About Au Pair in America

Au Pair in America is the nation's first legal au pair program. Since 1986, we have provided the best child care opportunities to host families across the US and au pairs from around the world.

Many of our au pairs from the greater Boston area participated in our annual May regional event, The Walk for Hunger. Many of them walked the whole course of 20 miles: from Boston through Brookline, Newton, Cambridge and back to Boston.  CONGRATULATIONS!  And thanks to Boston counselor Heike Kriszun for organizing!

The weather was perfect despite some early morning chill.

To walk for a good cause and to have family and friends sponsoring them is an American tradition and new to many au pairs who come from so many different countries to experience the American way of life.  With this walk, our au pairs raised more then we expected to help the hungry in Massachusetts.

Many more pix can be seen at : Walk for Hunger 2013

Coffee Meeting at my house

Early this month I decided to spontaneously add an extra meeting to connect more with my au pairs.   The summer is coming and I have to do a lot of year end business with au pairs that are leaving.   It was nice to have the extra time to do this.  It was also nice for those of au pairs whose schedule prevents them to come to some of the evening meetings.   Some au pairs came with their children and it was nice to watch them interact.

BOSTON STRONG

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How Americans Help

The most important thing now  is to understand that as horrific as this event was we are still safe to move about our normal days.

So many people have reached out to help the survivors.  As individual Americans we tend to donate to certain charities that help those who have been injured.  As Au Pairs it helps for you to be aware of the enormous efforts that are taken to help in time of crisis.

Since April 15th, both traditional and new organizations have offered help and support to those hurt physically and emotionally by the deadly blasts at the Boston Marathon.

The American Red Cross of Eastern Massachusetts says it’s served 5,000 meals and snacks. A new group, The One Fund, announced by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Tom Menino, has been set up to get money to the families of those killed and most severely wounded.

Three people died in the explosions: 8-year-old Martin Richard, and Krystle Marie Campbell, 29, both of Massachusetts; and Lingzi Lu, a Boston University graduate student from China, and 176 were injured.

Here’s how we can help:

The American Red Cross, Eastern Massachusetts
Since Monday, the Red Cross has “provided about 500 units of blood and blood products to hospitals in the Boston area,” the organization says on its. “Blood supplies are currently sufficient to meet patient needs and people who want to give blood are strongly encouraged to schedule a donation appointment in the days and weeks ahead.”

The One Fund Boston
The will act as a central repository to “receive much needed financial support,” Gov. Patrick said Tuesday in a statement. “At moments like this, we are one state, one city and one people.”

Within an hour of the explosions, Mayor Menino said in a statement he had calls from business leaders and philanthropists “who  were heartbroken by the impact this hideous tragedy” had on individuals and families, and wanted to do something about it.

As of Wednesday, officials said, more than $7 million has been pledged to The One Fund by corporate partners and individuals. Individuals have contributed more than $500,000 so far.

The John Hancock company has pledged $1 million, and there are other commitments for contributions from the Boston Celtics, Boston Red Sox and Bain Capital.

On April 20, AT&T said customers who want to support One Fund can text the word BOSTON to 80108 to donate $10. The donation will be reflected on customers’ monthly AT&T bill.

The Amputee Coalition
Members from this are working with Boston hospitals that are treating patients. The coalition works regularly to raise awareness about amputees, create peer mentorship programs and has a summer program for children with limb differences. To learn more, visit the coalition’s main website .

Challenged Athletes Foundation

This is also working with those injured Monday. The group says  is to help those with physical disabilities pursue “active lifestyles,” and provide funding for adaptive equipment, hold clinics to build confidence and sponsor mentorship programs.

April Yoga Meeting

This month I led a yoga class for my au pair group at Together in Motion in East Arlington.  We had a good time together and enjoyed some food and drink with chit-chat after the class.

For more photos go to Yoga Meeting

APIA Community Service Award

We are thrilled to announce the 2013 winners of our first Community Service Award competition.  We asked au pairs to tell us about their volunteer experience in the United States.  We identified state winners and 3 national winners, 15 in total.  All au pairs who submitted entries will receive a certificate to acknowledge their contribution to the community.  Winners will receive an Amazon gift card and an engraved award.

This is has been a great project and we hope to do it on an annual basis going forward. It’s such a good feeling to recognize the au pairs who really embrace the experience and give back to their communities, they are true ambassadors of their countries.  Read the winning entries on the website:

http://www.aupairinamerica.com/communityservice/2013_winners.asp

Maple Sugaring Tour

Maple Sugaring Group

Maple Sugaring Group

It’s maple sugaring time again!   As our March regional event, we offered a tour at the Belmont Habitat to our Boston area au pairs.  In addition to our regular monthly meetings, these regional events offer all au pairs in the area a second opportunity to meet other au pairs and engage in cultural experiences.

Introduction

Introduction

On a cold, sunny day, 35 of us gathered inside the visitor’s center.  Before talking about maple sugaring, our tour guides talked with au pairs about their favorite sweet from their country.

We then split up in three groups and through our very knowledgeable tour guides, learned about the history and the process of maple sugaring.  We also learned how to identify a sugar maple and how to tap a tree.

We took a walk through the Habitat, looking at different maple trees, including tapped ones.   We tasted maple sap directly from the tree and compared it with samples of maple syrup.

Our tour included a taste test to see if we could differentiate real maple syrup from chemically produced syrup that consists mostly of corn syrup.  In the end, we were treated to Vanilla ice cream with maple syrup.

For more photos of our tour, please go to Maple Sugaring

A View From Above: Au Pairs Visit Prudential Center

This month my au pair cluster joined two other local clusters for a visit to the Prudential Center Skywalk.  From the 52nd floor, we enjoyed a 360 degree view of Boston and its surroundings.

We welcomed Madhvi, Jessica, Yann Ling and Jaqueline to our cluster.   They were happy to meet and connect with other au pairs.   It is nice to observe how they find their peer support during  a time when they’re missing the one they left at home.

After our visit to the Skywalk, we gathered at Vapiano restaurant for some food and good conversations.

For more photos of our meeting, please visit Prudential Center

Au Pairs Celebrate Valentine’s Day

This week my au pair group met at my house for a Valentine’s Day celebration.  We made heart-shaped pizzas and also enjoyed heart-shaped fruit and cookies as well as Valentine’s candy.

We said good-bye to Lena who is moving to another cluster and to Wi who will be going home to Thailand.   We welcomed new arrivals Janice, Malin and Luisa.

We also had a discussion about taxes.   Au pairs that are here for more than 18 weeks for the tax year need to file taxes.  That can be confusing.  Our agency is very helpful in providing the necessary information, but it was helpful to go over it again and get questions answered.

For more photos of our meeting go to Valentine 2013

Valentine’s Day

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A little history about Saint Valentine’s Day

On Thursday, February 14th we celebrate Valentine’s Day in the United States by giving flowers, candy and cards to those we love. We do this in honor of Saint Valentine. You may be wondering, “Who is St. Valentine”? Time to brush up on your Valentine’s history!

Legend has it that Valentine was a priest who served during third century Rome. The Emperor at that time, Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those that were married. With this thought in mind he outlawed marriage for young men in hopes of building a stronger army. Supposedly, Valentine, decided this decree was not fair and married young couples in secret. When Emperor Claudius II found out about Valentine’s actions he had his head cut off making him a martyr of love.  Another legend has it that Valentine was an imprisoned man who fell in love with his jailor’s daughter. Before he was put to death he sent the first ‘valentine’ himself when he wrote her a letter and signed it ‘Your Valentine’, words still used on cards today.

Perhaps we’ll never know the true identity and story behind the man named St. Valentine, but this much is for sure…February has been the month to celebrate love for a long time, dating back to the Middle Ages. In fact, Valentines ranks second only to Christmas in number of greeting cards sent.   For some fun children’s activities including crafts, coloring pages, games, puzzles and poems go to:

http://www.dltk-holidays.com/valentines/index.htm

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/valentines-day/

Boston Au Pairs Go Snowtubing!

As the temperatures were falling toward the single digits, my au pairs braved the weather last Wednesday night and headed West to the Nashoba Valley Snowtubing Park.  We met five other Boston area au pair groups and were able to take advantage of the group rate.  Always a good thing for my au pairs to save money!

We gathered at the cottage, which was was nice and warm, and au pairs kept coming in to warm up with hot chocolate and cookies.

We welcomed Malin and Luisa, who arrived this month, into our group.  They easily made connections to other au pairs and already know some from their first three days of orientation in Connecticut.

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