Tag Archives: school

Back to School Planning

Back to school time is here. This can mean changes to the au pair schedule and possibly to the duties.  It is very important to communicate these changes to avoid problems.

Here is a list of topics to consider discussing:

  • 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)
  • Driving laws regarding stopping for school buses
  • 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 and explain the process
  • What to pack for lunch
  • The routine after school (do they have free time before starting homework, what to give for a snack, any chores, where do they put their backpacks & lunchboxes)
  • How to communicate about what’s going on at school. Your Kids in Care logbook from Au Pair in America can be a great two-way communication tool for keeping track of schedules, afterschool activities and day to day info that needs to be transferred between host parents and au pair.
  • If your au pair will be the one going through the children’s backpack and helping with homework, consider designating an area for putting things that need to be read and/or signed by parents.

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

Check out Au Pair in America’s Pinterest School Tips and Ideas pinboard for things like organization ideas, back to school traditions, printable lunch box notes, and fun lunch recipes.

 

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!

Back to school

School is coming for most children. In Minnesota, school generally starts the day after Labor Day, although Minneapolis, and a few other places, start the week before. With a few breaks, the school year will run until around the first week of June.

School-day mornings can be a hectic time, with kids running around trying to find homework and matching shoes, parents trying to get breakfast into them, and everyone running out the door to catch the school bus. It’s helpful to have a routine for school days, which might include picking out clothes the night before, having all homework in backpacks and by the door before bedtime, packing lunches for the week on Sunday night, or other things. This is one of the areas where an organized au pair can be a godsend for their host family! If you have ideas on how to make things go more smoothly, please share them!

During the fall here, the weather can change dramatically in a few hours. Kids will need warm coats, maybe even hats and mittens, in the morning, but in the afternoon they will be overheated unless they stash all that in their backpacks. Kids should have layers that make it easy to change from warm to cold weather – hoodies, T-shirts under button-down shirts, and ‘magic’ gloves that can be easily stuffed in pockets are some easy ways to help kids go with the flow.

Homework is another area where au pairs can make their family’s lives go better. Many families have the kids come home from school, give them a snack, and have them do their homework immediately before they can do anything fun.

Finally, there is no time in a child’s life when they don’t benefit from reading with an adult. Younger kids enjoy being read to, and older kids can take turns, or even just read to their adult. This experience can shape their whole lives, because it teaches them that reading is an important skill, and that they are important to other people. Plus it’s fun!