Ah, it's that magical time of the year again when the days get warmer and we edge closer to the holiday season. It's also the season to show our heartfelt appreciation to the incredible childcare educators and professionals who tirelessly nurture, educate, and care for our little ones in their early years of schooling. They're the unsung heroes, behind the scenes, making sure our families and children thrive. Let's take a moment to celebrate their unwavering dedication and hard work with a special thank-you gift.
While your little ones might want to shower their educators with amazing gifts like glow-in-the-dark unicorn dresses with magic powers or a pair of sparkly dinosaur-feet boots that can make you jump higher than a building, these may not be the most practical options!
We're pretty sure your children's educators will love these fantastical sentiments but when it comes to showing your appreciation through end-of-year thank-you presents, what do educators really want?
We spoke to a selection of educators, childcare professionals, and early childhood educators and asked them what are the gifts that make it to their ‘most wanted' lists. The perfect kindy teacher gift to celebrate the end of the year is a card filled with messages and pictures from the whole class, paired with a gift certificate or voucher.
96.9% of the teachers and educators surveyed would prefer a thoughtful gift from their whole room or class, instead of individual gifts and 90.7% would prefer a practical gift like a gift voucher rather than other choices like hampers or handmade presents.
4 Christmas Gifts for Educators
When deciding how to show your thanks to your little one's educators and kindy teachers this year, take a look at the list below to choose the best gift.
Gift cards/vouchers
Whether it's for a particular retailer, an experience, or even a coffee shop, the gift of choice is a great option. Pair this with a thank you card filled with heartfelt messages and pictures of the children, and you've got yourself the best kindy teacher gift.
Pampering & self-care
A massage or facial voucher from all families for your child's teacher will help hardworking educators relax at the end of a busy year.
Personalised gifts
Travel coffee mugs, reusable coffee cups, drink bottles, pot plants or other items that can be used or displayed on the teacher's desk are all used regularly by educators in their day-to-day activities and receiving a personalised version will have special meaning.
Thank you celebration group gift
Organising a group celebration where parents, children, and educators come together to express their gratitude is a great idea and can create a memorable and uplifting experience. Even providing a platter of food as a Christmas hamper for educators at your childcare service to share at morning tea, is a lovely sentiment, or some Christmas decorations that teachers can use to decorate their classrooms.
As our survey results show, organising one great gift and card for your kid's teacher is a much better way to thank them compared with individual gifts (as no one really needs 25 “#1 Teacher” mugs!!). Trying to wrangle the parents from your childcare service to chip in for a gift the “old fashioned” way, can be a nightmare, especially when everyone is so busy at this time of year. You need to share bank details, collect cash, stalk parents to sign the card and manually track who has paid. Who has time for that?!
GroupTogether: A Great Teacher Gift from the Whole Class
Well, we've just discovered the perfect solution, making gift-giving a breeze; GroupTogether. Here's why we love it - you can organise the money collection, reminders, cards and even the gift all on the user-friendly website. So you can give one great gift from the whole class, with less hassle and less waste!
It's so easy to use, simply go to GroupTogether and click ‘start'. Then…
- Create a gift collection and choose your card design: it only takes 2 minutes to set up and you can invite parents via email or simply share a link via text, WhatsApp or Facebook.
- Parents chip in & sign the card online: they simply click to pay securely online and write a message and add a pic to the card. No apps. Super easy.
- Choose the gift: you can give an eGift Card, withdraw it or split it how you want. Most people give an AnyCard which lets the teacher choose from 70+ leading eGift Card brands. Then print or send the card and gift online.
It's completely FREE if you choose one of the hundreds of eGift Cards and gifts available (including all of the major eGift Cards like Myer, David Jones, Woolies, JB HiFi, endota spa, BCF, etc.). You can also withdraw the funds for a tiny fee.
The most popular gift is the AnyCard which lets educators choose their own eGift Cards (note this is the number 1 gift for early childhood educators on their wish list!). You can also download the card as a PDF to print and give in person to add that personal touch and allow the children to add a handwritten note so they can get creative with their messages of love. It's also the most inclusive way to give a gift from the class; you can let parents sign the card without contributing, especially during special occasions like Early Childhood Educators Day, to cater for everyone's financial situation without the ‘awkwardness'.
Whatever you choose, childcare educators cherish gifts for multiple daycare teachers that reflect appreciation for their hard work and dedication. While traditional gifts are always well received, the most meaningful gestures are often those that show a genuine understanding of their needs, desires, and aspirations.
