Category Archives: Uncategorized

J-Day Celebration, 2017

August 13, 2017 – 4:02 pm

Carol Benton and Linn Kereji’s clusters celebrated J-day on Sunday, July 23 with a very successful shoe drive at Heritage Park in Farmington Hills, Michigan.

Many host families and au pairs attended and brought bags of shoes (over 200 pairs were collected!) and lots of smiles too. The theme of the event was our cultural exchange program and its benefits to au pairs and host families. In advance of the event, our au pairs and host families wrote a few sentences about the value of their cultural exchange experience which Carol compiled and distributed to attendees.

One of Carol Benton’s host families, Laura and Michael Gruskin, have been with Au Pair in America since 1994 when their oldest son was born. They attended our J-Day event with their youngest son Nik, who has grown up with au pairs. The Gruskins were honored at the event for their outstanding success and are welcoming their 25th au pair in August.

Host mom, Laura, graciously spoke about their positive experiences and offered advice to some of our new host families. Carol composed and read a poem covering highlights of the Gruskins years in our program and presented them with a certificate of excellence.

It was especially meaningful since the Gruskins began their amazing “adventure” with Au Pair in America in 1994, the same year Carol became a counselor!

Nik, Laura & Michael Gruskin & Carol

Many of the au pairs who attended

Carol & Linn (with some of the shoes)

Congratulations to Manon Heijkamp for her outstanding Global Awareness presentations!

November 17, 2016 – 7:47 pm

Manon Heijkamp, an au pair from the Netherlands, shared her culture on November 10, 2016 with two 2nd grade classes at Gretchko Elementary School in West Bloomfield.

Manon volunteered as part of Au Pair in America’s Global Awareness Program, which is designed to foster a greater knowledge of diversity and bring multi-cultural understanding into the schools.

The students learned many things about the Netherlands – the small size of the country (the whole country could fit inside the state of Michigan); special Dutch foods; popular sports; about some special Dutch holidays and other interesting facts. The kids were surprised to learn many people ride their bikes to work and they have special large garages where they have to arrive early to be assured of a spot to park their bike.

Especially fun for the children was to learn how to speak Dutch. Manon taught the 2nd graders how to say hi and bye, how to introduce themselves (I am…..) and how to say “how are you” and a few other simple words.

Each child received a Global Awareness passport booklet to take home and a Netherlands flag sticker to start their passport book with The Netherlands.

Au Pair in America feels strongly about cultural diversity and sharing. Their Global Awareness program offers something special to all of the participants. For the children, it is an exciting experience to meet someone who comes from another country and learn many interesting facts. For the au pairs, the Global Awareness program is an opportunity to volunteer in the community, share their culture (which makes them very proud) and learn more about American education.

Manon provides child care for 7 year old twins who were thrilled and proud to have their au pair come to each of their classrooms. Manon enjoyed sharing her Dutch culture with their classmates and their two teachers. Her enthusiasm and super friendly personality appealed to the kids making the whole experience even more special.

We are all so proud of Muci (Georgina) Wang!!

April 6, 2015 – 2:28 pm

Muci (Georgina) Wang (from China) arrived in early August 2014 to her host family, Kristi and Gerald Stepp, in West Bloomfield, Michigan.

Her host family has been so pleased with their experience, they nominated Muci for our Au Pair of the Year “contest”. There were many other nominees and even though Muci wasn’t awarded the top prize, she is certainly is the top winner in her host family’s eyes.

Kristi, Muci’s host mom, feels she provides an invaluable support for their 8 year old daughter, Sylvia. She is especially helpful and encourages her with her Mandarin homework as well as assisting and overseeing other homework and driving her to many after school activities.

Her host mom also says Muci often helps with dinner and has learned to cook and enjoy American food as well as preparing Chinese food. She recently surprised the family with a special amazing authentic Chinese hot pot dinner which she prepared along with three other au pairs!

In addition to the great child care Muci provides, her host family has truly enjoyed the cultural exchange aspect of our Au Pair in America program. In the host mom’s own words: “Muci and I often discuss how different life is in China and in America, particularly for children. I am so pleased that she has made a life for herself in America that includes our family, her friends, her classes and travel. We feel we are having a remarkable cultural exchange and sincerely hope Muci will look back on her time with joy because of the richness of her experience.”

Kristi goes on to say “She makes my life so much easier and I’m so thankful for her support. The benefit we have gained from Muci and the Au Pair in America program has exceeded our initial expectations and has greatly enriched our lives”.

Au Pairs enjoy another wonderful trip to Mackinac Island

October 12, 2014 – 3:03 pm

Au Pairs from Au Pair in America took their annual trip to Mackinac Island on the weekend of Sept 19-21. They had a wonderful time, experiencing many of the highlights Mackinac Island has to offer – a long carriage ride, sampling fudge, riding tandem bikes around the island and best of all, having lunch and visiting the Grand Hotel.

The au pairs thoroughly enjoyed seeing the inside of the Grand Hotel and also loved the world famous porch and the beautiful grounds, where they had a chance to take many photos.

The au pairs represented 13 countries from various continents: from as far away as Thailand and China and as close as Mexico. The group also included au pairs from South Africa, Germany, Sweden, France, Poland, Hungary, Italy, Panama, Colombia and Brazil.

No matter which country the au pairs were from, they all thought the hotel was so elegant and amazing. The look on their faces when they first entered the dining room and saw the buffet, was priceless. They loved the idea they could try many different foods and then go back to try more! Now they all know first hand what the word AWESOME means.

During their stay in the USA, the au pairs try to travel as much as they can and many have said visiting Mackinac Island and The Grand Hotel is their favorite travel experience of all.

A Day at Greenfield Village

July 14, 2014 – 11:02 am

Greenfield Village is visited by many people from all over the world and is a major attraction in our Detroit area. Our cluster had the opportunity to attend on Saturday, July 12, when Greenfield Village held its special Ragtime Street Fair. The musical presentations added to the fun but in the opinion of several au pairs, everything was interesting.

The au pairs felt as if they were transported back in history – visiting the Wright Brothers bicycle shop, being in the courthouse where Abraham Lincoln practiced law and seeing the Menlo Laboratory where Thomas Edison worked on many inventions, including, of course, the light bulb.

Riding in a Model-T car and learning about the legacy of Henry Ford and how he was able to carry out his dream of creating Greenfield Village, was a big highlight too. When everyone was tired from walking, a ride on a Weiser steam locomotive was fun and a unique experience.

The au pairs who attended — Rachael, Luciana, Amber, Juli, Sabina, Minette and Charlotte (along with their counselor Carol Benton) — all took home some nice memories including having the opportunity to hear a bit of ragtime music too.

Enjoy the photos!!

Our 5 volunteers did a great job at the Princesses and Superheroes event.

April 5, 2014 – 2:50 pm

The young children had a wonderful time — first enjoying “kids” food for dinner, followed by face painting, arts and crafts, getting wash off tattoos and burning off some excess energy bouncing on the Parkey bouncer. All enjoyed the D.J. who got the kids going with clever balloon games and organized dances.

Som (from Thailand); Jing (from China); Frida (from Sweden); Selina and Julia from Germany helped with nail painting, face painting, tattoos, and arts and crafts and had lots of fun with the children.

"Project Runway" comes to Farmington Hills with au pairs from Au Pair in America

December 11, 2013 – 2:30 pm

On Sunday December 8, 2013, 40 au pairs from Au Pair in America held their annual holiday luncheon at Ginopolis’ Restaurant in Farmington Hills. Everyone had a wonderful afternoon and holiday spirit filled the party room. A surprise visit from Santa, holiday music, a delicious meal, games to play and singing “The Twelve Days of Christmas” made this event even more festive.

The highlight of the afternoon was our very own version of “Project Runway.” Each table was given drafting paper, one roll of red and one roll of black crepe streamers, aluminum foil, tape and scissors. The au pairs selected one model from each table and created an outfit of their own design. They were allowed 20 minutes for the project and the results were amazingly clever and creative.

Few of the au pairs had heard of the TV show “Project Runway” but they caught on very quickly. Each table (five in total) put together a dress that included clever accessories. During the judging, one au pair described each model’s particular dress – how they created it and how they utilized the various materials provided.

Top prize went to Frida Krokstrom’s table “team” for most creative/stylish outfit but every table won in a special category: best dress to wear New Years Eve, best accessories, best use of color and best use of materials.

Frida is from Sweden and her table of designers were au pairs from Brazil, Australia and Germany:

All of our models were winners: Annie, Kathleen, Dafne, Frida and Nele

designs in progress….

Our Mackinac Island Trip – Sept 27-29, 2013

September 30, 2013 – 4:53 pm

We had a wonderful trip to Mackinac Island this year. 27 au pairs from 11 countries were part of our awesome group. The weather was amazing with clear blue skies and mild temperatures. On Sunday, most of the group opted to see Michigan’s famous Tahquamenon Falls, located in the Upper Penninsula. The au pairs enjoyed driving across the Mackinac Bridge and also had a chance to see some early Fall colors. One group of 6 au pairs rented a row boat and paddled out into one of the calm areas of the Lower Falls. Here are the first batch of group photos:

In front of the Clarion Hotel before we walked to dinner on Friday night

At the Grand Hotel’s famous porch ( 88O feet long) — after we ate a delicious lunch on Saturday

While we were waiting for the carriages:

At Tahquamenon Falls (Upper Falls)

After a fabulous lunch at the Grand Hotel, relaxing for a little bit in their lovely Cupola Room:

Riding bikes around Mackinac Island is a great way to enjoy the island:

At Tahquamenon Falls, the beauty of nature surrounded us…

Our 6 adventurous au pairs at the Lower Falls rented a row boat!

Au Pairs Volunteer for Marshmallow Fly and Fry

September 6, 2013 – 5:33 pm

Marshmallow Fly and Fry, an annual end-of-summer event at Heritage Park in Farmington Hills, was a huge success this year, with a huge crowd of over 1,000 participating. Besides the fun of running to pick up marshmallows “dropped from the sky”, the children had an opportunity to meet au pairs from various countries such as South Africa, Germany, Bolivia, Australia and Namibia. Roasting marshmallows in the large fire pit was the highlight for some while others enjoyed Au Pair in America’s arts and crafts table. The children colored placements from 5 continents and were given their own passport book they could fill with flag stickers from many countries.

Au pairs finishing their year are awarded for their accomplishments while new au pairs are greatly looking forward to their "adventure" in America!

July 17, 2013 – 6:33 pm

This time of year many au pairs are completing their year and are traveling or getting ready to travel in their travel month. At their final cluster meeting, they are presented with an education completion certificate and are given an opportunity to share the highlights of their au pair year with the rest of the cluster. It is often with very mixed emotions when the au pairs talk about leaving “their” kids, leaving their host families. leaving their friends and leaving America to return home. The new au pairs love to hear what the departing au pairs have to say about their experience and very valuable advice is shared. Here are some photos of au pairs who are leaving and also a group photo of new au pairs, au pairs who have been here for part of their year as well as those who are going home soon.