Tag Archives: live in childcare new orleans

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

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/

Kids Learn about Poland from Au Pair Marta

Most au pairs come to the States because they’re fascinated by American culture and want to experience it first-hand by living and interacting with their American host parents and kids. That was the reason why Marta, a Polish au pair, matched with her host family in Metairie. Once Marta found out that her hosts were interested in learning about her country too, she was excited to share her culture with them, their kids, kids’ friends, kids’ grandparents and whoever liked to listen about Polish pierogi and the beauty of Warsaw.

On Monday, she found an even bigger audience at St. Catherine of Sienna Catholic School where her talk was attended by close to a hundred curious students who asked very clever and pertinent questions.

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In Marta’s words:

My Global Awareness presentation took place at my host child school, I was talking about my country- Poland, kids were very interested and asked many question about the weather and food. I showed them Polish money and gave some Polish candies. It was so much fun, especially with 5 PreK groups (about 100 students). It was a great experience!

Scavenger Hunt in the French Market

On a beautiful Sunday afternoon au pairs enjoyed a mini scavenger hunt in the French Market in preparation for the games they’ll play with their host kids during summer months. They had no trouble finding the items on the list, including good-luck pennies and free samples of New Orleans famous pralines!NOLGazeboCafe

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Rosy Shares Her Mexican Culture With Children

Rosy, au pair from Mexico, shared her culture with her host children and their friends. Children worked hard at their tasks and everybody had a lot of fun!

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In her own words:

well this experience it was awesome because I remained when i was a teacher in mexico there were just 6 kids it was a little group but it was great because everybody was paying attention I showed to the kids the national anthem and the song for the birthdays with mariachi and also I told where is mexico and what kind of food is from my country. I would like to do it again I just love to being a teacher in preschool 🙂 rosy



Host Family Day

Please join us for a fun, educational, and inspirational meeting!!

Host Family Day
Audubon Park
St. Charles Ave, New Orleans, La 70118
Playground to the left of main entrance
April 14, 2013
10m – 12pm
For the kids:
  • egg and spoon race
  • face painting
  • tied-leg race  (AP with her host child)
  • origami planes

For the parents:

  • fellowship of other host families
  • opportunity to network and exchange childcare tips

For everybody:

  • the pleasure of meeting other members of our APIA “cluster”
  • delicious food prepared by au pairs
  • cultural exchange: discussion about American food vs. ethnic food, HF and AP perspective
Looking forward to seeing everybody!!

Au Pair of the Year Award

Each March, the International Au Pair Association presents the Au Pair of the Year Award to the winner selected from among hundreds of au pairs nominated by their host families.

This year the winner is Femke Meyer, 19, from Germany who was presented the award at the IAPA Annual Conference in Rome, Italy on March 13, 2013.

The award recognizes young women for their outstanding childcare, commitment to the au pair program spirit, and their accomplishments in international cultural exchange.

It also celebrates the spunk, intellectual curiosity, and willingness to work hard that young women show when they sign up as au pairs for a yearlong match with a host family in a foreign country.

Two au pairs in our cluster were nominated  for Au Pair of the Year this year!!

The host families of Svenja Denker and Blanca Orellana Reyes were so delighted with their performance that they went to the trouble of writing nominating essays explaining what

WONDERFUL, SMART, HARD WORKING, ENGAGING, FRIENDLY, DEPENDABLE… and altogether “BEST EVER” au pair each of them had been, and how much the families and au pairs enjoyed learning about  each others’ cultures and customs.

Congratulations to Blanca and Svenja for providing excellent childcare and being great cultural ambassadors for Costa Rica and Germany!

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