For our November cluster meeting, make-up artist Barbora, one of our au pairs, offered to do other au pairs’ makeup. It was nice to see her at work and see faces transformed by her art.
At this meeting, I provided a handout about child safety and we discussed the different ways of keeping the children safe.
We also welcomed Vanessa, who arrived from Germany that month.
For more photos, go to November 2014
In October, we got together at my house for some pumpkin carving and Halloween treats. It is a nice cultural experience as Halloween is not celebrated in all countries. Some au pairs had fun fun dressing up. We had a chance to welcome Soraya to our cluster and say good-bye to Bee and Asia who are going home in November.
For more photos go to October 2014
In September, our cluster meeting was at my house for a breakfast. The weather was nice and we were able to sit outside. We said hello to some more summer arrivals and it was nice to see them connect with the other au pairs.
for more photos go to September 2014.
We know there are great photographers out there! Do you have a favorite shot of the year? Please enter the APIA photo contest. The deadline is November 5th. Winners of each category will receive a $200 gift card and $25 for the runners up ~ the categories are:
Be creative, show us what you’ve got. Get details and everything you need to enter here:
http://www.aupairinamerica.com/pdf/photo_contest_entry_form.pdf
The winner could end up on the cover our 2015 brochure!
Halloween is a wonderful holiday, but because of increased foot traffic and that Trick-or-Treaters are out at night, the potential for automobile related accidents with young pedestrians increases four times on this night according to a CDC (Center for Disease Control) study.
In many areas, people drive their kids into subdivisions and let them out to walk from house to house. Usually the parent follows behind in the car. This can cause traffic jams in small areas and much confusion as kids dart between cars on the streets going from house to house. A driver is already distracted because they are trying to keep an eye on their own kids and usually aren’t paying attention to much else.
Children and adults tend to be preoccupied and may not pay as much attention to safety as they should. They may not see your vehicle or just assume that you see them automatically. Stay on the defensive and you shouldn’t have a problem while driving on Halloween night
* Don’t use a cell phone or other electronic device while driving on Halloween night. You shouldn’t be doing this anyway, the rate of cell phone related auto accidents has jumped dramatically since the use of cell phones and texting has risen so high. Some states have already made laws concerning this and others are working on it.
Make sure your child carries a flashlight, glow stick or has reflective tape on their costume to make them more visible to cars. Left them know if they carry a flash light to never shine itin the eyes of a driver. This can cause blindness on the drivers part temporarily and they may not see your child
Once or twice a year, Au Pair in America counselors offer a host family workshop that gives host families the chance to connect and discuss aspects of the host family – au pair relationship. This is in compliance with State Department regulations to hold an event like this once a year.
This year, I joined 3 other counselors we met our host families on a beautiful day at Honeypot Hill Orchards in Stow, MA for an apple picking picnic. Many au pairs attended as well. We enjoyed conversations, apple cider donuts and apple cider. Host children participated in cookie decorating and fall craft activities.
For more photos go to host family day 2014
On a beautiful day in August, our au pair cluster went to Nahant beach. It was nice for the summer arrivals to meet each other and more seasoned au pairs. It helps them adapt more easily after they have left their families and friend network to come to a new country.
We welcomed Laura B, Laura L, Victoria, Shiran, and Jaqueline. We said good-bye to Tifaine who moved to another host family.
For more photos, visit beach 2014
This month, we met at my house for a barbecue. Since it is summer, there were many good-byes and some hellos. We said good-bye to Melissa, Tazmyn, Natalia, Audrey, Liz and Priscilla. Good luck to you all with your future endeavors! We said hello to Londeka and Miriam, who had just arrived to the area that week. It was nice to see them start making connections with other au pairs. They also benefited from advice and feedback from the more seasoned au pairs.
For more photos, go to July Barbecue.
What a fun event our annual canoeing and picnic was again this June! For our cluster meeting, we met up with 2 other clusters at the South Bridge boat house. From there, au pairs canoed to the North Bridge, where counselors had prepared a picnic with fruit, brownies and lemonade. It was a beautiful day, perfect for our event.
Summer is a big time for good-byes. We said good-bye to Julia, Junika, Jenni, Khim and Lucie. We wish you all the best for your future! We welcomed Veronika into our cluster.
For more photos please visit Concord 2014
During the summer months we need to take some added precautions to keep children safe in the sun and by the water. Here are some good tips to share with your au pairs and host families.
As well as the host parents’ numbers, au pairs should have the phone number of the community counselor and the Au Pair in America 800 number saved to their phones. This way if you need assistance you can quickly and easily dial the number. Please make sure you know what to do if there is an emergency situation while you are in charge of the children. This is a good time of year to review any family rules that apply to summer activities especially by the pool and while at the beach.
Enjoy the summer and be safe!
