Would love to plan a get-together with dcps

[Josiegirl]

I'm terribly shy and introverted. I'm fine 1 on 1 but wow, put me in a group of people and I'd much rather be an observer.
With that said, I'm toying with the idea of having a Christmas party(or something) with the dcfs, maybe on a Saturday afternoon/early evening a week or probably 2 before Christmas.
I know people are busy right before the holidays. But I'm really hoping if I give them lots of notice they can at least stop by for an hour or so.
What do you all think? I know some of you do this type of thing regularly. Out of 30+ years of daycare, this would be a first for me.
I was thinking of a cookie swap party and book exchange for the kids. Good idea? Bad? Any other ideas?
Help? I'm not a good planner and don't really want to get into making lots of food(not a great cook).
So here I am again, begging the most intelligent, wisest, compassionate, caring group of giving people on the planet for help. (how's that for buttering you all up?)

[hope]

I think it's a good idea! The ladies in my neighborhood did a cookie swap. We all sat around and played a few games. You could make Christmas ornaments so that the parents and kids can be involved in the activity together. Maybe play pectin are or charades(sp). I would either do a dessert theme so you don't have to worry about food or order pizza. Good luck!

[racemom]

Do your parents pick up around the same time? If so you could do a party at pick up, if you are concerned about people being too busy to come. Do quick and easy snacks like cheese, meat and fruit platter, crackers or little bread squares, and punch for drinks. Do a quick craft for parents and kids to do together (ornament to paint or color with markers, or clear ones to put things in) while you set up for the cookie and book exchange, and everyone can be in an out quickly.

[SignMeUp]

Oh! I had already planned to do a book exchange (even though I never thought of a catchy name for it). But I love the idea of a cookie exchange with it!

For 20 years I did a full meal, food program creditable even. Because I had such wonderful parents ::

And now, suddenly, I do not. So, time to change things up! You know, I could supply hot cider and cups. They could supply gifts and cookies. Exchange on the spot! Put your cookies out and sample any that look good

It's not going to last two hours anymore either

If you love your families and want to spend time with them, do it! And even if you don't, do it, just smaller investment on your part ::

I highly recommend doing the easy "cook" like cheese and cracker trays, holiday breads, etc. if you don't want to coordinate kids & last-minute cooking.
In the past, I've done latkes & homemade applesauce every year, and then different years made different main meals: Mac & cheese, oven-baked for the kids, chipotle oven-baked for the adults, ordered in pizza, homemade pizza, deconstructed "casseroles" - because I've always had some vegetarian or gluten-free families - they can add in their own ingredients, chicken mole and rice. I had a blast doing it all too. But now I'm done

Oh! Have your children sing Parents love it so much, and they are so sweet Some years, I buy the little battery-lit tea candles, tape the battery compartment securely, hand out an age disclaimer about the batteries (yes, I did!)
and have them sing a song that fits the theme.
We always end childcare a bit early, parents come in and get drinks and settle in to talk, kids play. By then it's dark and I gather the children and turn down the lights, give them their candles and they sing

[Heidi]

I just did a brunch. I made muffins, oumpin spice cake, fresh fruit, juice, coffee, and a few breakfast casseroles. Or, you could do "pot luck".

They asked for bloody marys the first year (this was the 2nd), so I even had adult beverages. One dad and I were the only ones to drink them though, and one dcm had a virgin one (she's preggers).

[snbauser]

I do a spaghetti dinner. It's on a Friday night in December at 5:30. It's usually the 2nd Friday to give us time in December to do a lot of our holiday projects and we use them to decorate. Put a tablecloth on the table, some of the kids projects as centerpieces, and some votive candle holders with battery operated candles inside and it looks festive. Dinner is nice and easy....spaghetti, meatballs, salad, bread, and drinks. The kids make cookies during the day for dessert. The parents sit at the "big" table and get to eat and socialize. I take care of feeding the kids at the kids table and we do an easy craft while the parents are finishing up. It's done with by 8pm at the latest. We have tried the singing before and it just didn't go over well. By that time of the night the kids have been here for 11-12 hours and are just done and tired. The last thing they wanted to do was perform for their parents so I stopped doing it.

[SignMeUp]

I do a spaghetti dinner. It's on a Friday night in December at 5:30. We have tried the singing before and it just didn't go over well. By that time of the night the kids have been here for 11-12 hours and are just done and tired. The last thing they wanted to do was perform for their parents so I stopped doing it.

I can see that. My kids do love to sing And we start at 4:30 and keep it to two hours, any longer than that and mine just melt down. I usually do mine early in the week so that my house doesn't need a big cleaning again before the party. That means I will have the kids the next day, and I don't want them all over-tired ::

[HIplay]

We have a brunch/lunch potluck from 9:30/10am-12noon on a Saturday for our current and former families. We provide a few of the food items and juice/water and we ask the families to sign up what food they will bring. We usually have a simple food activity set up upon arrival (cookie decorating, gingerbread house making, etc) that the parents do with their child while other families arrive. Depending on budget and number of families coming we have had a magician or other hands on activity or bounce house. The families and children love it. It allows us to sit, talk, and catch up with the parents without being rushed. It gives the families a feeling of community and they continue to refer our program to friends/clients. This Christmas will be our 3rd year doing this and I have found the first year was the most chaotic and stressful, but once it was done we were able to look back and fine tune what needed to be done. Now it's a piece of cake. It helps to have wonderful daycare families.

[Pepperth]

As a parent, I would say do it. My sons provider always had a dcf party on a week night. We parents loved getting to know each other and watching our little ones interact with each other. A fun project is for the kids to decorate a cardboard box into a photo booth. Then parents can take pictures during the party.