Are Gifts Appropriate for MDO Workers?

I am a MDO teacher and a mom to 4. As a mom I can tell you I always bought for my children's teachers. I usually try to find out if the teachers collected anything and then tried to purchase whatever it is.

As a teacher I will tell you that we do not expect anything. However, it is greatly appreciated. I have received things from a $5 gift card to Sonic to a painting from a mom who is an artist. It really is not the amount of money spent, it truly is the thought that matters. :)

Hope that helps.

Yes. There are teachers ,volunteers. They need to be appreciated. Gourmet coffee,tea, Star Bucks card. It does not have to be expensive. It is the thought that counts. Here are a few great sites for teacher gifts.

http://www.laurasgiftcottage.com
http://qcu.com/

P.

I would think that gifts are fine.
You could make it fun for you and your DD make cookie mixes or something.
If you were going to give Gift cards I would go with Starbucks or Half price books and you could just do 10 dollars on those.
Even making something like ornaments for Christmas and then getting something bigger for end of the year.
You can do whatever you want!!!

I did this last year for my daughters teachers and for the director. I went to Yankee Candle store and bought them each a small jar candle and this felt "candle bag" that looked like a snowman to carry them each in. Inside each one, I included a "Thank You" note specified to each teacher. My daughter has severe food allergies and they were great with her. They made adjustments to snacks etc... just for my daughter so I felt like I should get them a little appreciation gift. Just an idea. Oh, and you don't have to do a gift, not many did.

Our preschool/MDO actually has room moms, and my friend and I are room mom coordinators. If your MDO doesn't have it organized, I would say a gift card to Starbucks or a local restaurant would be fine. Mardel's store is a favorite for the teachers at our school, too.
We ask for $2 from each child, and buy a present from the class with that. Personal gifts are optional.

I did a small gift for my daughter's MDO teachers last year. I usually do an african violet or other small plant with Christmas colored foil around the pot and then make a small flag to stick in it with a bible verse on one side (or just Merry Christmas) and then I put "Thank you for helping Abbey grow". This is a good gift for either Christmas or the end of the year, but obviously you wouldn't do it for both. I think the end of the year gifts for the teachers tend to be a little more elaborate (at least from what I experienced last year), so I like the plant idea for Christmas.

They will probably get lots of candy and cookies and stuff, so if you aren't keen on the plant idea, I would do a gift card to Barnes and Noble, Starbucks or a restaurant. I usually keep it around $10, but the amount would probably depend on what you're comfortable with and your family budget for the holidays. Good luck! I was new to this last year, so I know where you're coming from. I still don't think I have it figured out.

V.