What to Get Daycare Providers for Christmas

Sometimes the best gifts, cost the least. Why not bake up several kinds of cookies, bread, cupcakes, etc. Always fun (let the kids help with decorating)and always appreciated.

I would get like $10 moxie java gift cards. Its simple and easy and most everybody can find something there they will like.

Last year I went to the super market and bought big cans of gourmet coco in different flavors and a big bag of marshmellows. The coco cost about $5 each - inexpensive for gifts, but something that's a splurge when you buy it for yourself (and who doesn't like coco?). I put some marshmellows in cellofane christmas bags from the dollar store) and wrapped the coco cans and topped it off with a candycane. Everyone really liked it.
Good luck.

I sell Tastefully Simple Products and our versatile products make awesome gifts. Our # 1 selling product is Beer Bread and costs $4.99 per box (1 9X5 Loaf) plus shipping.

I am a daycare provider and maybe I am alone on this, but we have so much sugary food as it is. Not that I wouldn't appreciate the gesture, but I like the idea of a classroom gift that everyone can enjoy! Or the lunch gift card idea is nice too.

Last year I made my daycare providers a bucket of popcorn, I stuffed the bottom with a little tissue and bought some boxes of movie candy and gum and assorted candy sprinkled it in there with a gift card to block buster for 5$ and they had snacks to enjoy with a movie on me. They loved it with candy and card it came out to about 8$ a person. This year I've decided to buy some things for my children's preschool and kindergarten teachers, I'm going to make them a package with playdoh, stickers, art supplies,markers and such. They have lots of great supplies at Dollar tree that the children would love and the daycare providers can enjoy it with them. I'm going to put it in a nice basket and send it on it way. Good luck.

All over the internet you can find ideas for "gifts in a jar." Hot chocolate, cookies, soups, brownies, etc. They look pretty neat with the ingredients all layered in a jar.

I am a day care provider and the best gift that we got last year was a gift card for all of us to go out to lunch. There were three of us and they got us a $25 gift card for Subway! It was nice and we all appreciated it. Or, you could always get a large present for the daycare. Paper, crayons, markers, etc. Daycare always need that kind of stuff!

You could consider making them "gifts in a jar". There are tons of recipes online that you can print off and some websites even have premade tags to attach to the jars with the directions of how to make the soup or cookies/muffins, etc. If you buy a pack of canning jars and the ingredients in bulk then it turns out to be pretty affordable. Set aside a Saturday to assemble the jars and you'll be set. Good luck!
K.

I always make nice baskets with diffrent snack items. Healthy snacks is good, fruits, gift cards where they can order out for lunch.

What about a gift for the "classroom"? A couple of new books or a game of some kind? That way you can do a group gift that everyone can take part in.

What I did one year, being I had to buy so many gifts, was get Christmas Mugs ( I think they were like $2.00 at Walgreens) and filled them with samples of hot choc. (.49 per little packed) so I got like 4 of them to put in the mug. I also got slipper like socks also at Walgreen which cost around $2.00 each. So, I didn't spend much money but got the girls something to keep them warm in the cold!

I sell Tastefully Simple. Not sure if you've heard of us, but we are direct sales (much like The Pampered Chef or Mary Kay), however- we specialize in EASY (all products require 2 items or less to prepare) and DELICIOUS gourmet foods. I have a product called "Nana's Apple Cake" that I have a terrific "The Perfect Teacher" poem that I can put with it. The cake mix itself is only $5.99, and if you simply put it in a basket from the Dollar Tree, or in an 8X8 square baking pan with two apples and the poem....PRESTO! It's perfect because it's consumable, so they don't have another mug or ornament (I'm sure they get 20 of those every year!). Let me know if you are interested. My name is Angel, and my phone number is ###-###-#### or website: www.TastefullySimple.com/web/AMann1

We have an in home daycare but we do an ornament every year for #1 Daycare. We have also done homemade frames to give to each of them with a picture of your child, we did ours all with the foamie stickers and frames. Turned out really cute. Hope this helps

I make a killer fudge that EVERYBODY loves. For the non-chocolate eaters, I make it with white chocolate and almonds. It's that easy marshmallow recipe. I think you can find it on the Kraft website.
Or here.....
http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/001652dads_favorite...

And I use regular butter, not unsalted. It goes so fast and easy and goes a long way.

I make bath products, mainly soap, but recently have been getting into making bath salts. It's so easy and affordable (if you keep to just two or three essential oils) I just put 3pt epsom salt, 3pt sea salt and 1pt baking soda in a bowl and mix them up, then add a couple drops of essential oils, the contents of a tea bag of chamomile tea and if you some dried herbs that compliment the essential oils you used. You can make this unscented if you like and they can add their own favorite or even spray their perfume in it. A plastic bag, covered in some festive fabric, tied with a pretty bow, and you're set.

Have a stress free time.

C.

Hi K.,

A creative gift you could do is a "movie pack". Get a $5.00 gift card from Blockbuster, buy some $1.00 boxes of candy from Target, and buy a box of popcorn. Give each provider a giftcard, 1-2 boxes of candy, and a bag of popcorn. That way they can share it with their family or friends. Hope this helps and gives you another idea to pick from!

I am a daycare provider and baked goods would be nice. Put it on a nice platter or tray so all can enjoy. You could get instant coffees, teas or hot chocolates for them to share. It is nice just to be though of and appreciated.
P.S. We bake goodies for our daycare families and they look forward to the cookies and candies every year.

Well K.- as a provider I can tell you what I think.
lotions are nice (our hands are always dry)
Gift certificates to Starbucks, jamba juice, Barnes and Nobel are always nice
Homemade Cookies are a treat! But unless you know the staff well they may not eat them (safety and all)

I have had parents- send us as a group a pizza, flowers, treat basket which is also very nice. Basically we want to be noticed and we want the parents to know that we care about them so any gesture is well accepted!
Good luck!

We made Gingerbread men/women and decorated them to look similar to the teachers last year :-) They loved them.

You can make Christmas Ornament Cookies with the same concept

Hi K.:

I sale some products which are wonderful. Everyone likes there homes/offices smelling good. I have it and we have all sorts of different styles.
Its called Scentsy. I am not sure if you have ever heard of it. Your daycare could keep the products there and make the daycare smell good as well. The wax will not burn the children. It only gets hot enough to melt. There is NO FLAME all it is, is a 25 watt light bulb. You should check out. They are nice prices, and they smell WONDERFUL!
www.scentsy.com/krisjarboe

You can let me know what you think if you like!
Happy Shopping!
Kris