their snack ready.... I work four hours a day and often walk into the classroom in the morning and never leave the classroom until its time to go home.

 

[MSSANDRA]

Preschool director/teacher here and really even a card is nice when it comes from the heart.
A few things I got this year:

Gift Card for a fast food resturant- GREAT
Gift Card for wal-mart- GREAT
Hanging baskets/ Flowers in pots - Great but I don't have too good a track record for their "making it" all summer
A gallon lemmon aid jar and lemmon aid mix- cool
candles -they all have to be given away as DS is highly allergic
A beautiful brass container- Wonderful but she knew my taste
Candy-
BAth and Body stuff- Great but I have a LOT
Mary Kay hand treatment set- WONDERFUL- But she knew I was a fan of the stuff

I have gotten EVERYTHING from money to books to beach towels over the years. Try to avoid little knick- knack stuff and go basic and simple. A small picture of your child is a nice touch as well. Just not a framed 8x10 as I got once. LOVED the child but where was I to put the picture???

HOpe your little one feels better.

 

[ellenmiele]

Scratch-off lottery tickets : 2 or 3 - $1 or $2 tickets wrapped in a cellophane party favor bag & tied with ribbon. Quick & inexpensive & fun!

 

[lucky1]

I am glad that some of the teachers and assistant teachers have weighed in on this. At my DD preschool the parents went in together on a gift to say thanks. Last year, they got a picture book made on snapfish or shutterfly of all the kids and teachers for the teacher and assistant teacher. While I think it is great and nice, I always thought after several years of teaching, why would they want to keep those books. This year we all agreed to get something that we thought they would enjoy or could us in the classroom or home and not a scrapbook. One teacher loves taking pictures and just started exploring with digital picture. We got a very good digital picture frame with storage. Another enjoys music and had an ipod, so we got an iTunes gift card.

 

[zoemurr]

please include your child. My favorite gifts were a nice card made by the child, and a note from the parent saying how much they appreciate all we do. (a gift card doesn't hurt either.. but some people.. myself included.. don't really enjoy bath products.) Target, B&N, dunkin.. seem to appeal to everyone. We purchased my son's GCs at the mall that could be used for many places.

I just found out today that I am going to be a preschool teacher again in the fall after taking 8 years off..

 

[mom2aiden]

For xmas last year, I gave my son's toddler teachers a letter. I addressed it to the head of the school and gave them both copies. I expressed my appreciation of all they do and let them know how much my son loved them and how they have made being a working mom so much easier.

They were both in tears and I meant every word. They felt that was a much better gift than anything I could have bought them.

Now, these are two very special ladies and I can't say I will do that for all DS's teachers, but I think something heartfelt goes a long way

 

[mom2aredhead]

For xmas last year, I gave my son's toddler teachers a letter. I addressed it to the head of the school and gave them both copies. I expressed my appreciation of all they do and let them know how much my son loved them and how they have made being a working mom so much easier.

This is a great idea!
My son's current teacher just got her Master's degree and is looking to make a change and teach older kids in the public schools. (She would not have been his teacher next year regardless) - I think a letter to the director and a copy for her is a great idea - letters from parents are great for teachers to include in their portfolio and maybe it would help her in her job search (even though I really don't want to see her leave!)

 

[AlwaysEeyore]

Were back from shopping. I let DD decide what she wanted to give them. I gave her tons of options thanks to all the suggestions and she actually told me "Mommy, I just wanted to get them flowers". She picked out little African violets for each of them and I wrote on the ceramic pots "Thank you! with a marker & DD signed her name to them. They only cost $5 each but it was DD's idea. My DSis is a Pre-School teacher and she said that is the worst gift ever and she would hate it. Luckily DD didn't hear her say that. Dsis is very materialistic, that's why I didn't ask her opinion.

Thanks again everybody. You were a great help!

 

[virginiamama]

The teacher's at DS's preschool are still raving about their Christmas gift from our family. I gave them each a greeting card organizer filled with all kinds of greeting cards. They were under $10 at Michaels and I used coupons on some of them. Most of the cards are really neat and have three dimensional stuff on them. They are great when an occasion for a card comes up and you can't get out to the card store to pick one up. Then when you happen to find a perfect card, and the occasion is months away, you just put it in the organizer and put a post it with the person's name on it (i.e. Mom's Birthday). When mine gets low I go by the local Factory Card Outlet and replenish. I store my address book in there along with stamps.

 

[sunlover13]

If you want something simple and relatively inexpensive -

We gave DD's preschool teacher a movie gift bucket which included:

popcorn tub (from Blockbuster)

Inside the popcorn tub was:
$10 giftcard to Blockbuster
2 cans of pop
2 candy bars
2 big boxes of candy (like Dots, etc.)
a card

 

[2cutekidz]

One of the coolest things I've seen given was a homemade strawberry bouquet. Dip strawberries in chocolate, secure to different lengths of bamboo skewers. Arrange skewers in craft foam (in a pretty container) to resemble a bouquet. You can buy these at speciality stores but they're $$$$!! Cute and yummy, the kids can even help dip the strawberries (or at least lick the bowl of choclate when done!)

 

[marcyinPA]

I'm a preschool teacher (2's!) and I always love a nice, handwritten note. It's always nice to hear that you are appreciated and you've made a difference in a child's life (and it is nice to hear how great you are sometimes!! )

Our preschool year ended last week already, but I also received some really nice things: a few gift cards (which I LOVE LOVE LOVE~!), some homemade biscotti which I also loved (this particular parent is very gifted in the baking department and is well-known in our school for baking great goodies for the teachers!), a beautiful, low-maintenance house plant (which is great for those of us without a green thumb!), a "teacher" candle (which I honestly have no idea where I will put it...) and a lovely necklace (which I'm sure cost quite a bit of money, considering where it was purchased, but is not my style whatsoever).

All things considered, I'm always appreciative of every gift, no matter how big or small, and whether or not it's my "thing"....it's the thought behind the gift that makes all the difference!!

Marcy