Au Pair Chatter

Click here to read the post on Wall Street Journal website

Check out this post on the Wall Street Journal online.

It’s written by reporter, John J. Edwards III and he talks about his thought process in deciding to hire an au pair.

He is planning to post updates as he and his wife continue in the process of becoming a host family.

Click here to view the full program

I was excited to take part in a very special celebration yesterday at the U.S. State Department. It was a reception honoring the 25th anniversary of the legal au pair program in the U.S. and Au Pair in America, the first au pair agency.

In 1986, The American Institute for Foreign Study (AIFS) received designation from the State Department to sponsor a two year pilot au pair program and Au Pair in America was born.

Twenty-five years later and we have placed more than 87,000 au pairs from more than 60 countries worldwide with host families in 43 states.

APIA Director, Ruth Ferry (Asst. Sec. of State, Anne Stock & AIFS CEO, Bill Gertz)

Alexandra with her host mom, Donna.  Teresa with her host mom, Julie & I. I was very pleased theses au pairs and host moms from our cluster were able to attend this special event.

Asst. Secretary of State, Anne Stock (Sen. Chris Dodd & AIFS CEO, Bill Gertz)

Au Pair in America was established in 1986 as the first federally approved au pair program in the United States.  We have established high standards of excellence, partnering with the U.S. government, international partners, our U.S. field network, AIFS staff and orientation team to provide a quality cross-cultural experience for over 87,000 au pairs from around the world and thousands of American families.  Join us in celebration…

Sorry it took me so long to post these.  These are some great photos from our January Cluster Meeting that were living in my camera for a very long time.  We celebrated the Inauguration by taking some photos with  President Barack Obama (in the cardboard form.)  If you see a photo that you would like to save, they are all in the Cluster Photobucket Album.

We had a great cluster meeting last night at the Ikea cafe.  The newest arrivals to the cluster got to meet some other au pairs.  Everyone selected a duck in my first ever Duck of Choice Meeting.

We also discussed the seasonal flu, H1N1 and tips on how to stay healthy over the winter months.  That may not sound like fun, but neither is getting sick.  So, it’s better to discuss it now and learn ways to stay healthy than to get sick.

We had our quarterly Cluster Super Stars prize drawing.  The big prize, a Washington, DC theme gift basket was won by Ayanda.  It was her first cluster meeting and a lucky day for her.  Wearing her Au Pair in America T-shirt must have brought her good luck!

Here is a picture of her with her prize.

Here’s how the Cluster Super Stars Program works…

Every time you participate in cluster events, you will earn tickets that will go into a drawing for a prize once a quarter (every 3 months.) Drawings will be held at the coffee meetings in March, June, September and December.  You must be present at the meeting where I do the drawing to win.

Here is how you earn tickets:
Attend a Cluster Meeting – 1 ticket
Call or Email a New Au Pair – 1 ticket

Wear your APIA T-shirt to a Cluster Meeting or Event – 1 ticket
Participate in a Cluster Volunteer Event – 3 tickets
Do a Global Awareness Presentation – 3 tickets
At Cluster Meetings, there will sometimes be chances to earn extra tickets.

The more tickets you earn, the more chances you have to win the prize. All of the Cluster Super Stars Prizes will have a value of $20-$60.

Here is a great article about an Au Pair in America EduCare Companion from Australia named Amy Hart.

It talks about her experiences here in the U.S. as well as the volunteer work she has done in her community.

A Year of Learning and Giving

Apply by August 15th & save $350

PLUS receive a $100 Marriott TravelCard!

Apply between Wednesday, July 1st, 2009 and Saturday, August 15th, 2009 and we will waive the $350 application fee. Plus, when you match with an au pair, you will receive a $100 Marriott TravelCard for use on all Marriott services.

You may choose to decline the $100 Marriott TravelCard and apply the $100 value towards your program fee.To qualify your au pair must arrive by December 31st, 2009. Learn more about this special offer for host families by contacting Alex Ramirez at (800) 928-7247 ext. 5161 or at aramirez@aifs.com.

Get started with your application today or request a free brochure.

I participated in the City of Bowie Memorial Day Parade again this year.  Here is a picture:

Tip for going to parades: Sit somewhere early or mid-way along the parade route.  By the end, everyone runs out of candy.  Each year, I buy more and I still run out before we get to the huge crowds at the end of the parade.

The survey of 1035 respondents was administered online over a two-month period between January and February by QuestBack, a leading provider of online survey services based in Oslo, Norway.  The survey found 94 percent of Au Pair in America families would recommend the program to a friend.

Read the Press Release  Here

In today’s Wall Street Journal there is a great article about Au Pair in America.  It discusses the increase in Western European au pairs in the past year.

Origins of Au Pairs Becomes Barometer in Labor Market

“As job opportunities shrink in Europe, the minimum $132.64 per week, plus room, board and tuition reimbursement that the au pair program guarantees looks increasingly appealing. A desire for adventure and what some call the “Obama factor” also is a lure for young Europeans, says Ms. Ferry. In March, nearly half of all of Au Pair in America’s applications came from Western Europe, compared with about a third in the same period last year.”

The British au pair and her host family featured in the article are in a nearby cluster in Northern VA.