Category Archives: Blog

10 Safety Tips for Au Pairs – Staying Safe Out and About

Living in Kitsap County, we can often get the sense that we are completely safe and may let our guards down.  These tips are not intended to scare you, but to make you aware of some simple things you can do to prevent being the victim of a crime.

  • Don’t read or get distracted by your cell phone while walking or standing on the street.
  • Don’t wear earbuds or headphones, while walking or jogging.
  • When you get into an Uber or Lyft, make sure the vehicle matches the description and the driver is who the app shows.
  • When riding on any public transport, try to wait in well lit areas where there are other people and try to get into a train car with other people, rather than being alone.
  • Be very careful using outside ATMs at night or in unfamiliar surroundings.
  • When walking, face the oncoming traffic. It will be harder for someone to pull you into a car and abduct you. You can also see cars coming in your lane.
  • Tell someone where you’ll be and what time you’re supposed to return, or if you will be with someone you don’t know well.
  • If you are meeting someone new for the first time, meet in a public place.
  • Don’t overload yourself with packages. If you must have your hands full, visualize how you would respond if approached, how you would get your hands free, etc.
  • Don’t wear earbuds or headphones, while walking or jogging.
  • Pay attention to what is going on around you and be aware of people near you.

Photo: Antonio Touriño

APIA Red Cross Scholarship Program

Did you know that APIA au pairs with at least 6 months left on their contracts are eligible to receive a scholarship from APIA for an American Red Cross First Aid class?  They can either have APIA enroll them directly into a class or sign up for a class and get reimbursed by APIA.  Read on to find out more! 

Classes in First Aid and CPR are available all over the country through the American Red Cross. Au pair in America will pay for the cost of a class provided an au pair has at least six months left on her visa and she takes the Adult and Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED class.

STEP 1 ~ COURSE SELECTION 

  • For APIA to enroll a participant, the selected class must be given by the American Red Cross, and not an affiliate/partner. For instance, when choosing classes, the provider must be American Red Cross.
  • All au pairs should have 2 class choices. This will help in the event that a first choice is no longer available.
  • See Red Cross link for course locations and options.  

STEP 2 ~ SIGN UP

  • Once an au pair has decided on her class choice, she will need to fill out the Red Cross Sign Up Community Course Registration
  • This will prompt her to fill out all the necessary information needed to enroll.
  •  This document must be emailed back to Courtney Simpson at csimpson@aifs.com. She will need 4 business days to process and enroll the au pair in her selected course.
  • If an au pair wants to take a class not provided by American Red Cross, that is OK. However, APIA cannot sign her up for the course. Instead, she will have to sign up, and we will reimburse her once we have received a receipt for the class.
  • APIA will reimburse for the Adult and Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED classes only.
  • Au pairs hoping to use the Red Cross scholarship will need to have 6 months remaining on their contract. This is to ensure that both the host family and au pair are benefitting from the scholarship.

Contact Courtney Simpson at csimpson@aifs.com if you have any questions!

Photo: Global X (Flickr)

MEgga Hunt – Fun for Kids of All Ages!

The weather certainly cooperated this year for the annual Bainbridge Island MEgga Hunt at Battle Point Park! Three of our awesome au pairs, Michelle, Jade and Raissa, volunteered their time to help  children make egg maracas, spin for loads of fun prizes and play egg-cellent games.  Hundreds of kids were on hand for the event which went beyond the ordinary with live entertainment, crafts, games, balloon clowns, face painting and of course egg hunts! Over 7,000 eggs and 80 prize eggs!  APIA was a sponsor of this much loved event.

Create a Spring Break Game Plan

“Game plan” means a strategy for how you are going to accomplish something.  In the case of keeping kids from getting bored and/or into trouble, the best way to prevent it is to keep them busy with safe, fun activities.

When there are days home from school, letting kids sit around watching TV or play video games is not the best use of their time.  Providing fun alternatives will make it much easier to pull them away from the screen.

You need to make a plan of what you will do with them each day and prepare for that. Planning is very important.  You don’t want to tell them you are going some place fun, only to arrive there and see they are not open that day or you needed to bring something and you don’t have it.

If your plan includes a craft or cooking project, make sure you have:

  • all the ingredients/supplies
  • recipe/directions

If your plan includes an outing to someplace fun, figure out:

  • How will you get there?
  • When you should leave?
  • How much it will cost?
  • What will you do for lunch?

Use some of these online resources to find activities and recipes:

Have a wonderful Spring Break!

Photos: vmiramontes (Flickr) & tasty.co

What to Keep in the Car Glove Compartment

If you are like me, you probably have napkins and straws and other assorted items in your car’s glove compartment.  It can be a nifty storage place, but it’s main purpose is to keep some important documents related to the car. 

glove box

It is very important that you keep all of the necessary documents in the glove compartment. These items will be necessary if you are stopped by a police officer or have an auto accident. Not having these items can result in your receiving a ticket (citation) from a police officer.

Essential Documents

*Some host parents may tell you to carry these in your wallet instead of keeping them in the car. Follow their instructions.

Helpful Extras

  • Flashlight
  • Tire Pressure Gauge
  • Vehicle Owner’s Manual
  • Map or GPS
  • Tissues and Hand Sanitizer
  • First Aid Kit

In Your Wallet
Carry your Washington license or country driver’s license and international driver’s permit with you at all times, especially when you are driving. You should leave your passport and Social Security Card and other documents at home, to reduce the risk of losing them.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

St. Patrick’s Day is observed on March 17, because that is the feast day of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.  It has become a holiday all around the world, where everyone can share in the fun and be Irish for the day.

Fun Ideas with the Kids

St. Patrick’s Day Recipes

Fun Facts

  • The color green is also commonly associated with Ireland, also known as “the Emerald Isle.”
  • One estimate suggests that there are about 10 000 regular three-leaf clovers for every lucky four-leaf clover.
  • Legend says that each leaf of the clover means something: the first is for hope, the second for faith, the third for love and the fourth for luck.