On Sunday, September 15th the Suffolk County Cluster of Au Pair in America gathered at their Community Counselor’s home for a very important meeting.  September is the month Americans start their school and work year, au pairs get back to routine schedules with their host children.    The largest arrival months for Au Pairs are the summer months, so the September meeting is the first cluster meeting for many of them.

As the au pairs arrived, they heading out to the patio for an art project.  Each au pair decorated a peace ornament that will be displayed in December on a holiday tree in Stony Brook Village’s Promenade of trees.  It was a fun, bonding, creative activity the au pairs enjoyed.

Cindy Garruba, Suffolk County APIA Community Counselor, then led the au pairs in a discussion of important “Back to School & Routine” information.   The discussion then moved on to distracted driving and safe driving tips for the au pairs, most of whom drive their host children to activities.

Every au pair shared where they are from, where they live now, how long they have been in the USA, the ages of their host children and something special about themselves. We said hello to newly arrived au pairs and bid farewell to those leaving the cluster.  It is a important that each young woman in the cluster has a peer group to share the year with in America.  Cluster meetings introduces the young women to each other and builds the bond between them.

Cluster meetings are an important part of the Au Pair in America experience.  Every quarter a meeting features childcare and safety information.  They give the au pairs an opportunity to form friendships and spend time together. Every month there is a cluster meeting or activity.   In October the Au Pairs will meet for pizza and discussion of upcoming American holiday season and then go to a local farm for a Spooky Maze experience, in November they will be going to the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City!  December the Suffolk County Cluster will decorate a holiday tree in Stony Brook Village’s Promenade of Trees and also have an International Holiday Party.