Tag Archives: childcare new orleans

Louise and Lynnesse Say Goodbye

Louise from Sweden and Lynnesse from South Africa became fast friends during their time as APIA au pairs in New Orleans.

Both had much fun living with their host families, getting to be friends with their host kids and learning about daily life in the United States.

Asked what they liked best about their experience, they agreed that matching with the right family made the experience “perfect”.

They enjoyed “having a lot of opportunities” in the city where “there’s always something to do”. And, of course, they loved Mardi Gras!

The only downside was having to say good bye to host families and friends after a year “that went too fast.”

Lynnesse Is Nominated for Au Pair of the Year 2016

nollynnesse-apyear2016Congratulations to Lynnesse for having been nominated by her host family for the Au Pair of the Year 2016 award!

Lynnesse is a second year au pair from South Africa. Her host parents say she felt like part of the family from the start and their three young children think of her as their wonderful big sister and love to spend time with her. In addition to providing excellent care for the kids, Lynnesse enriched the family’s life by sharing her South African culture and different perspective while herself learning about the life in the United States.

 

Au Pair of the Year is a yearly contest. For more information please visit

http://www.aupairinamerica.com/aupair_of_the_year/index.asp

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!

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

Happy Mardi Gras

As always and forever au pairs enjoyed celebrating Mardi Gras with their host families and friends. Many things delighted them – festive crowds, music, dancing, pageantry, King Cakes slathered in thick, gooey but oh so delicious icing … and the fun of making and parading in their very own carnival costumes!!

NOLNadineCarnival

Nadine from Germany put her inner costume designer in overdrive and came up not with just one but four different carnival outfits!!

 

Valentine’s Day in the USA!

NOLValentine'sValentine’s day is celebrated in the United States every year on February 14th. There are many stories and legends behind who the real St. Valentine was, but most scholars agree that he was a martyr who was killed by Roman soldiers because he was marrying people in secret at a time when marriage was outlawed.  Later in the Middle Ages, a great writer named Geoffrey Chaucer wrote a poem as a present to King Richard II, who was going to be married soon. In it, he mentioned St. Valentine, and over time, the idea of Valentine’s Day became associated with the idea of love.
During the Victorian times (in the 1800s), Valentine’s Day became extremely popular! Men and women spent a lot of time making beautiful Valentine’s cards with ribbon, fancy paper and even lace. In those days, people were very reserved and they did not often say what they were feeling. Valentine’s day gave them a way to express their feelings to someone they were in love with anonymously.  The sender would remain a mystery until they could speak more freely.
In the last few decades, Valentine’s day has changed a lot! Today we still exchange cards, but many people buy ready-made cards instead. We also give flowers or chocolates as a gift to remind people of our friendship and love for them. Most Valentine’s gifts and cards make use of the colors red and pink, and are decorated with images of hearts or roses. Another common symbol of love on this day is Cupid, the Roman god of love. He is usually shown as a little angel with a bow and arrow. According to legend, anyone who is struck by his arrows will fall in love.
Here are some links with ideas about how you can celebrate and have fun with your host children.
 
Click here for Valentine’s Day Cards, coloring pages, recipes, crafts, games and puzzles: http://www.dltk-holidays.com/valentines/
Check out our Au Pair in America Pinterest page for Valentine’s Day for more ideas: https://www.pinterest.com/aupairinamerica/valentines-day/

Volunteering Options in New Orleans

volunteer

Below is the partial list of volunteering options in New Orleans. There are quite a few more opportunities where you can show your volunteering spirit but this list should be sufficient to get you started.
Why volunteer? Because volunteering is a very important part of American culture that you’ll only appreciate if you give it a try. It also helps you “broaden your horizons”, both physically and mentally, and allows you to make friends that you’d never meet otherwise.

Volunteers of America Greater New Orleans

http://www.voagno.org/about-us

Hands on New Orleans

http://www.handsonneworleans.org/

Beacon of Hope Resource Center

www.beaconofhopenola.org

Camp Restore

www.camprestore.org

Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans

www.ccano.org

Common Ground Relief

www.commongroundrelief.org

Grow Dat Youth Farm

www.growdatyouthfarm.org

Habitat for Humanity

www.habitat-nola.org

Hike for KaTREEna

www.hikeforkatreena.org

Junior Achievement of Greater New Orleans

www.jagno.org

KidSmart

www.kidsmart.org

Projects with Purpose

www.projectswithpurpose.org

Rebuilding Together New Orleans

www.rtno.org

Second Harvest Food Bank

www.no-hunger.org

Jewish Community Center

www.nojcc.org

Youth Rebuilding New Orleans

yrno.com

New Orleans City Park Volunteer

http://neworleanscitypark.com/info/volunteer

Audubon Institute (Zoo, Aquarium, Insectarium)

http://www.auduboninstitute.org/volunteers

Uptown Shepherds Center

http://uptownshepherdcenter.wix.com/uptownshepherdcenter

Louisiana’s Children’s Museum

http://lcm.org/volunteer-internships

New Orleans Museum of Art

https://noma.org/support/volunteer/

Longue Vue House and Gardens

https://longuevue.com/give/volunteer/

Contemporary Arts Center

http://www.contemporaryartscenter.org/support-us/volunteer

Touro Hospital

http://www.touro.com/content/careers/volunteer.htm

Tulane Medical Center

http://tulanehealthcare.com/about/volunteer.dot

Children’s Hospital

http://www.chnola.org/Volunteer

East Jefferson General Hospital

http://ejgh1.tru-m.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=27&Itemid=71

New Orleans Public Library

Anyone interested in volunteering may contact Human Resources at 504 596-2607

Jazz Fest

http://www.jazzandheritage.org/get-involved

French Quarter Festivals

http://fqfi.org/pages/detail/118/Volunteers

Mahalia Jackson Theatre

http://mahaliajacksontheater.com/general-info/volunteer

Tulane Summer Lyric Theatre

http://summerlyric.tulane.edu/audition.cfm

Jefferson Performing Arts Society

http://www.jpas.org/support-us/volunteer-with-jpas/

SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)

http://www.la-spca.org/donate/volunteer/opportunities

Crescent City Classic (racing)

http://www.ccc10k.com/volunteers

Susan G. Komen New Orleans (cure for breast cancer)

http://komenneworleans.org/get-involved/volunteer/

Rock & Roll Marathon Series

http://www.runrocknroll.com/new-orleans/the-weekend/volunteer/

 

Holiday Tips for Au Pairs and Host Families

FLEXIBILITY

Holidays are a lot of fun but they also require much planning, communicating, visiting, and accommodating other family members’ schedules, all of which may cause quite a bit of stress for your host parents. Try to be as helpful and flexible as possible to help your host family have a truly enjoyable time.

 

Childcare

More childcare duties will be required when children are out of school. Have a plan for the time when they put aside their Xmas toys and look for other amusement. Check out APIA website http://www.aupairinamerica.com/resources/activities/index.asp to get ideas on how to keep your host kids happily occupied.

 

Driving

Traffic tends to be heavier around the holidays.  My best advice is to leave earlier than normal and take your time.  Be the “bigger person” and allow that one last car to slip in ahead of you.  It may avoid an accident.  Remember au pairs can be asked to pay up to $500 of the deductible for an accident.

 

Healthy eating

Is your house filled with treats, and goodies that are tempting you? It is the season, and you are here for a cultural exchange, so try some of the traditional sweets your host family is offering, but it is a good idea to downsize your portions – how much you eat is as important as what you eat.

 

 

Tips for Host Families

 

Scheduling

Letting your au pair know her schedule in advance is important at any time but especially during holidays. For most au pairs these will be the only Xmas & New Year holidays in the States. Host families are asked to make an effort to follow the spirit of APIA program, which is cultural exchange, and both include AP in their celebrations and also give AP some time to experience and enjoy them with her friends.

 

Childcare

Please let your au pair know exactly what your expectations are regarding childcare. Is she supposed to let the kids be so they can enjoy unstructured time with visiting family members? Or is she supposed to keep them occupied so you can enjoy a quiet conversation with your brother and sister-in-law? Will grandparents take an active role in caring for the kids or should au pair get them ready for bedtime and read them a good night story?

 

Safety

If there is an alarm system for the house, be sure that the au pair is listed with the alarm company as a legitimate user of the alarm. Also, the au pair must know the appropriate security code in case of a false alarm.

 

TLC

If holidays can be stressful for host families, they can be doubly so for au pairs. Please keep in mind that your au pair is in a foreign country, away from her family, friends, and familiar circumstances at the time when we all celebrate family and togetherness! Please make sure to give your au pair some Tender Loving Care that you’d like your daughter to receive were she to be an au pair far away from home.