The Christmas Wish List Your Daycare Provider Really Wants

What does a daycare provider really want for Christmas? I have the ultimate Christmas Wish List for daycare providers. I am a daycare provider myself and have received so many thoughtful gifts from my daycare clients throughout my years as a childcare provider. You will find recommendations for every budget and price point.

First, how much should you spend on a gift for your daycare provider? As a provider myself, I think this really depends on your personal family budget. A monetary value isn’t as important as making sure your daycare provider feels loved and valued. A daycare provider is a very important part of your family and they really deserve a nice gift. No matter how much you end up spending, the thought put into the gift counts the most.

What To Get Daycare Teacher For Christmas?

1. Cash

When trying to decide what to get daycare teacher for Christmas, cash is always appreciated. A monetary gift can be a quick and easy gift to put together during an already busy season. The cash amount recommendation does differ depending on the type of care your child receives. For nannies and home daycare providers, etiquette would say a monetary gift equal to one week’s pay would be recommended.  If your child goes to a commercial daycare I would recommend a monetary gift of $25-50 for your child’s main teacher, and $10-$20 for classroom aids. To make a monetary gift even more thoughtful, you could have your child color a picture or add a homemade craft.

What To Give Daycare Teacher For Christmas?

2. Gift Cards

My next recommendation on what to give daycare teacher for Christmas would be a gift card. Who doesn’t have gift cards on their Christmas wish list? Gift cards can be a more budget-friendly option if cash is not an option. Remember it truly is the thought that counts. As a daycare provider myself it means so much more to know my daycare clients thought of me during the Christmas season than the value of the gift.

My top recommendations for gift cards for daycare providers would be:

Favorite Stores

Do you know your daycare provider’s favorite store? This could be a small shop in your town or even a larger box store such as Target or Walmart. Personally, I love getting gift cards to Amazon.

Meal Delivery Plan

If you want to get even more creative, you could give a gift to a meal delivery plan. I’ve gone through super busy daycare seasons, especially when I was a young mom and also running a home daycare. Meal subscription plans saved my sanity. This gift could be a huge blessing to your provider. A couple of my favorites are HelloFresh and Blue Apron.

Restaurant Gift Cards

You can’t go wrong with a restaurant gift card. Providers are busy, and the thought of not having to make a meal after a long day is so appreciated. Ask your provider where their favorite place to eat is, or grab a gift card from a smaller establishment in your town. Even better, make them a homemade casserole that they can put in their freezer to save for a busy day.

What To Get Your Daycare Provider For Christmas?

Still, looking for ideas on what to get your daycare provider for Christmas? Keep scrolling, I still have more great ideas to share with you.

3. Supplies for Daycare

Classroom Learning Toys

Classroom items can be expensive and usually come straight out of daycare providers’ own paycheck. Giving your provider a classroom gift for Christmas not only benefits your child but also helps your provider provide a high-quality program to all the children and families they serve.

Does your daycare provider have a wish list? I always put a couple of wish list items in my monthly newsletter for parents to donate to our classroom. This could be anything from toilet paper rolls for a craft, to a new baby doll for our dramatic play center. I also have a Daycare wish list on Amazon that my parents can access and purchase things from.

Ask your daycare provider if they have a wish list, or if they would be willing to set one up on Amazon. I always appreciate when parents purchase items off of our classroom wish list.

First Aid Kit

A good first aid kit is essential for daycare providers. If you want to gift your daycare provider a nice first aid kit, check out Keep Going First Aid Kits! These are my FAVORITE first aid kits. I have a larger one I keep in the classroom and some smaller ones that I leave in the wagon and car. They have everything your provider will need and they pass licensing requirements as well.

What Should I Get My Daycare Provider For Chrismas?

4. Coffee, Coffee, Coffee

What should I get my daycare provider for Christmas? Is your daycare provider a coffee lover? Then get them coffee! Coffee is essential to a good daycare day, and I personally love to receive fun coffee-themed gifts. You can get really creative here by giving your provider a fun daycare coffee cup, mug warmer, and of course coffee beans!

My favorite place to purchase themed coffee cups is Etsy. Here is an adorable one I found.

Keeping your coffee warm is always a struggle in a classroom. Raise your hand if you warm up your coffee 1,000 times a day in the microwave? I found the perfect solution to this, is to use a mug warmer. Now this warmer does get HOT, so I always make sure that it is plugged in and out of the reach of my daycare students.

Lastly, add some fun coffee beans to this gift and you have a very thoughtful gift to give any daycare coffee lover.

What Do You Get A Daycare Teacher For Christmas?

5. Self Care Items

Daycare teachers work long hours and are always time scrunched. What do you get a daycare teacher for Christmas? Self-care items are always appreciated to remind us to take time for ourselves. Here are some of my best recommendations for daycare provider self-care items.

Madison Braids

Who hates when you sleep through your alarm? As daycare providers, especially home daycare providers, the worst way to wake up is to your doorbell.  It happens to all of us, and on these days we have about five minutes to be up and ready. On days like this, I love my madison braid to quickly do my hair. No one would ever know that my hair literally took 30 seconds to do. My favorites are the top knot and the two-strand braid. Any daycare provider would appreciate this gift!

Pretty Nails

I love pretty nails. I always feel like I have my life together when my nails are painted. Gift cards to nail salons are nice, but as daycare providers, we are HARD on our nails. Those salon nails never last more than a couple of days. I have a better recommendation and it’s cheaper too! A couple of years ago I found an online store called Nails Mailed. These stick-on nails are the BEST! They last a full two weeks. If your provider likes to have pretty nails, these nails make a great Christmas gift.

Candles

I haven’t met a provider who doesn’t appreciate a good candle. Let’s be honest, we change a LOT of diapers throughout the day. Having a great candle, for those extra smelly days, is a provider’s best friend. I purchase all my candles from this Etsy shop. I can’t recommend these enough, these are always on my Christmas wish list. They are high-quality candles that will make any daycare classroom smell amazing! This shop also makes wax melts to put into a warmer for daycare centers that aren’t allowed to burn candles.

What to Get My Daycare Providers For Christmas?

As a daycare provider myself, I have never received a gift and thought, “that’s it!” Most of us daycare providers chose this profession because we love to care for others. That’s all your gift needs to say, that you CARE and see VALUE in what we PROVIDE to your family. I hope this Provider Christmas Wish List gave you some new fresh ideas for this holiday season. As a bonus, give a picture with your gift, either a family picture or pictures of your children with Santa. Your provider will LOVE the extra thought put into their Christmas gift.

Home Daycare Blogs

Thanks for stopping by my home daycare blog today and checking out my Christmas Wish List for childcare providers. If you are a provider I would love for you to Join my email list  I will send you a free workbook on how to open a home daycare like a boss. If you want ready-to-go daycare lesson plans for your classroom, check out my teacher’s pay teachers store.

Other Daycare Provider Blog Posts You Might Find Interesting!

Effective Communication Types In Childcare to Boost Parent Involvement

What To Pack In The Diaper Bag For A Successful Day In Daycare

13 Successful First Day In Daycare Tips For an Easy Transition