Never heard of National Child Care Provider Appreciation Day? Not on our watch! It\u2019s every year, the last Friday before Mother\u2019s Day, so it\u2019s coming up. Consider yourself warned. Do your homework and organize something for your child\u2019s child care provider or preschool teacher.<\/p>\n
There are quite a few tongue-in-cheek \u201cappreciation days\u201d out there. Today, for example, is Star Wars Day \u2013 May the 4th<\/sup> be with you! But you really should take this Friday seriously: Besides family members, your child care provider is probably the single most important person in your child\u2019s life.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The truth is that early childhood educators often over-deliver and are under-appreciated for doing so. Here are 7 ideas to help you even up the score on child care provider appreciation day:<\/p>\n The chances are pretty good that your child care provider is not hungry for fame or fortune, even though both may be deserved. Gift certificates, \u201cstuff,\u201d and money will all go a long way but personal notes are what get remembered (and kept) for a lifetime. If your child learned a word, developed an interest, or simply had a brighter day thanks to his provider, have him put it in writing. It will mean a lot. If you need inspiration for a cute thank you card, here<\/a> is a funny one (and here’s<\/a> another one!)<\/p>\n Starbucks is always a safe choice. (Can anyone take care of kids without coffee?) Amazon is another one, you can buy an e-gift card<\/a> to send immediately (we’ve all been there, buying a present at the last minute!) Or, if you plan at least 1 or 2 days in advance, you can get one of the gift cards nested inside a nice gift box<\/a>. Another wonderful idea for busy child care providers is a gift card to Style Seat, a website that helps you find and book beauty and wellness professionals near you! Otherwise you can ask other parents at your child care center to try to figure out if she has a favorite restaurant, etc.<\/p>\n If you\u2019d like to purchase a gift, you can put more money towards any one single idea (from this list or not) if everyone from your child\u2019s class pitches in. Talk to the other parents at your child care center or home daycare and organize it. It\u2019s also a good way to figure out what type of things a particular caregiver likes or does in her free time.<\/p>\n Everyone likes getting a box of new, cool stuff every month. For coffee drinkers there are subscription services that send you new varieties to taste, like Craft Coffee<\/a>. If cookies is his guilty pleasure (who doesn\u2019t love cookies?!), offer him a subscription to Cravory Cookies<\/a> and for the beauty maven on a budget, Ipsy<\/a> will send a collection of products she\u2019ll be able to find at her local store if she loves it. Figure out what your child\u2019s preschool director or teacher is into and see if there is a service for it!<\/p>\n You\u2019d be surprised how much preschool directors and teachers spend out of their own pockets for their classroom. There may be a particular item that fits so well with next week\u2019s project, for example, that waiting around for budget approval from the daycare center management wouldn\u2019t make sense. You probably don\u2019t want to guess what your provider needs, though, so just ask directly. Some examples that will surely be a hit include a Washable Finger Paint Set<\/a>, or this 1,000 piece Arts & Craft kit<\/a>!<\/p>\n Depending on your preschool, you may be able to organize some extra (paid) time off for your child care provider. A Friday afternoon head-start on the weekend can be more valuable than the \u201csum of its parts.\u201d<\/p>\n Be careful with gifts of food unless you know the teacher pretty well. It seems like everyone is on this or that diet these days. You can hit a real home run, though, if you get it right. Paleo cheesecake, anyone? Or, you can place a safe bet on a one-time order of those\u00a0Cravory Cookies<\/a> we mentioned earlier.<\/p>\n And just to finish, here\u2019s one thing to avoid: mugs! It seems to be the one gift that teachers love to hate. So, for child care provider appreciation day, just offer the coffee instead \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n * This page contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through those links, we may earn a small commission without any extra cost to you.\u00a0This helps support us, so we can write more articles like this one! This doesn\u2019t impact what we include in our posts; we only list products we like. Thank you!<\/em><\/p>\n CareLuLu<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0is the easiest way for parents to find great child care and preschool programs. On CareLuLu, parents can find detailed information on over 200,000 licensed daycares (hours, cost, photos,\u00a0verified<\/em>\u00a0reviews) and contact providers instantly. Best of all, it\u2019s free! Founded in 2013, CareLuLu\u2019s mission is to improve access to safe, affordable, high-quality child care and early education.<\/p>\n Created\u00a0by<\/em>\u00a0parents\u00a0for<\/em> parents. Find child care:\u00a0www.CareLuLu.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\nA personal note<\/strong><\/h6>\n
Gift certificates<\/strong><\/h6>\n
Make it a group effort<\/strong><\/h6>\n
A subscription service<\/strong><\/h6>\n
Something for the classroom<\/strong><\/h6>\n
Time off<\/strong><\/h6>\n
Food<\/strong><\/h6>\n
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