Jennifer Stein was outnumbered.
She had her hands full with a toddler and twin babies, and all the worry that comes along with parenting young children. Living in Texas, preparing for a hot summer, Jennifer’s mind turned to keeping her family cool, happy, and safe – where else, but at her local pool. So, when Jennifer’s “Mothers of Multiples” parenting group brought in a speaker to talk about water safety, she listened. Jennifer still recalls the lessons she learned that day, saying, “That was a real lightbulb moment for me. I didn’t realize that drowning was silent, and how quickly it could happen. And that the floaties we used as kids are not safe.”
Fast forward 10+ years, and Jennifer now uses her water safety know-how in her work as a Community Counselor with Au Pair in America. Each year, she hosts a safety meeting for the au pairs in her community, with a focus on supervision, identifying distractions, and knowing the facts about drowning.
Jennifer says, “I make sure my au pairs know how important it is to have their eyes on the children in their care at all times.”
Since its inception in 1986, Au Pair in America has collaborated with experts in the fields of child development and safety.
As we continue our mission to provide quality training and opportunities to our host families and au pairs, we are delighted to highlight the important work of Colin’s Hope. Colin’s Hope’s mission is to provide water safety awareness, education and resources to prevent children from drowning. The Colin’s Hope Water Safety Toolkit is now available to Au Pair in America families and au pairs. It features a video for child care providers, a water safety checklist, and printable resources for families.
