Yearly Archives: 2019

May Happenings for Suffolk Au Pair in America

Au Pairs from our cluster enjoying a social evening of pizza and fellowship at West Meadow Beach in Stony Brook this May.  We enjoyed a beautiful evening with a perfect sunset on the Long Island Sound.  Community Counselor Cindy Garruba brought pizza and water bottles, au pairs shared stories about who they are, vacations taken and planned.  It was a wonderful time for all.

On Friday, May 17th Cindy attended the English as a Second Language Graduation from Suffolk County Community College for 3 special au pairs.  Host families and friends attended, too, to congratulate them.

Noon from Thailand, Larissa from Brazil and Vanessa from Panama

 

Farewell to Viviana Au Pair from Colombia

Viviana from Colombia was an au pair in St. James, Suffolk County, Long Island, NY

Viviana arrived to a host family in Virginia in July 2017. Though that match did not work out, she was able to match with a great family in St. James, Suffolk County, Long Island, NY in Sept. She made the most of her time with her host family, her cluster of au pairs and in her community.

She volunteered helping her Community Counselor at a street fair in the fall.  Viviana studied English, she plans to be an English teacher in Colombia.  Cindy Garruba, her Community Counselor was happy to watch her graduate from the highest ESL Class from Suffolk County Community College!

Viviana graduates highest ESL Level at Suffolk Community College
Viviana back row 2nd in from the right

Viviana at Cluster International Potluck Holiday Party

Viviana enjoyed many cluster meetings with her au pair friends and was a very active member of the cluster. 

Viviana and Cindy at Taco Tuesday
Viviana earns education certificate from Au Pair in America

Cindy wished Viviana well in her next adventure with some resume building tips and they enjoyed Taco Tuesday at a local restaurant.

Spring Time is Playground Safety Time!

  • The basic rule of playground safety: watch the children at all times, particularly near swings, and climbing equipment.
  • Some playgrounds are on school grounds and should be avoided if the school children are outside playing.
  • Whenever you go out in warm weather, remember to bring along drinks.
  • It is important to apply sunscreen, even if it is hazy.
  • Safety around water is particularly important. A child can drown in just a few inches of water. Whenever you are near water you must never leave a child alone – if the phone rings, take them with you or let it ring! Always stay within arm’s reach when the children are in water.

Big Kids Need Interaction Too

Just because a child is old enough to occupy themselves, doesn’t mean that they should be expected to do so the majority of the time.  Host families have a certain expectation of activity and involvement for their children. Get the kids engaged and active. You can be more fun than the TV or a video game.

 

Problem:
But, my kids don’t want to do anything but watch TV or play video games.

Solution:
Instead of saying,  “Would you like to (fill in the blank with any activity)?  The answer will often be, “No.”

Try this, “Now we are going to (fill in the blank with any activity.) or “Would you rather do  _____ or ______?”  Make sure both the choices are good options.
Your chances of co-operation are greatly increased. Even kids who are reluctant to try new things will usually get in the spirit of things and have fun, if you pick a good activity.

Problem:
I don’t know what to do with school age kids.

Solution:
Look for ideas online. Google “activities school age kids” or “activities tweens”. Below is a list of some ideas to get you started.

  • Cooking
  • Making things (check craft stores like Michael’s for kits and models that are age appropriate)
  • Going fun places (pottery painting, jewelry making, farms, museums, mini-golf, go-karts)
  • Sports (soccer, tennis, swimming, bicycling, roller skating, ice skating)
  • Let them teach you to do something they enjoy. Kids this age love being the expert.
  • Get outdoors and visit local parks.  You can even make a project of reviewing all the local parks (what kind of equipment they have, is there shade, water fountain?)  They can write this up and keep, so they remember which ones they want to go to again and which ones to skip in the future.
  • Let them help you search and plan some activities.
  • Check on the APIA Pinterest page and here on our cluster blog for ideas.
  • If you have a GPS, try taking them geocaching. Here is a website with all the details.

Note: Always get permission from your host parents before taking the kids places.

Photo: Killian77

March comes in like a lion!

It has been a pretty mild winter on Long Island, but March has already produced 2 snow storms.  Cold January temperatures are expected the rest of the week.  We have a saying in the USA:

 

There will be warmer,            Spring days very soon.

Be careful in the snow and ice.

 

Privacy & Personal Information Online

We live in a time of constant sharing through social media. We often share pictures, plans of somewhere we are going or rants about problems, without thinking much about who will see it and what could be the consequences.

Before clicking “post”, stop to think:

  • Am I violating someone’s privacy?
  • Am I sharing personal info. that could put me in danger?
  • Would I want my current or a future employer to see this?

This will help protect your privacy and safety as well as that of your host family. It is important to respect your host family’s privacy and not share personal details and information.  This applies to all kinds of situations, including: personal conversations, email and social websites.

For your own safety, it is a good idea to be careful what personal information you share about yourself as well. You should not give out information like your telephone number and address to people you don’t know. Safer to meet a new friend in a public place, than to give them your address before knowing them.

Once you post something on the internet (even if you later delete it), it can show up elsewhere.  Unless you have specific permission from your host family, you should never post pictures of them, their children or their home on the internet.

If you have a blog or website where you post in your native language, remember there is translation software. So, even if you say it in your native language, be sure it is not something that might be misinterpreted in translation or something you will regret saying.