A few weeks ago, actor and former Saturday Night Live cast member Amy Poehler was among the guests of honor at the sixth annual Time 100 Gala, for which “influential people” are invited to toast the people who influence them. After Poehler got a few jokes out of the way, she ultimately went on to say that the two people who have had the most influence in her life over the past two and a half years–during which she gave birth to two sons–were the nannies who help her take care of her family every day.

Watch her speech here.

Just this week I wrote a post on my personal blog about the amazing woman who takes care of my son every weekday (as well as last Saturday, when she hosted all the kids for a sleepover, free of charge, so the parents could have a date night, and then she cooked us all breakfast the next morning!), and the more I think about it–and the more I hear from other people who say they also couldn’t survive without their childcare providers–the more I wonder how we can ever thank these people who are so vital to our roles as working parents.

Whether your kid attends a full-time daycare facility or spends a few afternoons a week at Grandma’s house, it’s ridiculous to think there’s some way to repay these people for doing what they do–no payment can compensate knowing your child is safe and happy with someone else–but that said, I definitely think it’s worth finding other ways to express our gratitude, and I’m not talking about a token gift at the end of the year or a quick “thanks” at every drop-off and pick-up. I’m thinking of something on par with toasting my daycare provider in front of a crowd at a high-profile media gala…if only someone would invite me to one.

How do you thank the people who help you take care of your children, the people who, as Poehler said, help you love your children? Have you, like me, found that they’ve not only solved a need but brought so many more wonderful things into your life than you could have anticipated?

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