Tag Archives: child care Minneapoils

Winter Fun and Safety – Sledding!

Tubing au pairs

SLEDDING SAFETY TIPS from the Minnesota Safety Council
CHOOSING A SLED
Look for solid construction – avoid homemade sleds, inflatable sleds that could be punctured, and equipment with sharp edges. Energy-absorbing seat pads will help cushion jolts to the spine.
Examine sleds to be sure handholds are secure and steering works easily.

FINDING A SAFE SLEDDING LOCATION
Look for an area that has been designated as a safe place to sled. Injuries are most likely to occur on poorly lit, unsupervised hills with obstacles such as rocks, tree trunks, etc. Check for signs posted by local police or parks and recreation departments.
Check that the sledding area has adequate space at the bottom to allow the sled to come to a complete stop. It should be far from traffic and water, and free of obstacles such as rocks and trees.
Be alert to hidden hazards under mounds of snow.
Don’t let children sled on ice.

Provide adult supervision as appropriate for children’s age and abilities.
Before sledding, remind children of the basics: Encourage them to sit up with feet forward (lying flat on the sled increases the chance of head and abdominal injuries), and to roll off the sled if they’re about to collide with a tree or other large or hard object.

Dress children appropriately for the temperature and in multiple layers. Outerwear should be water- and wind-resistant and free of drawstrings, which could pose a strangulation hazard.

It is recommended that kids wear helmets when they sled. Although a helmet has not yet been designed specifically for sledding, until such a helmet exists, wearing a bicycle, skateboard or ski helmet may be preferable to wearing no helmet at all.
Source: Safe Kids Worldwide

Back to School (cue ominous music)

August means back to school for many of us! Shopping, organizing, waiting to see what friends are in your class — it’s all a lot of kids can think about as August marches on. My kids always wanted to get their school supplies the day they hit Target so they could rearrange their backpacks over and over.

But it can be stressful for kids, too. They don’t want to waste any summer, and of course they’ve already wasted a lot of it. They don’t know if their new teacher will like them, if they’ll make any friends, what if it’s too hard…

The change in schedule can also throw everyone off. Even though families try to keep routines in place over break, let’s face it, my kids were always up later in the evening and getting up later in the morning. They recommend that you make kids get up at school time for a week or so before school starts so they aren’t too groggy to learn in class. Good luck with that….

It is a good idea to discuss all the changes with the family before they happen. This especially includes your au pair, who may not be familiar with your before-school routines, packing lunches, etc. Everyone should sit down and talk about what will be different and what will be the same in September. Particularly if the au pair’s schedule will be changing – give it to her in writing so she definitely understands!

I hope everyone has a fantastic year in school!

APIA ongoing au pair training

Au Pair in America is committed to providing the best possible childcare to your family. Au pairs get ongoing training in childcare and related topics throughout their year, both at their monthly cluster meetings and in online webinars.

Webinars are scheduled roughly every week throughout the year. Recent topics have included things like:

  • Toilet Training 101
  • Activities to develop speech and language in young children
  • Managing play with more than one child

Recent cluster meeting child care focuses have included:

  • Severe weather safety
  • Swimming safety
  • Getting ready for back to school

Au Pair in America has a scholarship for any au pair who wishes to get certified in Infant and Child First Aid and CPR. This is in addition to a thorough training in first aid and CPR at our Orientation program, which is the gold standard in the industry.

 

Au Pairs and Early Childhood Education

One reason people consider an au pair for their childcare needs is the opportunity for their kids to be exposed to a foreign language, and this is a great idea. Research has shown that children who are exposed to a second language early in life (before age 9) develop into adults who use even their first language with more skill. Having a caregiver who speaks a different language than the parents is enough to give children immense educational benefits. Children who study a second language do better in school and beyond. I’ll let the Minnesota Department of Education tell you:
“Studies show that language learning improves cognitive development, develops transferable reading skills, reinforces other subjects, and develops cultural literacy and appreciation and understanding for diversity. Studies have also shown that students who learn a second language are better problems solvers and score higher on state standardized assessments, SAT and ACT tests.”
I know most of the people reading this are thinking more about kindergarten readiness than the SAT test. Parents often consider cognitive aspects as the most important parts of being ready for formal schooling, but kindergarten teachers consider communication and social skills equally important, and again, having an au pair can help children develop all of these important skills. Many au pairs include academic learning in their daily interactions, from reading to children in their own language to using measuring cups to bake a treat from home. In-home childcare is naturally built around each child’s specific interests and needs, so children are more engaged in what’s going on.
Having an au pair can be a wonderful childcare solution for many families for many reasons, from flexibility and affordability to school readiness. With our experience as the nation’s oldest au pair agency, we strive to provide each family with the care they need. If you are interested, please go to our website, www.aupairinamerica.com, for more information. We are currently running a promotion for new host families. If you apply before October 15th, you will save $250 on the match fee and also have the application fee waived, so now is a great time to check us out!

Clearing up myths about au pairs

There are a bunch of misconceptions about au pairs, so I thought I would try to put together one document that clears up the ones I personally hear most often.

First, having an au pair is not only for rich people. An au pair costs about $365 per family per week (plus room and board.) The average cost of care for an infant at a center in the Twin Cities metro area, according to mnchildcare.org, is $321, and $179 at an in-home daycare. This is per CHILD, not per family. So for one child, it’s slightly more expensive but significantly more flexible. For more than one child, it’s actually less expensive!

Second, au pairs do not come here to get married. While some of them do end up falling in love and marrying, the vast majority stay for the duration of their visa and then go back home. The State Department is constantly reviewing all au pair programs to ensure this is the case.

Third, au pairs are here to do childcare, to share their culture with Americans, to learn about our culture, to take classes, and to meet new people. They do not come here to party – it’s a lot easier and cheaper to do that at home!

Fourth, au pairs can drive. They all come with either an International Drivers License, or their home country’s license if they aren’t able to get an IDL where they live. So they all have passed at least one driving test. It is true that some of them have difficulty transitioning to our roads. We offer a course at our orientation that helps with that transition.

Fifth, au pairs are experienced, caring child care providers who love children. We exhaustively check childcare and personal references and provide transcripts to prospective host families. We give them personality tests and we are careful to only select candidates we feel will be successful with our host families.

If you have questions about au pairs, please let me know! I’m happy to answer anything!