Paraprofessional Appreciation Day is celebrated at the beginning of April each year. When you research the actual day there will be some discrepancies, April 1, April 3, or even April 7. But all that matters is that we are finding a special day to show our support and appreciation for our paraprofessionals and support staff.
1. Hand Written Note
The most impactful way you can thank your paraprofessionals is through a hand written note. Share with them how they make a difference in your classroom. Tell them that your classroom could not run without them, and share how much of an impact they make on students. Paraprofessionals are truly difference makers.
You can grab the free note you see in this picture, here.
2. Food
Another common way to show appreciation is to bring coffee and bagels, buy takeout for lunch, or bring everyones favorite treat (think candy bars!)
3. Flowers
I love the idea of surprising your support staff with flowers on paraprofessional appreciation day. This will most likely be a surprise that they don’t see coming and flowers can truly brighten someones day!
Reminder: I always start the year with a paraprofessional favorites survey. This helps me learn the likes and dislikes of my staff, so that I can show my appreciation to them in ways that suit them best. (for instance if they hate flowers or have a food allergy) You can get my para favorites survey for free here.
I hope that this list helps give you some simple ideas of how you can thank your paraprofessionals and support staff this year. Whitney shares some more ideas in this blog post.
What ways have you thanked your paraprofessionals before? Share ideas in the comments section!
Want more tips about celebrating your support staff? Click here