Au Pair Chatter

Our cluster is one of the select number of communities offering EduCare in America. Au Pair in America is the only agency offering the EduCare program.

Sarah from Germany ~ 19 years old

What is EduCare in America? – This cost-effective program is the choice for families with full-time school-age children who require care primarily during the early morning and after school hours, with some weekend and evening hours. 30 hours of child care for approximately $271 per family, per week.

EduCare Summer 2011* Arrival Dates
July 5       July 25       August 1       August 15

We still have a large pool of EduCare applicants looking for placement this summer.

• View a sampling of Educare companion profiles HERE.
• Want to view full applications, apply HERE.
• Want to find out more? Email me at cicaupair @ aol.com.

*There is also one winter EduCare arrival date for 2011 – December 5.

Step 1
Encourage your child to drink plenty of water. On hot days, children should drink significantly more water than usual, as they are losing more due to the heat.

Step 2
Do not wait until your child is thirsty to give him water. By the time they feel thirsty, they are already becoming dehydrated.

Step 3
Have other liquids on hand for your child to drink throughout the day. Juices also help with hydration.

Step 4
Be alert to changes in behavior.  A child may act confused or more irritable when they are becoming dehydrated/overheated.  Get them into cooler temperatures and drinking more fluids.

Step 5
Dress your child in lightweight clothing in the summer months, particularly if she’ll be playing outdoors in warm weather. You may also consider clothes that are well ventilated as they do not trap heat close to the body.

Now that the weather is getting nice, it is likely you will be spending more time outdoors with the children. Playing in the back yard, at the playground or walking on nature trails are great ways to get fresh air and exercise.

What are ticks? – Ticks are small mites that attach themselves to skin and suck blood. Click HERE to see examples of ticks.

Where are ticks commonly found? – Ticks are normally found in areas with trees, bushes or tall grass. This includes back yards, parks, nature areas and most places you would be spending time with the children outdoors in the nice weather.

What needs to be done? - When you return home from areas where ticks might live, carefully check the children (their skin and scalp) for ticks.

Most ticks do not carry diseases, and most tick bites do not cause serious health problems. But it is important to remove a tick as soon as you find it. Removing the tick completely may help you avoid diseases such as Lyme Disease that the tick may pass on during feeding, or a skin infection where it bit you.

Click HERE for Instructions on Removing a tick from WebMD.com.

Photo #4 entered by Sandra from Spain.

Congratulations, Sandra!

I asked au pairs in our cluster to share some photos from their summer travels. Please vote for your favorite by clicking HERE.  The winning au pair will receive a free ticket to the Maryland Renaissance Festival for our upcoming cluster meeting.

Vote as many times as you would like and share the link to this page with your friends via email, Facebook, Twitter and where ever else you can think of.  Voting will end on Thursday, September 23 at 12 noon.

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Please vote for your favorite by clicking HERE

Have you ever been to a drive-in movie? Drive-in movies are outdoor theaters where the movie is projected on a large screen and you watch from your car. There were once over 4,000 drive-in theaters in the U.S., now only a few hundred remain.

One of those still operating is right here in Maryland, in the Baltimore area.  Bengies Drive-In has been in business since 1956.  It is about an hour drive from most parts of our cluster, but since they are the only one left in Maryland, that doesn’t sound so far.

Click here to visit the website

I plan to take my kids to their first drive-in movie there this month.  Visit their website for complete details and directions.  There is a note about how to enter their address with GPS units because they don’t come up as Baltimore on GPS.

If you go, let me know how you like it.

It’s not too late to register the kids for Summer Reading Programs at your local library.  Many offer programs with incentives for kids who keep track of their summer reading.  There are also story times, puppet shows and other events held at the libraries over the summer.  Another great place to stay cool in the hot weather.

Check out your county’s library website for details:

Montgomery County Public Library

Prince Georges County Public Library

Anne Arundel County Public Library

The Folklife Festival will take place June 24-28 and July 1-5.  The Annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival is an international exhibition of living cultural heritage.  Attracting more than one million visitors yearly, the two-week long celebration is the largest annual cultural event in the United States.   This year’s festival will feature the traditions of Mexico and Asian Pacific Americans.

The Festival is held outdoors on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., between the Smithsonian museums. There is no admission charge. Visitors should dress for hot and humid weather. Parking around the Mall is extremely limited, so visitors are advised to use Metrorail. The Smithsonian station (Mall exit) is at the Festival site. Federal Triangle and National Archives stations are close by. For general Smithsonian visitor information, call 202.633.1000.

Festival hours are 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., with special events taking place most evenings.

I highly recommend that you visit their website to plan your visit http://www.festival.si.edu/

An Additional Educare Arrival Date has been added, August 24!

Ines from Germany

If you are interested in a EduCare Companion for a summer arrival, there is still time to apply.

EduCare in America – 30 hours of child care for approximately $271 per family, per week. This cost-effective program is the choice for families with full-time school-age children who require care primarily during the early morning and after school hours, with some weekend and evening hours.

To consider EduCare:

• You must live in one of the designated EduCare Communities*
• You must have children in full-time school
• You must be able to work with 30 hours a week (year round)
• You must understand that their education allowance is $1000/yr
• You must be able to work with the EduCare arrival schedule

*If you do not see your community listed, I still encourage you to inquire.  We are looking to expand EduCare and your community might be a possibility if it is already served by the standard Au Pair in America program.

2009 EduCareArrival Dates

• Tuesday, July 7
• Monday, July 27
• Monday, August 3
• Monday, August 17
• Monday, August 24 (just added)
• Monday, December 7

Here are some profiles of EduCare Companions looking for summer arrivals.

Apply Now and Save $450!

If you have questions about EduCare, post them here in the comments section.