Tag Archives: au pairs

Education – Temporary Changes to Au Pair Education Requirement Due to COVID-19

Due to COVID-19, Au Pair in America has temporarily given approval for online/virtual classes, with a few conditions. Classes must be offered by an accredited school and registration must take place by August 31, 2020. Au pairs must still produce certificates or other acceptable documentation confirming the completion of the class.

If in doubt, ask your counselor to check if the school is accredited. All class hours must be completed by the end of your 11th month in the program if you wish to extend.

The following schools are offering online or virtual classes as of May 5, 2020.

ESL Specific Schools

Community Colleges

Other Languages

Weekend/U.S. Culture/Travel Courses

Online Class Websites – These platforms will list online courses all over the country. These courses come from a variety of sources and some are not accredited. You must be sure you are selecting a course that is from an accredited university.

Photo: Ivan Radic

Social Distancing: 5 Online Adventures for Kids

Reading, playing, and doing art projects are always great ways to entertain children and keep them physically active and learning. It’s a good idea to limit screen time. But, in this time of social distancing, technology can play an important role in allowing kids to see and connect with the world outside of their homes. Many online resources are popping up to create those opportunities.

Here are five to get you started:

And if kids have questions about the coronavirus, Live Science has created an ultimate kids’ guide to the new coronavirus that has lots of information and is appropriate for school-aged kids.

Host Families – Au Pair Experiences

“She is doing an excellent job with the boys – has really picked up on their personalities and how to deal with each of them.  She has really been a help around the house.  I like how she takes things in stride and doesn’t get easily rattled-definitely a plus in our household!”   (German au pair)

“I came home to hear of how they brought some snow inside in pans & used food coloring to play & do experiments with it, and then did a scavenger hunt!”   (German au pair)

“She really gets the boys and their creativity and embraces that, making efforts to encourage and support their play. The kids wanted to sell Christmas tress so she helped them set up a table at the end of their driveway, make a sign, etc. No customers on the dead end road, but the boys had a fabulous time!” (Brazilian au pair)

“She has logged some serious ‘family time’ with us over the holidays! She even got up at 6:30am to open presents with the boys, and went on our family road trip to visit the cousins in PA.  She skyped with her family a few times, and was happy that the packages she sent a few weeks ago finally arrived in Germany – just after New Years. ”   (German au pair)

“It’s am amazing thing to bring in a young woman and watch her become a part of our larger family. She just fits in so well. She has been a great big sister to our kids and somewhat of a little sister to us. I am confident that my kids are well cared for and loved when I am not there. She has been such a blessing. I am so sad thinking about her leaving, but so thankful for the time she was with us.” (South African au pair)

“Our girls love being with her. She has become such a nice addition to the family. Her warm personality and demeanor has made it very easy for (us) to become comfortable with her and she with us. Her past experience with young children really shines through when she is spending time with the girls. We are so happy that we found each other!” (Spanish au pair)

“Things are going pretty well. She is really amazing with the boys. She wrote out a schedule for her & (the youngest), and made goals for him for the month (being able to take off his shoes by himself, walking to the playground, etc). When the big 3 were off school & she had everyone, she planned a whole day of Harry Potter-themed activities, crafts, recipes, etc. They loved it!” (Austrian au pair)

Photos by: Scrabble_retrofade_Virginia State Parks; Ilya-Haykinson

Preventing Dehydration

Dehydration means that the body lacks the necessary amount of fluid. Infants and small children are more likely to become dehydrated than older children or adults, because they can lose relatively more fluid quickly.

Here are some steps to take to make sure children remain hydrated in the summer months:

  • Encourage your child to drink plenty of water. On hot days, children should drink significantly more water than usual, as they are losing more due to the heat.
  • Do not wait until your child is thirsty to give him water. By the time they feel thirsty, they are already becoming dehydrated.
  • If your child is resistant to drinking enough water, have other liquids on hand for your child to drink throughout the day.
  • Be alert to changes in behavior. A child may act confused or more irritable when they are becoming dehydrated/overheated. Get them into cooler temperatures and drinking more fluids.
  • Dress your child in lightweight clothing in the summer months, particularly if she’ll be playing outdoors in warm weather. You may also consider clothes that are well ventilated as they do not trap heat close to the body.
  • When there are heat and/or air quality advisories because the weather is dangerously hot, you should avoid taking the children outdoors. Check with your host parents for further guidance on this topic.

Remember to follow these tips for yourself too, so you stay well hydrated.

Photo: Darwin Bell (Flickr)

Handling Expenses

Host parents often ask for suggestions on how best to handle common expenses that occur as au pairs are caring for the children.

Miscellaneous Expenses

There are different ways to handle the little day to day expenses that come up.  Things like when an au pair takes the kids out for ice cream or picks up a gallon of milk.  Some families keep a cookie jar fund, a little cash that they set aside weekly or monthly for these types of expenses. Others give their au pair a prepaid debit card for this purpose. Below are some suggestions for avoiding problems with expenses.

Host Families

  • It’s important to be clear about how long this money should last and what types of expenses are approved.
  • Let the au pair know whether or not you expect receipts.

Au Pairs

  • Only spend the money on approved expenses.
  • If it is something you are not sure about, ask first.
  • Put your receipts in the cookie jar in place of the money to avoid any confusion.

Gas and Fare Cards 

Host families are responsible for the au pair’s transportation costs: to and from classes, cluster meetings and when driving the kids.

It is a good idea to figure out how much gas an au pair will use for these trips and either put gas in the car or give a gas allowance.   If your au pair is riding to classes or cluster meetings with another au pair, you should offer to share the cost of gas.

Au pairs are responsible for their own transportation at all other times.  You should replace the amount of gas used for personal use.

Photo: Andrea Travillian

How To Say Happy New Year Around the World

One of the really cool things about working for Au Pair in America is that you get to meet fascinating women from all over the world.  Here’s a list with over 30 ways of saying Happy New Year!  May 2017 be a Happy New Year to you!

Language Happy New Year!
Afrikaans Voorspoedige nuwe jaar
Arabic Kul ‘am wa antum bikhair
Basque Urte Berri on
Bengali Shuvo noboborsho
Chinese (Cantonese) Sun nien fai lok
Chinese (Mandarin) Xin nian yu kuai
Czech Stastny Novy Rok
Danish Godt NytÅr
Dutch Gelukkig nieuwjaar
Esperanto Bonan Novjaron
Finnish Onnellista uutta vuotta
French Bonne année
German Ein glückliches neues Jahr
Greek Eutychismenos o kainourgios chronos
Hawaiian Hauoli Makahiki hou
Hebrew Shana Tova
Hungarian Boldog uj evet
Indonesian (Bahasa) Selamat Tahun Baru
Italian Felice Anno Nuovo or Buon anno
Japanese Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu
Korean Sehe Bokmanee Bateuseyo
Laotian (Hmong) Nyob Zoo Xyoo Tshiab
Latin Felix sit annus novus
Nigerian (Hausa) Barka da sabuwar shekara
Norwegian Godt Nytt År
Philippines (Tagalog) Manigong Bagong Taon
Polish Szczesliwego Nowego Roku
Romanian La Multi Ani si Un An Nou Fericit
Samoan Ia manuia le Tausaga Fou
Spanish Feliz año nuevo
Swahili Heri za Mwaka Mpya
Swedish Gott Nytt År
Thai Sawatdee Pi Mai
Vietnamese Chuc mung nam moi
Welsh Blwyddyn Newydd Dda

Back to School

Kids in our cluster are returning to school. This means changes to the au pair schedule and possibly to the duties.  It is very important to communicate these changes to avoid problems.

I suggest you discuss the following (if applicable):

  • Au pair’s work schedule.
  • The children’s school and activity schedules.
  • Where the children get dropped off and picked up and who will be doing this.
  • What to do if a child is staying home sick, late to school, does not get off the bus (if they are supposed to).
  • How to tell if school has been canceled or delayed for bad weather
  • Add the au pair to your list of people allowed to pick up the kids from school.
  • What to pack for lunch (don’t forget the cold packs)
  • The routine after school (do they have free time before starting homework, what to give for snack, any chores, where do they put their backpacks & lunchboxes).
  • How to communicate about what’s going on at school.
  • Specific instructions for driving on and off school grounds, where to park, direction of travel. Do you get out or does staff open the doors, etc.

Here are some Printable Fill-in-the-Blank School Notes for parents. You may print these out and use them for times when the kids are absent, late, have early dismissal or you need to give permission for something.

If the au pair will be the one going through the children’s back pack and helping with homework, I suggest you designate an area for putting things that need to be read and/or signed by parents.

School Buses – Remember to discuss school bus safety and the rules about driving when school buses are near. Stopping when the lights flash and the stop sign comes out unless the road is divided, etc.

Reminder: It is illegal in the State of Maryland for a child under the age of 8 to be left alone in the home or car.  Please make sure that your drop off routine does not include leaving children under 8 at home or in the car while dropping off another child.  Even if a host parent gives permission to do this, it is not allowed, because it is against the law.

Photo by Jens Rost

Photo by Jens Rost

 

Managing Homesickness

It is completely normal to feel homesick sometimes when we are far from home.  Homesickness comes from feeling disconnected from familiar people, places and routines.  It is an emotion you have to learn how to cope with while you are here. It is an emotion that passes with time.  Here are some tips to help you when you feel homesick:

  • Be a tourist, get to know where you live, visit the local sights and explore just as you would if on vacation.  Start a list of favorite places. Ask other au pairs and your host family for their favorites too!
  • Try new foods, even if they don’t look good, finding new favorite nibbles is a great way to  enjoy a new country. You might squirm at the thought of trying a Maryland crab, but you might find that you love it!
  • Take a break from skype.  If you are skyping for hours every day, it is not helping you.  Find a balance between ties at home and building new relationships here. Try keeping connected via email or whatsapp and skype just once or twice a week.
  • Focus on your new social media networking with other au pairs and American friends.  You don’t need to know what everyone is doing at home every minute. Be part of the experience here!
  • Plan a trip with a friend, a day trip or a weekend, get excited about doing something new with a new friend and before you know it you will be excited and chatting about the trip instead of talking about what you are missing at home.
  • Go to the cluster meetings, This will definitely help you. You’ll meet others au pairs, try new things, eat good food,
  • Send some small gifts back home.  Sending gifts gives you something to do, makes you go out, and is a way of sharing your experience, it makes you feel good. Don’t feel like you need to find those gifts right away! Sometimes the fun is in the searching!
  • Make a Bucket List.  This is  a list of what you hope to do and see during  your year as an au pair.  Places you want to visit, foods you’d like to try, things you’d like to do! Keep it on the wall and you will enjoying checking off each thing on the list as you do it.
  • Not everything has to change.  If you loved jogging at home, do it here.  There are some habits you love that you can keep. Ask your host family or me for ideas of places you can enjoy things you loved to do at home!
  • Create a routine.  Having a routine will help you feel at home and settle into life here. Get up in the morning, even on your days off! Set a regular bedtime, too. You need your rest also!
  • Do not stay home.  Have a plan to go out and about! Join a gym, go to the movies every Tuesday night, take a dance class.  Go to the gym, the park, a coffee shop, a walk, volunteer somewhere! Staying home alone will not help homesickness, it makes the isolation worse. I do not want you to be unhappy. Don’t have a buddy for the weekend yet? Post to the group, text another au pair. Reach out an invite someone!
  • Ask me for help in finding au pair friends who have been there! I can connect you with other au pairs who was also homesick, there’s nothing better than talking to someone who has been in your shoes.
  • Create a blog or album on Facebook of your adventures! It will give you something to work on when you have quiet time alone and as your year progresses you will be able to see what an amazing experience you are having.  You’ll have a collection of memories to review! Remember not to share personal info about the host family or any pictures of them (this includes those adorable kids). You can set the album and blog to private if you don’t want to share it with others.
  • Most importantly, talk to someone, if you feel sad or homesick, talk to your host family, call me, or a friend.  Sharing helps you. Being part of a cluster enables us to help and support each other.

A little inspiration from a former au pair… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3IBmRWGnwA

Have a great year, this is your dream, make the most of it!

2015-07-28 16.21.15

Happy Anniversary to Au Pair in America!

On this day in 1986, Au Pair in America welcomed the first group of au pairs to the U.S. That first group of au pairs arrived from western Europe to provide child care, to study and to experience life in the United States firsthand. They participated in the pilot program for what has developed into the Au Pair program of the U.S. Department of State.

Thirty years ago a group of amazingly brave and adventurous young women embarked on a journey that would not only change their lives but the lives of those they met – each other, their host families, the staff of Au Pair in America, and the people of the communities that they would live in. Take a moment to  watch a wonderful video about this amazing opportunity and journey!

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Au Pairs gather in Washington DC

‪#‎aupairinamerica  #‎aupair30‬

 

 

 

DC Metro Area Cultural Fair 2016 at Nationals Park – HUGE success!

What a fantastic event!! Over 200 au pairs, representing 36 countries, proudly created amazing displays about their homelands! Many sang or danced or shared other skills. Samples of foods were very popular too with the guests! Over 1000 guests and visitors also attended! There were smiles and laughter, great conversations, sharing of time and talents! Our au pairs worked very hard to convey what is interesting, magical and special to them from their home country. Many of their own family members supported them by sending traditional clothing, personal items and even foods!

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Allison, from the Netherlands, did a fantastic job representing her country! Allison resides with a host family in Northern Calvert County.

Over 30 Au Pair in America Community Counselors panned and executed this year’s Cultural Fair. Our Community Counselors hailed from all regions of the greater Washington DC area from as far south as Richmond, north to Baltimore, east to Bowie and Annapolis,  south east to Southern Maryland, over to Cabin John, throughout Northern Virginia and even from Virginia Beach! They worked from March to May to organize all the pieces that went into the Cultural Fair.

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Enjoy the following photos from our amazing event!