Tag Archives: Au Pair in America

Au Pair in America Au Pairs Celebrate Christmas at Krispy Kreme

xmas 2015 Victoria and APs

To celebrate Christmas away from home, Au Pair in America Au  Pairs in Victoria Paton’s cluster in20151218_204811 (2) Maryland (Potomac, Bethesda, Cabin John and Glen Echo) donned Santa hats and enjoyed a dessert party at Krispy Kreme in Rockville.

Au Pairs brought a gift to exchange, and in the spirit of the holidays, they also generously donated personal items for Streetlights USA (a charity that supports young women saved in America from trafficking).

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Four lighted trees were decorated by the Au Pairs and then raffled-off to four 20151218_210714 (2)20151218_210658 (2)happy winners.

 

Many Au Pairs would be spending the holidays with their Host Families while others were looking forward to learning more about America with travel to Florida, Las Vegas, San Diego etc.

College Fair for Au Pairs a Great Success!

Representatives from ten area colleges/institutes at which Au Pairs can study enthusiastically participated in the First Ever Au Pair in America College Fair at Potomac Community Center.

Au Pairs take 72 hours/year (Standard Au Pair) or 144 hours/year (EducarGtowne Au Pair) of education in the topics of their choice as required by the State Department.

Colleges represented: Montgomery College, Borough of Manhattan, Virginia International Univ., LADO, International Language Institute, Stratford University, L’Academie de Cuisine, Georgetown University, American University and UCLA.

“Rather than Au Pairs seeking info on educational opportunities independently around the DC area, I thought it would be better to bring the educators to the Au Pairs so they could walk around and shop opportunities, gather information, understand the registration process for each location.

College representatives thought it was a great idea, too, and we will hold another Au Pair College Fair in Fall 2016.” said Victoria Paton, Senior Community Counselor for Potomac, Bethesda, Glen Echo andCabin John, whBBMCo organized the event.

 

 

 

MC

 

 

Lacademie

Au Pair in America AU PAIR COLLEGE FAIR in Maryland

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FIRST EVER – Maryland Regional Au Pair in America
AU PAIR COLLEGE FAIR!
Au Pairs from around the region are invited to find out the options for fulfilling their Au Pair in America education requirement…
Wednesday, December 2, 2015 at 1230-230pm
Potomac Community Center
11315 Falls Road, Potomac, Maryland

Plenty of parking and is on the T2 bus stop in front (Friendship Heights/Rockville Metros)

Representatives from many Au Pair educational options will be there to help you:

 

  • Montgomery College Continuing Ed. and Credit Departments
  • LADO (English and TOEFL prep)
  • English House/International Language Institute (ESL and TOEFL prep)
  • Stratford University (event management)
  • Georgetown University (English related courses)
  • L’Academie de Cuisine (culinary)
  • Virginia International University (museum classes)
  • UCLA online program for Au Pairs
  • BMCC Travel courses

Come and find out what is available for Spring 2016!

 

Meetings at Montgomery College: Au Pairs and Educares Plan Their Academic Studies with Counselor

Chinese Au Pairs New York TimesAu Pair in America’s Au Pairs and Educares arrive Thursday nights to their new Host Families in the Potomac, Bethesda, Cabin John and Glen Echo Cluster. To facilitate signing-up for Fall courses, they are invited to meet their Senior Community Counselor, Victoria Paton, Fridays at Montgomery College. There she will assist each young woman to register at MC, or chat with the new arrival to determine if there might be another local institute of education that would better suit her academic goals.

Au Pairs work 45 hours/week and Educare Companions 30 hours/week and in their free time it is mandated by the State Department that they study at an accredited, secondary institute of education for 72 hours (Au Pairs) or 144 hours (Educares).

au pair bmcc montreal photo

Au Pairs in Montreal with BMCC Travel Course

“It is great fun to help Au Pairs and Educares think about how they might like to fulfill their State Department education requirement: Years ago an Au Pair from Sweden had wanted to try acting, but was afraid to do it back home, fearing her friends would laugh. So she signed up for Intro to Acting at MC and enjoyed it so much she decided to apply to the New York Academy of Music and Dramatic Art – and was accepted after she completed her Au Pair year! An Au Pair from Poland came to my cluster as a non-swimmer. She took swimming at MC and finished her Au Pair year as an accomplished swimmer. An Au Pairswimmer from South Africa was taking accounting courses but decided to get in shape with MC’s Intro to Personal Training class. She had such great results and she enjoyed the supportive nature of the group, that she chose to  pursue further classes in the subject and went home to become a Certified Personal Trainer.

Lives can be enhanced and career directions changed, when a young woman, as an Au Pair/Educare, has a chance to explore the educational options in the DC area with her Counselor or Host Family.” Victoria Paton

stratford

Au Pairs participate in Culinary Program at Stratford University.

We are very fortunate to have MANY affordable options for the Au Pairs/Educares in the DC area:

Montgomery College (Credit and Workforce Development)

LADO, International Language Institute and Inlingua

BMCC Study/Travel Courses (Nashville, Boston, Chicago, Niagara Falls,  NYC etc.)

Stratford University in Tysons and Alexandria has created Au Pair survey courses in Event Management and Culinary Arts.

L’Academie de Cuisine has a series of Au Pair courses,

Georgetown University Continuing Education offers English language – related classes.

Virginia International University offers Saturday courses at museums in Washington, DC.

Au Pair in America has a joint program with UCLA for an online course with volunteer hours

“We Love Our Au Pairs” Award Dessert Party

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Forty Au Pairs joined their Community Counselor, Victoria Paton, at the Kentlands Clubhouse for an Awards Dessert Party where they were the guests of honor.

Each attending Au Pair was presented with a certificate and a rose to thank her for her contribution to her Host Family. The Host Families nominated each Au Pair for awards such as “Best Au Pair EVER”, “Best Lego Maker”, Best German Pancake Maker” etc.20150612_204555-120150612_203348-1Cake for all to enjoy20150612_203904-1

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Close Call…When a Deer Runs in Front of Your Car

What To Do to Avoid a Deer, Or Other Animal, that Might Run In Front Of Your Vehicle:

deer crossing road

Watch this excellent video to see a large herd crossing – where there is one there is usually more..

·         Scan the road ahead: Looking ahead helps provide enough reaction time if an animal is spotted. Also, remember some animals, like deer, move in groups, so when there is one, there are usually more in the area.

·         Use high beam headlights if there’s no oncoming traffic: This can help you spot deer or other wildlife sooner and give you time to slow down, move over or honk the horn to scare the animal away. High beams also help in spotting animals’ reflective eyes.

·         If a collision is unavoidable, apply the brakes firmly and remain in your lane: Swerving to avoid an animal can often cause a more serious crash or cause you to lose control of your vehicle. What’s more, drivers who swerve to miss a deer and hit something else may be charged for an at-fault accident.

·         Be extra cautious at dawn and dusk: Deer tend to be more active in the early morning and at dusk.

·         Slow down and use extra caution when traveling through areas with a high and active wildlife population: Be aware of increased deer movement in rural areas during the fall and early winter, as this is both hunting and mating season.

·         Always wear a seat belt and remain awake, alert and sober.

(Source: AAA)

Fro-Yo Fridays at Orange Leaf for Monthly Cluster Conversation Meetings

orange leaf

Everyone likes a treat at the end of a long week, so once a month, about 30 au pairs gather at Orange Leaf in Cabin John Mall to chat with their Community Counselor and friends old and new. In addition to the major cluster meeting each month, we have an informal gathering also each month, just to chat and get to know each other.

We are so fortunate that a Host Family owns Orange Leaf and have been super accommodating to our Friday meetings – even staying open late on some nights if we get carried away in our conversations and stay after the Mall closes.

This is a super timorange-leaf-producte for new Au Pairs to be welcomed into the Cluster, and this week a fantastic newly-arrived Au Pair from Croatia decided to organize a “Club” for Au Pairs caring for children under the age of three (3) to organize play dates, give each other support and to organize fun activities in the evenings after  providing excellent childcare for very small children during the day.

Tasty Treats to Make With Pumpkin – Part 4 : Pumpkin Pie

As we prepare for America’s next big holiday, Thanksgiving, what to do with pumpkins? Practice making Pumpkin Pies!Pumpkin-Pie-Whole-Slice

The definition of Pumpkin Pie from Wikipedia:

Pumpkin pie is a traditional sweet dessert, often eaten during the fall and early winter, especially for Thanksgiving and Christmas in the United States and Canada. The pumpkin is a symbol of harvest time and featured also at Halloween.

The pie consists of a pumpkin-based custard, ranging in color from orange to brown, baked in a single pie shell, rarely with a top crust. The pie is generally flavored with nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger.

This pie is often made from canned pumpkin or packaged pumpkin pie filling (spices included).

To make Pumpkin Pie, you do not need to make the crust of the pie. Those you can buy at the grocery store in the FROZEN food department.

This is from a site called KidsCooking and it offers many recipes that you can make with children. They are pumpkin pie recipes that are so simple but they taste and look like they took hours to make!pie

Healthier Pumpkin Pie from Eclecticrecipes.com

From Mykidsallergies.com here is Pumpkin Pie – dairy free, nut free

And, finally, from the company that makes the pumpkin-in-a-can: LIBBY’s Famous Pumpkin Pie

Have fun!  And if you try any of these Pumpkin Pie recipes, let me know which one you liked the best 🙂

Victoria

Tasty Treats to Make With Pumpkin – Part 3: Savory

With sugar everywhere for Halloween, let’s try some more savory pumpkin recipes!

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But, do you believe there are 100 ways to cook a pumpkin?  Well click here to see it for yourself from the website called EndlessSummer.com

For my culinary-minded Au Pair followers, here are some simple, savory recipes after all the sweet treats of Halloween last night…

Curry Pumpkin Soup

From the Food Network: Tortellini with Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce

A twist on an international favorite: Pumpkin Queso Fundido

Servc this Spicy Pumpkin Dip (like a humus) with pita chips!

And this sounds AMAZING to make with your kids: Pumpkin French Toast for breakfast.

Alas, November is here.  So, time to start looking ahead to sharing All-American favorites for Au Pairs to try in my Thanksgiving series 🙂

Victoria

DC Region of Au Pair in America – Scavenger Hunt at the National Zoo on Sunday, October 27, 2013

What aau pair and panda 2n incredible day at the Zoo! Sun was shining, temperatures were great, the zoo was decorated for Halloween…Camila and Claire

Approximately 30o Au Pairs from all around the DC area and their 15 Community Counselors gathered on Lion/Tiger Hill early Sunday to participate in the first-ever DC Regional Scavenger Hunt at the National Zoo!

Each Au Pair team of 10, sought out specific animals as specified on a bingo card. All Au Pairs were winners and took home a 6″ Panda bear in honor of the new baby panda born at the National Zoo last month.ZOO

A wonderful day for Au Pairs and Counselors alike!

Victoria and group and pandas 2Ann and group and pandasLisaElephantPat and groupDiane and group and pandasEverybody ready for huntSigning in on cluster rosterFernanda