Thank you SO much for coming out to our Multi-cluster picnic yesterday at Ft. McHenry. The food was fantastic, the kids had a blast, the face painting was incredible and the weather turned out to be lovely! Thanks to all our au pairs and host families who came out and made this event turn out so wonderfully!
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This past Saturday, au pairs from the Annapolis cluster met for hands on training provided by the American Red Cross. The Annapolis Evangelical Lutheran Church graciously offered their space for this event. The au pairs received instruction on First Aid and CPR. With the help of dolls these young ladies were able to put into practice what was taught during the 5 1/2 hour course. This program was designed to teach the participants how to recognize and respond appropriately to infant and pediatric emergencies such as cardiac arrest, recognize the signals of a breathing emergency, how to care for a child that is chocking, identify the signals of shock, and how to check a conscious person for life-threatening and non-life threatening conditions. This class provided participants with the knowledge and skills needed to know how to give immediate care to a suddenly injured or ill child until more advanced medical personnel arrive and take over. All participants received a certificate of training upon the completion of this class.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving several au pairs and host families joined their Community Counselor, Patty Antreasian, for an afternoon volunteering at Our Daily Bread in Baltimore. The event was sponsored by the United Way, and we prepared hundreds of casseroles, desserts and snack bags to be distributed to families in need. Our group not only had a lot of fun but also felt that it was a very rewarding experience. We will definitely do this again next year!
For those au pairs who would like to take the only approved online course, please visit www.uclaextension.edu/aupairs for information. Registration begins today, November 5.
Continuing the Educational theme, after the Red Cross Class in September, members of the Baltimore cluster visited Whole Foods in Mt. Washington for a tour of the store given by the Healthy Eating Specialist, Heidi Barboy. She gave us a tour around the store, and most importantly “free samples” of some delicious foods. I was reminded of what a great community resource Whole Foods is. They have a calendar of events that often has activities for children.
Here is a link for Nutrition Tips for Kids & Teens, on their site:
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/healthy-eating/parents-and-kids/nutrition-tips-kids-and-teens
At the end of summer and before school officially began for children, au pairs from the Annapolis cluster met for ice cream on Main Street to welcome the new summer arrivals. Afterwards we enjoyed a wonderful show under the stars (it didn’t rain on us until the very last minute!) called Xandu at the Annapolis Outdoor Summer Garden Theater on Dock Street. We even had an opportunity to meet some of the local actors which was a great treat! 
When it comes to the Education requirement, au pairs can be confused by the phrase “not less than six semester hours of academic credit OR its equivalent.” What that means is that au pairs do not NEED to take credit classes. In fact, some colleges or universities will not allow J-1 visa holders to register for credit classes, as they “save” these for degree seeking students.
BUT au pairs can easily take non-credit or Continuing Studies classes. And some colleges and universities may allow them to “Audit” a credit class. This means that the au pair can sit in the class and do the assignments and take the tests but she will not get a grade for any work done, only a “pass or fail”. The cost may or may not be less to audit a class. Each individual school will have its own policy. Au Pairs should consult with their Community Counselor to see which schools offer this option.
Au Pairs with Au Pair in America from the Baltimore, Annapolis and Columbia clusters met at the Inner Harbor in Baltimore on July 15th to sail the Inner Harbor with the Urban Pirate ship (www.urbanpirates.com). We were greeted by some very authentic pirates and the au pairs and counselors were donned with appropriate costumes as we cruised the harbor on a beautiful sunny day taking in the city sights. Au Pair in America screens eager and skilled young women between the ages of 18 and 26 from around the world, who will join your family and care for your children during a mutually rewarding, year-long cultural exchange experience. Apply between July 16th and July 31st and save $500.00.
Counselors Patty, Natasha and Jan
This past month has seen some unseasonably warm weather, and that made getting out and about even more fun! On March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day was celebrated. St. Patrick is said to have given a sermon from a hilltop that drove all the snakes from Ireland. St. Patrick’s Day has been celebrated in the U.Sl. since 1737. Traditional icons of the day are the shamrock, leprechaun, the color green and the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
The Annual Baltimore St. Patrick’s Day Parade was held on March 11 this year, beginning at the historic Mt. Vernon statue of George Washington. It proceeded down Charles Street and finished at the Inner Harbor. Imagine my surprise when I saw two au pairs of my cluster riding in the parade!! Marite Donayre, from Peru, and Sabrina Fantoni, from Brazil, just happened to be at the beginning area of the parade, and were invited to ride in a vintage car in the parade. I always say au pairs have the most fun!
