My name is Christine Connally and I have been an Au Pair in America Community Counselor since 2003. My service area includes: Takoma Park, Silver Spring, Prince George's County and Southern Anne Arundel County, Maryland.
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.
Posted by Christine Connally on Mar 29, 2010No Comments
When is Passover?
Passover in 2010 will start on Tuesday, the 30th of March and will continue for 7 days until Monday, the 5th of April.
Note that in the Jewish calander, a holiday begins on the sunset of the previous day, so observing Jews will celebrate Passover on the sunset of Monday, the 29th of March.
What is Passover?
Passover is the Jewish celebration lasting seven to eight days (seven in Israel, eight outside of it) that marks the freedom of the Jews from enslavement by the Egyptians. According to the Old Testament, the Jews, led by Moses, had requested freedom from the Pharaoh of Egypt, but were denied. To punish the Egyptians, God sent the 10 plagues to Egypt to convince the Pharaoh to release the Jews. The last of these plagues, and the most devastating, was to kill the firstborn male in each Egyptian household.
Here are some websites, with Passover activity ideas for kids.
Posted by Christine Connally on Mar 16, 2010No Comments
St. Patrick’s Day is observed on March 17, because that is the feast day of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. It has become a holiday all around the world, where everyone can share in the fun and be Irish for the day.
Posted by Christine Connally on Mar 13, 2010No Comments
The next APIA Advantage UCLA Extension Class is set to start on March 29. Time is running out to register.There are still spaces available, but you need to act quickly to register.
American Studies Online is a 19-week media-rich, mostly self-paced online course of study. Designed specifically in cooperation with the American Institute For Foreign Study’s “Au Pair in America” program, UCLA Extension’s course offers successful participants 6 quarter units (4 semester units) and a certificate of completion from UCLA Extension. This class satisfies the whole education requirement for au pairs and half of the requirement for Educare companions. View the brochure here.
Participants will read lessons, engage in activities, write, share resources, network with one another, and even collaborate on special projects – all designed to further their understanding of US culture.
The Community Involvement segment of the program takes the au pairs into face-to-face contact with the community. Au pairs will relate these experiences to their academic coursework in American Studies Online.
The interdisciplinary course of study will include:
• US History
• Arts in the US
• US literature
• Career counseling
• English language study (optional)
• TOEFL preparation (optional)
Each group is assigned a “Course Manager” who acts as an “online concierge” to provide high levels of service to ensure a rewarding and trouble-free educational experience.
For course descriptions and current schedule, visit http://www.uclaextension.edu/aupairs For further information call (310) 206-6671 or email online@uclaextension.edu
I periodically review links and information on my blog for accuracy and make updates as needed. If you ever find a broken link or information that needs to be updated, please let me know. Thanks.
There are a variety of colleges located in and around our cluster area. Scroll your mouse across the names of the colleges listed below, to find which ones to consider for where you live.
“Au pair” means “on par” or equal. Au pairs and 18-26 year olds from over 60 different countries who travel to the United States on a J-1 Visa to acquire a better understanding and appreciation of American life while living with an American family and caring for their young children.
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