Education Guidelines and Information
All au pairs are required to take 6 credits (or attend classes for a minimum of 72 hours) over the course of the year. As a general rule, 45 hours of class time is equivalent to one “3-credit” course. (Educare au pairs are required to earn 12 credits per year). The educational component of this program is a mandatory requirement of the U.S. Department of State for all au pair program participants. Au Pairs must complete their educational requirements in order to be eligible for their return flight. Applications to extend for a second year cannot be processed without proof of completion of education.
Extension program participants must satisfy an additional educational requirement, as follows: For a nine or 12-month extension, all au pair participants and host families shall have the same obligation of coursework and payment as is required during the initial period of program participation. For a six-month extension, au pairs must complete no less than three credits (or their equivalent) of academic course work, and host families must agree to facilitate the enrollment and attendance of au pairs and to pay the cost of such academic coursework in an amount not to exceed $250.
At certain colleges and universities, you may be allowed to “audit” classes in order to receive a lower tuition rate. When you audit a class, the college or university does not issue formal credit for the class. Audits are acceptable and do count as credit for au pair program educational requirements.
It is important that you give proof of education documentation to your counselor at the completion of your class. Proof of education may be in the form of a certificate or grade report from the university, or a letter signed by the instructor and printed on college/university stationery. All proof of education must state your name, ID number, school attended, course title, dates attended and number of credits/hours. Your counselor must submit this information to Au Pair in America in order for you to receive your return flight or to process your extension paperwork.
ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE
COMMUNTIY COLLEGE OF RI (CCRI) WCE DIVISION
(Center for Workforce and Community Education)
401-333-7074
CCRI offers ESL classes at its Providence and Lincoln campuses. The cost to enroll in a 15-session course is $175 plus a $5 registration fee. Each 15-session course is equivalent to 3 credits (45 hours). Classes are offered year round, with a new schedule published each Spring, Fall, and Summer. Placement tests are required for all students enrolling at in ESL classes for the first time. You can view the CCRI catalog at: http://www.ccri.edu/cwce/
RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE – ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE
Providence, RI
Classes are offered during the Spring and Fall Semesters on Monday–Thursday evenings from 7:00 pm – 8:50 pm for 14 weeks. Tuition: $500. Cost for books is approximately $170. (Total 90 hours – this fulfills the U.S. Department of State requirement for the entire year). For more information contact: Dr. J. Andres Ramirez by e-mail at jramirez@ric.edu or by phone at (401) 456-8573; or www.ric.edu/esl/
RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE ESL OUTREACH PROGRAM
Providence, RI
Classes are held Monday – Friday from 9 A.M – 12 noon. The duration of the course is 20 weeks and is offered year round. New classes begin on the first week of each month. Tuition is $600 (total 300 hours – this well exceeds the U.S. Department of State requirement of 90 hours for the year). Evening classes are also available for specific levels – testing is required prior to registration. For more information, visit http://www.ricoutreach.org/program_caell.html
Or contact:
Rhode Island College Office of Outreach Programs
600 Mt. Pleasant Avenue, East Campus – Building 8
Providence, RI 02908
401-456-8698
BOSTON ACADEMY OF ENGLISH AU PAIR PROGRAM
59 Temple Place, Boston, MA 02111 617-338-6243
The Boston Academy of English has a special rate for au pairs registering for part-time evening or Saturday English classes. http://www.bostonacademyofenglish.com/aupair.html
BRISTOL COMMUNITY COLLEGE
777 Elsbree Street, Fall River, MA 02720
Bristol Community College (BCC) offers ESL classes at their Fall River campus. You should ask to “audit” the class so that you will receive a reduced tuition rate. If you have any questions regarding ESL classes, you may call 508-678-2811, extension 2270; http://www.bristol.mass.edu
HARVARD UNIVERSITY DIVISION OF CONTINUING EDUCATION
46 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 617-495-4024
http://www.iel.harvard.edu/
TRADITIONAL CLASSES AT LOCAL COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
BRISTOL COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Locations in Fall River, New Bedford, Taunton and Attleboro, Massachusetts
You may ask to “audit” classes at BCC – tuition rate will be ½ of the regular rate
http://www.bristol.mass.edu
BROWN UNIVERSITY CONTINUING STUDIES DIVISION
Providence, Rhode Island
http://www.brown.edu/scs/adult/continuingstudies/
COMMUNTIY COLLEGE OF RI (CCRI) CENTER FOR WORKFORCE AND COMMUNITY EDUCATION (CWCE)
Locations in Warwick, Providence, Lincoln and Newport, Rhode Island
http://www.ccri.edu/cwce/
JOHNSON & WALES UNIVERSITY
Providence, Rhode Island
http://www.jwu.edu/content.aspx?id=204
2012 Class Schedule: http://www.jwu.edu/content.aspx?id=56626
PROVIDENCE COLLEGE
Providence, Rhode Island (401-865-1000)
http://www.providence.edu/sce/Pages/default.aspx
You may “audit” classes at P.C. for ½ of the standard tuition rate.
RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL OF DESIGN (RISD) CONTINUING EDUCATION
Providence, Rhode Island
http://www.risd.com/cfm/conted.cfm
ROGER WILLIAMS UNIVERSITY
Main Campus: Bristol, Rhode Island; Satellite Campus: Providence, Rhode Island
You may “audit” courses at Roger Williams University for a lower tuition rate.
http://www.rwu.edu
SALVE REGINA UNIVERSITY
Newport, RI
You may “audit” courses at Salve Regina for lower tuition rate.
http://www.salve.edu
UCLA Extension – American Studies OnLine
APIA Advantage: A Partnership with University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Au Pair in America has developed this program to help you fulfill your education requirement without having to travel great distances and spend lots of money. It also gives you the flexibility to work around your childcare responsibilities. This is a 19-week program designed to help au pairs learn more about U.S. culture. Topics include U.S. History, Arts in the U.S., U.S. Literature, Career Counseling and optional English language study and TOEFL preparation. Not only does APIA Advantage make it possibly to complete your education requirement (6 credits) for $500, it will also broaden your educational and cultural experience in the United States. The course work involves online participation along with volunteer activities in your local community. Participants who successfully complete the program earn a certificate of completion from UCLA Extension. For more information about the program and how to enroll, visit www.uclaextension.edu/aupairs.
WEEKEND CLASSES FOR AU PAIRS
There are several universities that offer weekend courses for au pairs that are acceptable according to the Department of State regulations. An au pair can earn 3 credits (half of her annual education requirement) in one weekend.
C.W. POST
University Program for Au Pairs
C.W. Post Campus, Long Island University
720 Northern Blvd., Brookville, New York 11548
phone 516-299-2359
email aupair@cwpost.liu.edu
www.liu.edu/aupair
The cost for a 3-credit weekend course is $350; this price includes food and lodging.
MANHATTANVILLE COLLEGE
English Language Institute
2900 Purchase Street
Purchase, NY 10577
Phone: 914-323-5271
Fax: 914-694-5725
www.manhattanville.edu/eli
The cost for a weekend class is $330 for 40 hours (3 credits) or $170 for 20 hours (1.5 credits). This price DOES NOT include room and board. They do list a couple of hotels that give discount
rates for their courses.
THE COLLEGE OF SAINT ROSE AU PAIR WEEKEND CLASSES
at the SILVER BAY YMCA OF THE ADIRONDACKS CAMPUS
87 Silver Bay Rd
Silver Bay NY 12874
(This is about 80 miles north of Albany NY)
E-mail: aupaircourse@strose.edu
http://www.silverbayaupaircourse.com/
Silver Bay offers weekend classes for au pairs. Each weekend is the equivalent of three credit hours of class work and require you to do projects and papers either prior to or after the weekend. The cost of the Silver Bay Program is $275.00 for the weekend. This covers lodging (generally two to a room with private bath), meals, snacks, beverages, supplies, class instructors and all related fees. This cost does not include transportation to and from the Silver Bay Campus.
MASSBAY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Journey through North America
19 Flagg Drive
Framingham MA 01702
East Coast EdVentures has partnered with MassBay Community College in Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts. MassBay offers a very popular class, “Journey through North America” during the Fall, Spring and Summer semesters. The course includes both classroom lectures ( held at the Massbay campus on 3 Saturdays) and a guided weekend tour to an historic city to visit landmarks and museums . Upon completing both components, you will earn 3 continuing education non-credit units and be issued a certificate of completion.
Contact – Sharon Jordon a508-270-4103 or sjordan@massbay.edu
http://eastcoastedventures.com/edcreds
BROWN UNIVERSITY PHYSICAL EDUCATION CLASSES
Providence, Rhode Island
http://www.brown.edu/Athletics/Recsports/
Brown University Physical Education Classes can be counted as credit toward Au Pair in America’s education requirements. As a general rule, 45 hours of class time is equal to 3 credits. If you choose to fulfill your education requirements in this way, it will be important that you sign in for every class that you attend, and that you keep a tracking sheet listing all classes attended (see attached tracking sheet). You can then submit the tracking sheet to me so that I can obtain a formal proof of education document for you.
Details and pricing are as follows:
Individual Membership
12 Months – $550
6 Months – $325
3 Months – $175
In addition to a membership, you will need to buy an “All Access Pass” which would allow you to attend unlimited physical education classes. The current price for an all- access pass is $99 for each academic term (Spring and Fall), $45 for Intersession (the 6-week recess between academic terms) and $69 for the summer session. Brown offers over 64 physical education classes in the areas of aerobics & fitness, martial arts & self-defense, dance, leisure sports and yoga. Classes begin at 7 a.m. daily, and are offered throughout the day and evening, with the last class being offered at about 9 p.m. You can visit Brown University’s website for listing of available classes: http://www.brown.edu/Athletics/Recsports/physed.html
Below are current prices for All-Access Passes:
Session/Term “All Access Pass” Price
Fall Term: 9/12/11 – 12/9/11 $99___________
Intersession: 1/2/12 – 2/6/12_________________________$45___________
Spring Term: 2/13/12 – 5/4/12 _______________________$99___________
Summer Session: (Dates/Price to be determined)________________________
Typically, each academic term is 11 weeks, and intersession terms are 6 weeks.
Some au pairs might choose to purchase a 12-month membership because they would enjoy the opportunity to take classes all year; however, here is an example of how you might plan your classes to earn your credits in the most cost-effective manner:
You could purchase a 3-month membership ($175) in February, along with an All-Access Pass for the Spring Term (2/13 – 5/4) for a total cost of $274. You would then need to attend 4 hours of classes per week in order to earn the equivalent of 3 credits.