Teacher Appreciation Week - Los Angeles,CA

My kids write out a nice card and I put in $20 cash. Personally I hate getting gift cards to places I don't like so cash usually solves that problem. I don't assume all teachers like Starbucks. lol

As a teacher I can say please not anything big. Make it something she can use in the classroom. Gift cards are nice to a bookstore, coffee shop, teacher supply store, or craft store. Keep it a reasonable amount. I'm uncomfortable with anything over $20. In fact our district says we cannot accept a gift valued over $25 because we are public employees. I've been in education for over 20 years. I can count on one hand the number of gifts I have kept. Almost all of them have been books. I use gift cards and classroom supplies. But I treasure the notes and cards I get from parents and kids. I have hundreds! All the way back to my student teaching. They mean more to me than anything else.

Thank you note "signed" by your child..or handprint. And tell her what you shared with us.. A gift card is always great. Believe me, they do not need anymore stuff....

IME, the best gift a teacher can get is a handwritten note commending him/her for the specific differences and impact they have had on your child.
They've all got boatloads of mugs, tea, candles, lotions, etc.
If you geek compelled to add something "extra," make it a gas/grocery gift card or gift card to a craft store.

i would do a gift card or cash. with the cash you could get creative and fold the money up into flowers and make a bouquet.
with the assistants you could do cards with less $$ in the gift.

We always give something from the child (a hand made card or note placed in a card) - and I typically do gift cards. If they like Starbucks, etc. Or book ones, etc.

If there are helper teachers, I do a smaller $ amount. That's usually just preschool.

My friend sends in flowers, gift cards for garden centers, etc.

ETA: Yes to doing the group gift too - that's always easy and then the teacher can get one BIG thing or gift basket. Usually if someone is doing one, they will send out an email or just mention it when they run into you.

Good luck :) Nice idea - they appreciate it!

Preschool teachers hardly make anything, so I'd go with a handwritten thank-you note and a gift card to someplace practical, like Target. I'd do the same thing for the assistants, but the gift card value would be smaller (perhaps a $10 gift card each for Starbucks).

Do you know the other parents? The best system is one in which the parents get together to pool their resources, and then purchase something for all of the teachers including the assistants. That takes the financial burden off each individual family and allows you to thank the teachers without giving each one a bunch of $5 and $10 gift cards. You'll have the end of the year coming up soon, which is another common gift-giving time, so it's a good time to get some cooperation going.

I would write down the things your daughter says in her own words, and list them in a card. Make sure they are about school in general and not just this one teacher (so as not to hurt the feelings of the assistants and to help your daughter appreciate EVERYONE who makes her school fun).

But if there's nothing in place with other parents and you're too new to know them, you could start asking around (in preparation for the end of the year). Until you get the hang of the school and see what the custom is, you could do a group basket for the 3 teachers. I'd put in small items/samples so the teachers can choose what they prefer and split it up happily. Small lotions (their hands get dried out with all the washing of little kids, table tops, dried glue and snack residue), sample coffees and teas, little chocolates, some fresh fruit, etc. A gift card to an office supply or craft store is nice - budgets are notoriously small, and teachers very often use their own money from already-meager salaries to supplement the classroom. If there's a local bakery, you could throw in some tasty muffins or brownies, but be sure they are well wrapped. I tend to avoid those things with all the people who may not be eating gluten or nuts or whatever but if you know these 3 people, it's okay.

I would not give teacher-themed items ("World's Best Teacher" coffee mugs and that sort of thing) - teachers get overwhelmed with those and they wind up in yard sales. And don't give them anything they would feel obligated to display in the classroom - magnets or plaques - it puts too much pressure on them to use gifts from every parent. And kids are always saying, "Oh, my mommy gave that to Miss Cindy" and then all the other kids/parents get into the competition.

See what you can do about organizing for end of year though - it's so much nicer for teachers to get a larger group gift. From my experience in 2 schools, I find that, for every $10 and $20 gift card, teachers have to add in their own money to be able to use it. $25 is nice at a restaurant, but unless she's going to go alone, she needs to shell out for a companion to go with her, you know?

At my teacher appreciation weeks, the parents association always gave us a little something each day - coffee & bagels in the teachers room one day, a gift card for a local ice cream place the next day (that's a good use for a $5 card), a little vase of a few fresh flowers the next day, and so on. That way every teacher got the same stuff, and teachers and aides who only worked certain days still got recognized.

I am getting Lotion, Shower Gel, Bubble Bath trio in a neutral scent as well as $15 dollar gift card to something like Target or a local teaching store for our PreK teacher.

oh my gosh, i was just thinking of the same thing! My SN child has three teachers and three para's. I found these cute lanyards online with little owls on them for like $5.00 a piece, so i am ordering one for each. One for her SPED teacher, one for her homeroom teacher (which she does not spend a whole lot of time in that room) and one for her Resource teacher. I think it is a nice gesture because our teachers do a lot for our kids!
Thanks for the reminder!

I give a Panera gift card to each of the teachers in the room (main teacher plus assistants).

We homeschool now, but when my kids were in traditional school, we usually pulled together a group gift and asked any interested families for a small ($5-10, or whatever they felt like giving) contribution. Then we would find out what the teacher liked and buy a gift card to that place. Over the years, that included Target, Starbucks, a nail salon, Olive Garden, and a plant nursery. That made it easy for everyone, and instead of getting a zillion "#1 Teacher" mugs, the teacher would get something she would really love.

Anyway, that was what we always did! Have fun with it - I'm sure any gesture of appreciation would be enjoyed by your daughter's teacher.

Try to observe personal items in her class that you can add. My daughters last preschool teacher loved starbucks so I got her a gift card and she was so excited to get it. Lotions are always good because the teachers do a lot of hand washing so lotion is appreciated. Good luck!!!