Tag Archives: au pair

Making Thanksgiving Memories Together

Thanksgiving is a public holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November every year in the United States. It started as a harvest festival and has been celebrated nationally on and off since 1789.  The most important part of Thanksgiving for American families is to spend family time together.

Martin Cathrae

 “My favorite holiday was Thanksgiving. Firstly, it was my first holiday with the whole family in America. Secondly, the whole family came together. All aunts and uncles and their kids came to grandma’s. We played football with all of them, including grandma and grandpa. It was the first time I played it and it was so much fun for all. We had a great dinner with all the typical things you can imagine … it was deeeelicious! It was so great to be with such a big family and I really enjoyed that day. I will remember it my whole life, I hope.” – Swantje from Germany

Here are a few tips to help you have a terrific Thanksgiving experience.

Host Parents
Please plan to include your au pair in your Thanksgiving celebration, if at all possible. If you are traveling or will not be able to invite your au pair to join you for Thanksgiving, give her plenty of notice and help her make alternate plans. You don’t want to leave your au pair alone over the holiday.

Au Pairs
If you are invited to attend dinner, please let your family know within 5 days of the invitation, whether you are planning to attend, so they may make plans. If your host family is unable to include you in their Thanksgiving plans, please let me know if you have trouble making other plans, so I can assist.

Make sure to discuss time off during this holiday weekend. Many host families work the Friday after Thanksgiving so do not assume you have this day off or the entire weekend. Talk to your host family, BEFORE you make any plans.

Bonus Tip for the Kids
If you are looking for a fun recipe to make with your au pair, check out these turkey cookies. Find more fun activities and recipes on the Au Pair in America Fall Holidays pinboard.

 

Ascending our Active Volcano – September 2019

90+ APIA au pairs and community counselors left Seattle in the early morning to head up past the clouds of Mt Rainier at Paradise.  A bit of getting-to-know each other speed dating on the bus and we were off to another beautiful Fall season as a community of interculturalists, ready to support one another on this cross-cultural journey.  We didn’t have the clearest skies, but we also dodged the rain that was in the forecast.   While the beauty of the mountaintop alluded us this time, we still enjoyed the fresh air, wild flowers, wild critters (chipmunks and marmots) and beasts.  Some even caught a glimpse of a bear!!

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.

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.