Daycare Holiday Gifts - what to give?

msmzrose wrote: I am driving myself crazy. I need HELP!!!!!!!!! My daugher (5 moths old) is in a private home based daycare located in Long Island, NY. She is taken care of by the owner and her 2 assistants. What do you give as a gift for your childs daycare provider? What amount do you spend? What is customary?

Thanks in advance for your assistance!
Michelle

mummy2girls replied: Well i havent gotten anything for jennas daycare worker because this is the first time she is in daycare around christmas. I am a childcare worker myself and i liked it when my boss would give me candles and chocolates and even a money bonus. I would suggest a candle. Its nice and not to expensive to get. I remeber one year i got bath sets from almost everyone so to me they were telling me i stink...LOL

jcc64 replied: I think it's regional. I know in Long Island, as where I am upstate, the cost of living is higher than other places, which affects the kind/amount to give. I generally try to give as close to a week's salary(her's- not mine) as I can to my sitter, as this is her only income, and Corey is the only child she watches. Last year, I gave it in the form of a gift certificate to the local mall. Not very personal- but something we could all use, right? I think in general child care workers are so grossly underpaid relative to the responsibility they have that I try to give as much as I can afford.

kit_kats_mom replied: I will give about a weeks salary to ours. I plan on giving it in the form of two gift certificates, one from our local grocery store and one to Target.

amynicole21 replied: My dd is at a large center, so I usually give something like hot cocoa sets or maybe a big M&M jar or something...

coasterqueen replied: My DD is in private at-home daycare. I can only afford 1/2 of what she makes a week so I'll get her some gift certificates for somewhere, about $50 or so. But I also give her a nice $50 gift for her bay too. Hope that counts, lol.

aspenblue1 replied: I usually give mine gift certificates to a restraunt since she doesn't get out a lot just for a nice night out.

Mommy2BAK replied:
Wow that sounds like an excellent idea!

booey2 replied: Seeing as how the babysitter is a friend of ours and lives literally right next door, I usually just ask her what she would like or need.

Alice replied: Hi, and welcome! How amazing to hear from someone else from Long Island. We're in Hicksville... where are you??


I agree with a previous poster: how about a gift certficate to a nice restaurant (Milleridge Inn, Maine Maid Inn, are both near me and great!!) ? Or a smaller restaurant (Ruby Tuesdays, Chilies, Outback...) with another gift certificate to the movies-- a whole night out??

Some of the Wineries in Suffolk offer VIP tours. I think the Martha Clara does one with a horse drawn carriage. You can probably look into that online if you're interested.

Or how about something different? I got my mom and sister a night in Atlantic City at Resorts for just under $100( through Orbitz). (Although you have to book definite dates)

Or tickets-- or gift certificates-- to a show at the Nassau Colliseum, Westbury Music Fair or the Tilles Center at CW Post. The ice shows are coming to the Collliseum in late Jan and March, I think. Ringling Bros. always comes in March, I'm not sure whether it's too early for tickets. Again, you can check online.

Good luck, and again, welcome!

loveydad replied: Well I'm not getting mine anything- around here thats not the case, most don't. And I really don't like mine, she's done something pretty bad things to make me not trust her.

but if i had a one on one child care provider I'd probably give her a nice set of candy or a candle or something nice like that.

Alice replied: Sorry... me again. I'm not sure what your price range is-- my suggestions all seem to be pretty pricy. But here are two more ideas:

Are there still tickets to the Radio City show or A Christmas Carol in NYC? Or are they all sold out?

Yesterday's Newsday advertised "bargain" tickets to see Phantom of the Opera: $50 each. They must be ordered by Christmas, but you can get dates through March or April.

Maddie&EthansMom replied:
Exactly what I would do. I think it is customary in most places to give a week's salary. Although my mother never gets it. Her kids normally get her a candle, a picture of their children framed or an inspirational book of sorts.

coasterqueen replied: For those who are giving one week's salary...how are you doing that? Are you giving check, cash, certificates, what? I talked to Dh tonight and he agreed we should give our dcp a week's worth too..just not sure how to do it. I was suprised he agreed since he said we couldn't afford much this year. He always keeps me guessing.

Sunflower04 replied: Joey goes to a fairly big daycare so I have to get for about 4 people. I got them glass jars with the decorative top which is a snowman and I am going to fill it with candy. Last year I did a gift bag with tons of sweets and they loved it.

msmzrose replied: Hi. I am in Levittown. A weeks salary. Do you mean what we pay a week? I pay 250.00 per week for daycare? Does that go to the owner? Or, to the helpers who relaly take care of my pretty princess??

kit_kats_mom replied:
Hmmmm, I don't know about daycare centers. I think that the majority of us were speaking of home based daycare. Sorry.

jcc64 replied:
We either give cash or gift certificates to the mall which she can use to buy from any store there.

moped replied: My best freind/cousin runs a daycare and she told me that people don't realize how little they get paid....she said that money is always good and I suppose whatever you can spare - gift certificates are a nice idea too, for clothes or restaurants, etc. My cousin loves clothes so i like to ge ther GAP certs or just cash.......some give a weeks salary or more

coasterqueen replied:
Thanks Jeanne. I think I'm going to do like a movie giftcertificate and a dinner gift certificate. I feel funny giving money. Why I don't know...I would rather receive money myself. But for my dcp money isn't really an issue so she'd probably like the gc's better.

msmzrose replied: No, my daughter is in a home based daycare. But, there is 10 kids. The owner has 2 older women who help work there. So, how would I divide up the gift. I can't afford to give them all a weeks salary.
HELP!!!

Maddie&EthansMom replied:
Like you said, I would just divide it up between the 3 of them. Get each of them a gc to dinner and a movie. They would probably love something like that. Or a gc to their favorite store for some after Christmas shopping. Or a massage...I could go on and on.

ETA: Between $50-$75 should be fine for each of them