Monthly Archives: July 2013

New Process for I-94 Cards

Information Document – I-94 card

A new automated arrival/departure process for foreign visitors (au pairs) involving the I-94 card has been implemented at all air and sea ports of entry.

What is the I-94 card?
The I-94 card was formerly a paper document stapled into an au pair’s passport used as evidence of a non-immigrant’s lawful admission to the United States and to document legal status while in the United States for the length of her approved stay. See below for an example.

What is the new process?

  • · Creation of an electronic arrival I-94 record during admission process at air or sea ports of entry.
  • · No more paper I-94 card issued.
  • · CBP official (Customs and Border Control) will scan passport, creating an electronic I-94 record using the name appearing on the J-1 visa in the passport.
  • · CBP official will place a stamp in the au pair’s passport indicating date of admission, class of admission (J-1) and the date that the traveler is admitted until (D/S).
  • · DS 2019 form will no longer be stamped at immigration. Only the passport will be stamped.
  • · Au pairs will receive an information sheet telling them how they can access their I-94 card information online (www.cbp.gov/I94). I-94 card information will immediately be uploaded to the immigration database. No more waiting time. Information from the electronic I-94 will be available no more than 24 hours after the au pair’s arrival in the U.S. Au pairs can go to CBP website (www.cbp.gov/I94) to print down a paper document showing their I-94 card number or access their I-94 card number which can be used for social security cards, I-9 verification form and driver’s licenses.

CBP official will stamp and annotate the au pair’s passport with the date of admission, class of admission (J-1) and admitted until date (D/S – duration of stay). All stakeholders (DMV, social security offices) have been notified of this new process.

Additional Information

  • · Currently au pairs must still wait at least 12 business days before going to apply for a social security card. This process will change shortly, and we will notify you as soon as the change goes into effect. Once the change goes into effect, au pairs will be able to go and apply for a social security card the day after they arrive at their host family home. They must have the print-out of their I-94 card number.
  • · To print out I-94 card information from the www.cbp.gov/I94 website, au pairs will need biographical information, their passport number, country of issuance, date of entry, class of admission. The name should be spelled exactly as it appears on the J-1 visa in the passport. If it is a name with multiple last names, there should not be any space between the names.

Automatic visa revalidation–

  • · If au pair arrived after 5/20/2013, the Customs and Border Patrol officer will have the admission record available and will use that electronic record for readmission.
  • · If au pair arrived prior to 5/20/2013, she needs to show I-94 card upon reentry into the United States.

Arrival process

  • · Will stay the same with the exception of the electronic I-94 card. CBP officer will review documents, including passport, visa and DS 2019. Change will be that au pairs will receive a stamp in their passports and no paper I-94 card.

Stakeholders have been involved and engaged in the process. Social security offices will accept the entry stamp in the passport and DMV has been provided with all the information through the SAVE system. Every office should be aware of change in process. It is still recommended that au pairs print out their electronic I-94 card number for social security and DMV offices.

If, when leaving the US at the end of the year, the au pair has the paper I-94 card stapled into her passport, she will turn it in upon departure. After automation, there will be no form to turn in.

Revalidation process for au pairs will not change. If the au pair entered on a paper I-94, she will continue to use the paper I-94.

If an au pair is having problems printing out the electronic I-94 card number, please contact Evelyn Blum at eblum@aifs.com.

Au Pairs Share Information about APIA Program

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Local APIA counselor and au pairs enjoyed sharing information about Au Pair in America program with interested families at Baby and Child Expo at Lakeview Shopping Mall.

Many were interested to learn who au pairs are.

Au pair – meaning in French: on the same level, as a family member – are young visitors from abroad, mostly young women, who come to the United States for one year on Visitor Exchange J-1 visa to learn about the American way of life while living with American host families and providing childcare.

The advantages of childcare provided by au pairs are:

Dependability

Flexibility

Affordability

Cultural Enrichment

Join Au Pair in America at the Upcoming Baby and Child Expo!

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Bring your family to Baby and Child Expo!

Saturday, July 20

10am -1pm

Lakeside Shopping Mall – Center Court

Join Au Pair in America this coming Saturday at the Baby and Child Expo.

Your children can enjoy spin art  and face painting while new and expecting parents can meet doulas, midwives, massage therapists, fitness instructors and walk away with great door prizes.

Local Community Counselor, Jolanta Tipler, will be there to talk about the nation’s most experienced live-in child care provider and to answer any questions you may have about the program.

Stop by the Au Pair in America table and enter our raffle to win $1,200 in savings from Au Pair in America.

Admission is FREE! Visit www.llljefferson.com for more information and directions.

Lakeside Shopping Mall

3301 Veterans Memorial Blvd

Metairie, La 70002

Toys, Toys, Toys!

Most American children seem to have more toys than children in any other country. Toys are in the children’s bedrooms, the family room, the garage, the basement and even in kitchen cupboards. And during the holiday season and at birthdays, most children will receive more toys as gifts. Do children really need all these toys? Are they necessary for their development? Are some toys better than other? These are a few questions to be answered.

Toys are materials that facilitate play. Toys can be store-bought or homemade, and do not need to be expensive. Children can create toys out of empty boxes, fabric pieces, masking tape, toilet paper tubes, plastic bottle caps, or whatever they choose. Years ago, there were no big stores with rows and rows of toys. Children played with toy dolls made out of corncobs and used their imagination.

Children do not need lots and lots of toys to play with. In fact, children can become overwhelmed by the amount of toys to choose from. Sometimes, it is better to sort through the toys and store some away for a a couple of weeks.

Criteria for selecting appropriate toys include: Is the toy safe? Is it fun? Can the toy be used with little adult supervision? Is the toy durable and versatile? Does it encourage large or small muscle development and eye-hand coordination? Does the toy encourage imagination, creativity or intellectual development? Is the toy developmentally appropriate for the child? Does the toy have more than one use?

The more ways a toy can be used, the better. Open-ended toys encourage creativity and stimulate intellectual development, and include blocks, and other building sets, markers and crayons, baby dolls, pots & pans, and playdough. Wind-up toys, talking dolls and coloring books are generally considered inappropriate because there is only one correct way to play with them.

Suggested toys for infants include nesting blocks, busy boards, shape sorters, balls and books. Infants learn through their senses so as they roll, reach, grasp and crawl, they need a variety of objects to see, hear and touch.

Toddlers seem to prefer pots, pans and containers in the cupboards rather than shiny new toys. Children of this age have a high energy level and are struggling to become independent. Therefore, toddlers explore and get into everything. They prefer toys that can be taken apart and put back together, dump trucks, blocks, sorting materials, toys that make sounds or movements, and toys that stimulate make-believe play. Both infants and toddlers only need a few toys to play with at one time.

Preschoolers and kindergartners enjoy dress-up clothes, blocks, manipulative toys that can be built into something, books, puzzles and wheeled vehicles for their motor development. School-age children are ready for board games, other games with rules, puppets, puppet stage, books, construction toys or toys that can be built into things, such as model kits and crafts.

The toys provided for children reflect our social and cultural issues and can influence a child’s knowledge of the world. Toys that promote violence should be limited. Some say the best toys for children are those that have been around for 30 or more years such as baby dolls and blocks.  The best toys stimulate a child’s imagination, promote self esteem, have no right or wrong uses, and are process-oriented rather than product-oriented.

APIA at Baby and Child Expo 2013

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Baby and Child Expo

Saturday, July 20, 2013  10am- 1pm

Lakeside Shopping Center – Center Court

Our local cluster of Au Pair in America will once again join other exhibitors at Baby and Child Expo organized by La Leche League of Jefferson.

Please join us on Saturday, July 20, 2013 to learn about Au Pair in America program, meet our au pairs, receive a free APIA gift, and get a chance to win our fabulous Raffle Basket which includes a certificate entitling you to $1,200 off APIA program fees.

Many families with young children find out that matching with an au pair through an officially sponsored program is a perfect solution to their childcare needs.

Infant Qualified au pairs have a minimum of 200 hours of documented childcare experience with children under the age of two.

Extraordinaire au pairs have a formal childcare educational degree or two years of full time experience.

For more than 25 years, Au Pair in America has been the leading provider for intercultural live-in childcare in the U.S.  Since 1986, more than 90,000 of our au pairs have provided the highest quality care to families like yours.

Come and see if APIA program might be the best answer to your family ‘s childcare needs too!

For additional information about Baby and Child Expo please visit: http://www.llljefferson.com/Events.html

HAPPY 4th of JULY!!

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Known as the Fourth of July and Independence Day, July 4th has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1941, but the tradition of Independence Day celebrations goes back to the 18th century and the American Revolution (1775-83). In June 1776, representatives of the 13 colonies then fighting in the revolutionary struggle weighed a resolution that would declare their independence from Great Britain. On July 2nd, the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence, and two days later its delegates adopted the Declaration of Independence, a historic document drafted by Thomas Jefferson. From 1776 until the present day, July 4th has been celebrated as the birth of American independence, with typical festivities ranging from fireworks, parades and concerts to more casual family gatherings and barbecues.

For the children, visit this link for fun coloring pages, craft ideas, puzzles and games to celebrate the 4th of July holiday.

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/fourth-of-july/