Category Archives: Uncategorized

Back to School Tips

NOLBacktoschoolThe new school year will start shortly. The transition from a more relaxed summer time to the busy school year can be challenging for all – kids, parents and au pairs. Here are a few tips for making it as easy as possible for everybody.

 

  1. Discuss changes to the daily routines in advance and mark children’s after school activities on the calendar
  2. Make sure au pair is familiar with the system of dropping off/picking up children (including NOT leaving kids in the car when picking up siblings)
  3. Put au pair’s name on the list of people allowed to pick up the children from school
  4. Provide au pair with the list of emergency contacts, including doctor’s
  5. Prepare a list of acceptable foods for breakfast, lunch and snacks
  6. Designate a spot for kids’ backpacks, school projects and sport/extracurricular activity items
  7. Discuss children’s after school routine (rest, playtime, use of electronics, homework)
  8. Remind au pair that it’s illegal to pass a yellow school bus if it has the STOP arm raised

New Match Advice for Au Pairs

NOLMatchAdviceThe basis for developing a trusting relationship is good communication. Good contact between the host family, au pair and community counselor is the best recipe for success on our program. Here are some tips about how to get your match off to the best possible start:

  • Family Time – Spend time with your new family; the more you get to know them, the more comfortable you will feel.
  • Time to Talk – Set aside some time each week with your host family to talk about how things are going, ask questions, and discuss any concerns.
  • The Schedule – Review and discuss the schedule and your duties, making sure you really understand what is being asked of you.
  • Vacation Planning – Discuss vacation time as early as possible so you can choose weeks/days that work for you and your host family.
  • Classes – Review your education options and discuss your preferences with your host family.
  • Cluster Meetings – Attend the cluster meetings, as they are a great way to have fun with other au pairs and connect with your community counselor.
  • Monthly Contact – Your counselor is required to touch base with you once a month; let her know how things are going.

Support – If you are concerned or worried about anything at all, let your counselor know!

Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro

NOLOlympicGames2016The Olympic Games will take place from August 5th – August 21st.  Au pairs will be cheering on their nations from the USA and maybe supporting the USA too.  The Olympic Games are the world’s biggest sporting spectacle. They are divided into a summer and winter Games, held every four years by a single city. This year 207 nations will participate in the games.  Athletes with disabilities compete at the Paralympics. More than 10,000 athletes from all over the world take part in the summer events.  Here are some fun facts:

 

The First Olympics

The ancient Olympics celebrated the god Zeus and were held every four years at Olympia, Greece. Winners received an olive wreath. The date of the first Games is unclear, but the first recorded Olympic champion was Koroibos, who won a sprint in 776 BC.

 

The Olympic Rings

The rings symbolize the unity of the world’s five continents (Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, and the Americas). Every national flag in the world contains at least one of the five colors.

 

What is the Olympic Ideal

The ideal is to build international understanding and cooperation. The Olympic code promotes amateurism, or performance without payment, and professionals are allowed to participate only under certain rules.

 

Winning Gold…or not

Even though the top athlete in his or her field wins the ‘gold,’ the medals aren’t really made out of solid gold. In fact, they haven’t been pure gold for around 100 years. The gold medals awarded now are actually silver, with gold plating. That probably doesn’t matter to the athletes who have dedicated their lives to winning one, as long as they aren’t planning on melting the medal down and pawning it off.

All About Rio

This year the Olympics will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  Just one hour ahead of the Eastern Time Zone, it will be easy to view many events live.  View the official website with everything you need to know here  https://www.rio2016.com/en

 

Schedule of Events

Find out when your favorite events are scheduled here http://www.nbcolympics.com/full-schedule

 

Au Pairs Talk Communication

NOLJuly2016meetAu pair Lina from Brazil said: “The best way for you to enjoy your year as an au pair is to have a very good relationship with your host family.” Her au pair friend Julia from Sweden added that very good relationship could only be achieved through an open and honest communication.

 

However, communication that must bridge different languages and cultural expectation can pose challenges. A quick game of deconstructing Twitter acronyms showed just how tricky understanding and interpreting a new language can be, whether it’s Twitter-speak, spoken English or culturally inflected body language.

 

Samantha from Mexico spoke for everybody when she suggested that both au pairs and host families needed to show flexibility and patience when communicating and soon enough everybody will speak the same argot!

GL TTYL

Au Pair Julia Volunteers at Baby and Child Expo

NOLJuliaExpoSwedish au pair Julia has been enjoying her match with local host family for more than five month now. To find out more about childcare in the area, and in the States in general, she volunteered to participate in the Baby and Child Expo at the Lakeside Shopping Mall. After talking to several interested families, she was delighted to note that both she and the families learned a lot from each other. She was also impressed by the great variety and high quality of services offered to families with young children.

Happy Fourth of July

NOLFlagKnown  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 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 festivities ranging from fireworks, parades, family gatherings and barbecues.

 

Have fun with the children too – visit the link below for fun coloring pages, craft ideas, puzzles and games to celebrate the 4th of July holiday

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

APIA at Baby and Child Expo 2016

NOLBabyExpo2016Looking forward to seeing you at the Baby and Child Expo Saturday, July 9, 2016

Please stop by our table where we’ll have information about Au Pair in America – the most experienced (30 years and going strong!) live in childcare program in the nation.

Visitors will be eligible for 2 raffle baskets, each including $850 certificate off of program fees. Kids will get coloring pages, bookmarks, frisbees for summer fun and other gifts.

Lakeside Mall – Center Court

3301 Veterans Memorial Blvd

Metairie, La 70002

Summer Safety Tips

NOLSummerSafety2016During the summer months, we need to take some added precautions to keep children safe in the sun and by the water. We recommend you review these safety tips together as a family to make sure everyone understands how important they are. Have a wonderful and safe summer!

  • Avoid long periods of sun exposure, especially between 10:00am and 4:00pm.
  • Apply sunscreen of at least 15 SPF that protects against both UVA and UVB rays (should be worn on sunny and cloudy days).
  • Infants should be dressed in lightweight clothing covering as much skin as possible and brimmed hats to shade the face.
  • Stay hydrated; drink water throughout the day.
  • Intense activities and sports should be reduced whenever high heat and humidity reach very high levels.
  • Actively supervise children in and around the water, giving them your undivided attention. Appoint a designated “water watcher,” taking turns with other adults.
  • When in the water, there should be at least an adult at arm’s length from young children at all times.
  • Children who cannot swim or who are not strong swimmers should wear water wings or life jackets when in or near the water.
  • Never leave children or animals in a car alone even for one minute.

Creole Tomato Fest

Any excuse is good to visit the famous French Market in the French Quarter, but Creole Tomato Festival is an especially good occasion. Au pairs enjoyed browsing through the many stalls and admiring both produce and products … while New Orleans summer storm thundered in the distance.NOLCreoleTomato

President’s Day

NOLPresiden's day
Presidents’ Day is an American holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February. Originally established in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington, it is still officially called “Washington’s Birthday” by the federal government. Traditionally celebrated on February 22 ~ Washington’s actual day of birth ~ the holiday became popularly known as Presidents’ Day after it was moved as part of 1971’s Uniform Monday Holiday Act, an attempt to create more three-day weekends for American workers. While several states still have individual holidays honoring the birthdays of Washington, Abraham Lincoln and other figures, Presidents’ Day is now popularly viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents past and present.
To see a listing of all U.S. presidents go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents.  Click on each president to find out who they were and what they achieved during their presidency.  Most American school children have to learn their presidents,  this is a great site to go through with them and test their knowledge