Oh my gosh - I had to weigh in on this thread. I agree with many of the comments above - a gift should never be "expected".That' s so crass ! And as far as expecting a gift in the price range of one weeks dues - that's just crazy. I certainly don't have the financial means to gift my child's teachers or my dental technician to the tune of a couple hundred dollars. I'll put togther a thoughtful gift that they will enjoy, but it will likely be in the 40 to 50 dollar range - does that make me a Scrooge ? Maybe I have total savages for parents, but I only have one parent who gave me a card and a gift last year. My other two parents did nothing - and I give birthday gifts for each child, as well as Xmas gifts for each child. (average price 30 dollars) I really wrestled with whether or not I was going to do anything at all this year. I ultimately decided that I would continue to celebrate the special days in my little one's life (You only turn two once, right ? ) and I try not to expect anything from the parents. It would be wonderful though if parents would take a minute and just write something sincere in a card - it's always nice to receive praise for the job you do, and it would be fantastic tool to use when interviewing new families - praise from other parents is often what gets you the job !