Columbia Cluster enjoyed an evening of team building. Each team was randomly selected and received the same supplies to create a Valentines Day outfit. There were lots of laughs, new friendships formed and they enjoyed enjoyed 10 pizzas!!!
Tag Archives: au pairs
Au Pairs receive self-defense instruction
On Sunday, January 11th au pairs from the Annapolis cluster of Au Pair in America received hands on instruction from Jing Ying Institute on practical easy to recall self-defense moves should they ever find themselves in a dangerous situation. 
Billy and Nancy Greer, the owners, demonstrated several areas of personal protection to include (1) awareness and avoidance techniques; (2) escaping mechanisms and (3) quick easy to use fighting back tools enabling an au pair to escape if someone larger and stronger attacks. The au pairs left feeling empowered and better prepared! For more information on this workshop please visit www.JingYing.org. They are located in Arnold and offer many wonderful classes for your entire family.
Au Pairs Experience Sailing in Annapolis!
The Annapolis cluster au pairs went sailing in Annapolis this past Friday on the Woodwind Schooner (https://www.facebook.com/SchoonerWoodwind). While the weather did not completely participate it was a truly enjoyable evening. We saw a beautiful sunset, saw some amazing osprey nests (they are actually sea hawks we learned from the captain!), donned rain gear, saw a rainbow and steered the helm! All in one night ~ a very quintessential Annapolis experience that hopefully will be remembered for many years after their return back home.
Internet Safety and Recognizing a Scam
Au Pair in America values your privacy, and the security of your personal information is always a priority. For your safety and financial protection, please take a moment to read this section about how to stay safe online and avoid becoming the victim of a scam.
Internet scams/online fraud are becoming more common. We have all received emails from people claiming to be a well-known bank or telling us we have won an amazing prize, but some scammers take things further. A scammer may pose as a host family or an au pair organization and will try to gain your confidence via email. Once they have gained your trust, they will ask you to wire/send money to them using a money transfer company such as Western Union or Money Gram. Do not fall for this – never send personal details (eg passport info) or agree to wire or transfer money using money transfer companies, cashier’s checks or money orders – you are being scammed! Always remember that no reputable business or organisation would ever ask for personal details or money to be wired/sent over the Internet.
Most scams involve one or more of the following
What To Do:
If you think you are being targeted by a scammer claiming to be an Au Pair in America representative or Au Pair in America host family, or you are concerned about the authenticity of an email, phone call or message then email info@aupairamerica.co.uk, call +44 207 581 7322 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 
+44 207 581 7322 FREE end_of_the_skype_highlighting or contact us via our website: www.aupairinamerica.com. You can also run searches on the Internet to check out suspicious email addresses, so if in doubt, check it out!
Au Pair Matching Sites:
Please note that Au Pair in America has no direct affiliation with public au pair matching sites. If you do post a profile either as an au pair or a host family on a public au pair matching site, please make sure you read that site’s scam prevention information carefully, and, as above, never send personal info or agree to wire/transfer money to people you meet on these matching sites. If you think you are in contact with a scammer via one of these sites, inform that site immediately.
Au Pair in America Payment Methods:
Au Pairs: You will only be invoiced for your Au Pair in America Program Fee once you have placed with one of our carefully selected Host Families. You will only be requested to pay this Program Fee via your secure, password-protected Au Pair in America Participant Site. Neither Au Pair in America, nor any of its registered US host families, will ever ask you to send or wire money via Western Union, Money Gram, cashier’s checks or money orders.
First Aid? – Yeah, There's an App for That!
Photo: Cyron (Flickr)
American Red Cross First Aid App – Recommendation for families and au pairs.
We are pleased to recommend the The Official American Red Cross First Aid app, which puts expert advice for everyday emergencies in your hand. Available for iPhone and Android devices, the official American Red Cross First Aid app gives you instant access to the information you need to know to handle the most common first aid emergencies. With videos, interactive quizzes and simple step-by-step advice it’s never been easier to know first aid.
http://www.redcross.org/mobile-apps/first-aid-app
Au Pair in America is proud to have partnered with the American Red Cross for almost 20 years. Our partnership means au pairs get first rate training at orientation and in their host community. Our multi-pronged approach ensures au pairs are getting the right information about first aid, health and safety and CPR training and is unique within the Au Pair industry. Every au pairs goes through training at orientation with certified American Red Cross trainers, and is able to get CPR certified in their community.
Annual Host Family Picnic at Ft. McHenry
On Sunday, June 8th, Host Families and their Au Pairs enjoyed lovely weather, as well as international foods, at Ft. McHenry overlooking the Patapsco River. Three different cluster areas were represented – Annapolis, Baltimore and Columbia. While people mingled naturally, they had some fun with the “Speed Dating” game that kept them moving amongst each other at the sound of a whistle every few minutes. 
A lighthearted way to keep things moving! A face painter was on hand for the children so that the Au Pairs were able to also mingle with the families. A great way for families to be introduced to new countries, that they may want to host an Au Pair from in the future.
We believe that participants of the Au Pair in America program are special people – both the host families and the au pairs. They open their hearts and minds to learning about each others cultures and lives. We like to celebrate with them and our picnic is one way we can do this. We’ll see everyone next year, same time (the Sunday before Father’s Day), same location!
Au Pairs – get creative and represent your country flag!!
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GLOBAL AWARENESS PRESENTS FLAG DAY CONTEST!! |
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WIN A GIFT CARD! June 14 is Flag Day! Create your version of your country’s flag. You can use any materials you like to represent your flag. To see previous entries, look here! 3 WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN! You can submit a flag by yourself or with friends. You can also do a CLUSTER projet! All Entires MUST include: Name Country Counselor All Entries MUST be received by June 10 Winners Will be Announced on June 14 at |
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| For more information, visit www.globalawareness.com. Email us at gaapia@gmail.com. Global Awareness is a program of Au Pair in America. |
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Au Pair in America |
Happy Memorial Day Weekend
Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states then others followed. It is now celebrated on the last Monday in May (passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971 to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays).
Americans honor those who have lost their lives for their country by visiting cemeteries, placing flags and flowers on graves, flying the U.S. flag at half-staff until noon and attending parades. Children can be a part of Memorial Day too. Here are some links to children’s activities:
http://sunniebunniezz.com/puzzles/memdykws.htm
http://sunniebunniezz.com/puzzles/memdymcr.htm
http://www.usmemorialday.org/activities/flag/index.htm
http://sunniebunniezz.com/memdyjbc.htm
“How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!” ~Maya Angelou
Au Pairs get ready for the International Naval Ball
Last night the au pairs enjoyed an evening of pampering by Dixie from Mary Kay as she instructed the girls on proper skin care techniques and provided professional make-up tips. The girls were able to experiment with a variety of eye and lip colors to create the perfect look for the International Naval Ball held in Annapolis, Maryland the next night!
14 Myths About Hosting an Au Pair
The au pair program is an enriching cultural exchange program for families and au pairs. Au pairs learn about American culture by living with an American host family. Host family children learn about other countries, cultures and languages. There a lot of misconceptions associated with au pairs. These range from assuming that au pairs are on a similar footing as nannies in terms of their responsibilities, and also includes the myth that au pairs are expensive, and out of the range of most families. These, and other myths, overlook the fact that au pairs are between the ages of 18 to 26 years old and are young people that participate in a cultural exchange with a family, whereby they provide light help around the house and with childcare for bed, board, and a small allowance. Before discussing common myths, below is a brief explanation about au pairs.
Au pairs are a child care alternative for families who want:
- In-home child care
- Bi-lingual child care
- Flexible child care
- Quality child care
- Intercultural child care
- Affordable child care
Au pairs are young adults from over 60 foreign countries participating in a cultural exchange program. They live with American host families for one year or longer. In exchange for room, board and a weekly wage of $195.75, au pairs provide up to 45 hours of flexible child care weekly, up to 10 hours daily. Agency program fees cover screening, travel fare to the U.S., medical insurance for one year, background checks, au pair attendance at 3 day workshop on child development and safety, and much more. Au Pair in America also offers host families in Anne Arundel County with children in school full time the option to select an EduCare companion who provides the family with 30 hours of child care per week at a cost of $286 per week. These costs are per family and not per child.
1 – MYTH: Au Pairs Are Expensive and reserved for the rich and famous
FACT: Au pairs are not just for the wealthy. Our families come from all walks of life and have a wide range of occupations. We have firefighters, teachers, nurses, doctors, lawyers, and pilots in our program. Our service is a tremendous help for families with twins or triplets, single parents and families with non-traditional work schedules. Au pairs are not paid a salary in the same way as a nanny, but instead receive their bed and board, and pocket money to cover expenses. On average a host family will pay an au pair $361.00 a week for 45 hours of care and $286 a week for 30 hours of care with the EduCare program. Our program is an economical option in comparison to hiring a nanny. Au Pair in America offers one flat rate per family not per child.
2 – MYTH: Au Pairs Don’t Work Weekends or Evenings
FACT: Au pairs have to follow the family schedule, so they may work on weekends and evenings. Au Pairs have one full weekend off each month, but they can work three other weekends. Au pairs are carefully screened and understand that flexibility and working full time is a requirement of the program. A family has the ability to customize the use of an au pairs hour per week according to their schedule, and unlike using a nanny or daycare, whose service is typically based on a set schedule, an au pair works when you need them.
3 – MYTH: Support is Not Available
FACT: Au Pair in America is part of the American Institute for Foreign Study and has received an A+ Rating with the Better Business Bureau. Check out the report here. Support is available from Au Pair in America, which covers everything from selecting the right au pairs, through to helping in the event of personal problems and disputes. Our business is all about personalized service and support. Our community counselors maintain monthly contact with host families and provide a social outlet for the au pairs in the area by hosting monthly cluster meetings to engage the au pairs in the local community. We pride ourselves on our excellent customer service and receive high marks on our customer satisfaction surveys. We rely on word of mouth referrals from our customers to make our business grow and many of our host families are repeat customers. All community counselors are within a one hour drive from their host families and there is always someone on staff 24/7 for emergencies at 1-800-927-7247. We also offer a monthly digital newsletter for our host families filled with the most recent up to date information.
4- MYTH: Au Pairs Will Have Poor English Skills
FACT: Au pairs must have a conversational level of English before they begin to work with a family. Au pairs are interviewed in their home country and their English is assessed using an International Test for English Proficiency developed exclusively for Au Pair in America by the Boston Educational Services measuring grammar, vocabulary, reading comprehension and written expression. However, the au pair may need assistance with verbal comprehension.
5 – MYTH: Au Pairs Will Be in the House Too Much & we will lose our privacy
FACT: Many families fear that having an au pair in the house will mean that they’ll lose their privacy, or that the au pair will take up too much personal space. In most cases, an au pair gains a social network outside of the house, and is often away during their personal days visiting friends. Au pairs take classes, make friends and develop a healthy social network.
6- MYTH: Au Pairs Act Only as a Babysitter
FACT: Unlike daycare or a babysitter, an au pair can perform all household duties associated with children, so they can vacuum a playroom, prepare and clean up after meals, do children’s laundry, make the children’s beds and organize their toys/closets/playrooms. An au pairs’ assistance with these day-to-day tasks allows you to spend quality time with your children and spouse after a long day at the office.
7 – MYTH: They let anyone into the au pair program.
FACT: Au Pair in America was the first legal au pair agency approved by the State Department in 1986. We recruit young ladies from over 60 countries worldwide. Because we care about providing the best childcare for our customers, we use our own staff overseas for recruitment, screening and orientation, instead of relying on third-party agents. During our screening process, the potential candidate is personally interviewed, tested on English competency, takes a personality profile, and submits to a criminal background check as well as personal and professional reference checks. Acceptance into our program is highly competitive.
8 – MYTH: Not having a native speaker will affect my child’s language development
FACT: Studies have shown that exposing your child to a second language enhances a child’s language and cognitive development and does not impede their ability to learn English. With an au pair you can have someone who speaks English and is also willing to teach their native language and share their culture with your family. Having this exposure can reinforce the language learning that your child has at school. Furthermore, foreign language taught in school can be reinforced at home with the au pair’s assistance!
9 – MYTH: Au pairs want to party, not care for children
FACT: Young adults need a healthy social life. Au Pair in America has a Code of Conduct that establishes au pair behavior guidelines. A Handbook and Guidelines for a successful year is provided to the au pairs that covers many topics and helpful tips for families and au pairs.
10 – MYTH: Au pairs don’t drive
FACT: Au Pair in America requires au pairs have a minimum of six months driving experience. Driving varies greatly among countries. Individual driving habits vary greatly among au pairs – from extreme overconfidence to extreme careful. All au pairs are to arrive to the United States with an international driver’s license. Au Pair in America has partnered with AAA, the nation’s most trusted name in driver safety and instruction to offer a custom classroom course specifically designed for au pairs. Exclusive to Au Pair in America, the AAA driving course is one of a kind, tailored to the needs of the international driver and specific to the safety needs of driving children in a car.
11 – MYTH: Au Pairs need a private bathroom.
FACT: Au Pairs do need a private bedroom but they may share a bathroom
12 – MYTH: Families who rent cannot have au pairs
FACT: Families who rent may host au pairs. However, au pairs must have a private bedroom.
13- MYTH: Single parents cannot host au pairs –
FACT: Single parent families may host au pairs.
14 – MYTH: Au Pair in America charges hidden costs and hidden fees
FACT: Au Pair In America program fees are transparent and flexible. The au pair program fess found on our website displays our fees, transparently detailing the total annual and average weekly costs. Au Pair in America also offers an Extended Payment Plan to help make program costs financially manageable.