Category Archives: Host Family Tips

Halloween Safety Tips

 

Halloween can be a lot of fun but it is also a time when safety should come first. Here are some tips for next week:

  • Adult supervision is essential. Always accompany the children if they are going door to door to trick or treat
  • Try trick-or-treat-friendly homes. Ensure the children only visit houses with lights on. And, you might also suggest the houses they visit have some sort of Halloween decoration on the porch.
  • Stay outside. Make sure the children don’t go inside someone’s house. They can trick or treat on the porch.
  • Remain visible. Dress the children in bright costumes or have them wear reflective strips or carry a glow stick or flashlight.
  • Quality-check treats. Check the candy before they eat it. Throw out any candy that is not in its original wrapper or looks like it has been tampered with.
  • Say “no” to strangers. Remind the children to never accept a ride or go anywhere with a stranger.

Why Choose an Au Pair?

 

Flexible and Dependable Care: 
No two weeks are the same with most households. Hosting an au pair provides the flexibility and convenience you need to simplify your life. With an au pair, you will be able to create your own child care schedule of up to 10 hours per day and up to 45 hours per week. By having your child care provider living in your home, dealing with sick days, snow days and life’s little surprises has never been easier.

A Cost-Effective Solution:
You will receive 45 hours of child care for just $361 per week, regardless of how many children you have. If you have full-time school-age children we offer a 30 hour per week Educare® for just $290 per week.

When you compare the cost to other child care solutions, including a nanny or day care, you will find an au pair can be a surprisingly cost-effective solution. Choosing our Extended Payment Plan, spreading out payments several month makes it even more affordable.

Full Service:
With exceptional child care, you should expect exceptional service. You will receive comprehensive program support including assistance with selecting your au pair, coordinating logistics, providing orientation for your family and au pair, year-round local support, medical insurance for your au pair and 24/7 emergency assistance. With a quarter century of experience, we are able to accommodate and anticipate the needs of host families. Our local, professional Community Counselors reside in your area and provide daily, ongoing, local support to you and your au pair to ensure a happy and successful experience. 

Expert Matching: 
At Au Pair in America, we offer Expert Match, a flexible and effective approach to finding the caregiver that is a perfect fit for your family. You may search for your au pair with our user-friendly online search tool, our mobile app or work with our professional placement team to find the perfect au pair for your family. Should you require additional assistance, we are ready and willing to accommodate.

Large Pool of Au Pairs: 
With Au Pair in America, you will have access to the largest pool of au pairs in the world. Applicants come from more than 60 countries on five continents and our multi-tiered screening ensures that only the most exceptional and qualified au pairs are accepted. View our au pairs available now. 

An Enriching Experience: 
With Au Pair in America, your family is getting more than just great child care. Your children will receive a global education during their most formative years, learning about the world and your au pair’s culture and customs. In addition, many parents want their children to be bilingual. The constant exposure and reinforcement provided by an au pair are the best ways to immerse children in a new language. 

Orientation and Expert Training:
Your au pair will have recent and practical child care experience, the details of which you will be able to review in their application. In addition, all of our au pairs complete a pre-departure online training segment and attend a comprehensive four-day orientation program that features: child development training, child safety training and adaptation training.

During orientation, all of our au pairs receive exclusive Red Cross® training composed of seminars and hands-on demonstration and with training exercises for infant/child CPR and safety, plus sanitization and illness prevention.

Au Pair in America has also partnered with AAA, the nation’s most trusted name in driver safety and instruction, to offer a custom classroom course specifically designed for au pairs. Exclusively for our au pairs, the AAA driving course is one of a kind, tailored to the needs of the international driver and specific to the safety needs of driving children in a car.

Program options to fit your family:
Whether your children are infants or school aged, Au Pair in America has the solution for your family. Choose from Au Pair, Extraordinaire, or EduCare to satisfy your child care needs.

Organizational Strength; 
Au Pair in America is a division of the American Institute For Foreign Study (AIFS), which has provided educational and cultural exchange programs for more than 50 years. Our resources enable reliable visa processing, comprehensive insurance for au pairs and discounts for host families interested in any of AIFS’s renowned programs.

 

 

Pumpkin Carving Instructions

Pumpkin Carving Contest!!

Au Pairs/Host Families: Submit your pumpkin photos (of yourself, your helpers, the actual carving & final product) by November 2nd for a chance to win some special prizes!!

 

1. Cut a Hole in the Pumpkin

The first step is hollowing out the pumpkin. Use a keyhole saw to cut the hole. If you’ll be using a candle for illumination, you can cut the hole in the pumpkin’s top (always put the candle in a high-sided glass, and never leave unattended). For electric lights, make the hole in the bottom or side so you can hide the cord.

 

2. Scoop out the Flesh

Scoop Out the Flesh

Scoop out flesh, pulp, and seeds with a plaster scraper or fleshing tool.

 

3. Transfer Your Design

Transfer Your Design

Now it’s time to transfer your selected designs (use a pumpkin template or draw your own). Affix it to the pumpkin, and trace the design by poking holes with a needle tool or T-pin.

 

4. Carve the Features

Carve the Features

Remove the template and carve along the pattern with a miniature saw or linoleum carving tool.
You can also get creative with patterns and designs using pumpkin-carving tools.
If desired, place candles, small flashlights, or battery-operated light sources inside your pumpkin.

Tip: Prevent exposed areas of the pumpkin’s flesh from turning brown by applying a film of Vaseline.

 

5. How to Light a Pumpkin

To illuminate a carved pumpkin, use battery-operated lights, candles, or string lights. If using a candle, place it in a glass or votive holder, and cut a hole in the top/back of the pumpkin for ventilation.

 

 

 

Simple Ways to Shake Up Snack Time!!

Whether it is your week for share-a-snack at school, or you are looking to tide over tiny tummies until dinner—snack attacks can leave you starved for ideas. If your crew craves something more creative than a bag of goldfish, satisfy small stomachs with a playful presentation. Here are eight simple solutions that take snacks from drab to fab—and might even introduce some new flavors to the mix.

Stick It To ‘Em

To view recipes, please visit:

http://redtri.com/eat-up-simple-ways-to-shake-up-snack-time/?utm_source=LB&utm_medium=morestoriesmissed&utm_campaign=inboundMorestoriesmissed

Academic Year in America

Dear Prospective Host Families,

I would like to call your attention to a special offer from our sister program, Academic Year in America (AYA), operated by the AIFS Foundation. The AYA program is seeking host families to welcome a student into their home this month!!

* Host families can host for a short welcome period of 4-6 weeks, a semester for the full academic year
* Host families can be from anywhere in the U.S.
* Students are ages 15-18
* Students available are from Germany, China, Brazil, South Korea and Thailand
* Host families provide a bed, meals, a place to study and welcome the student as a son or daughter
* Students will attend local high school
* Students come with full medical insurance and their own spending money
* Local Support is provided by an AYA Local Coordinator for the family and student throughout the year plus support from the AYA National Office 24/7

Please take a few minutes to think of all the people you know and pass along a name or two to AYA! Please send me a message for more information!!

You can make a difference for a young student this fall!! 

Thank you!

Going Unplugged During Work Hours

Au Pairs – Imagine for a moment that you went to the hospital and you were in the care of doctors and nurses.  How would you feel if those doctors and nurses who were there to care for you were more interested in texting or using their personal computer than caring for you?  How would that make you feel, about yourself and about them?  Would you think that you were getting the treatment you deserved?  Would you feel like paying the bill after your stay?

Life as an au pair, it is a fine balance between employee and family member. You live with your host family and participate with them as a member of the family, but you also have clear responsibilities as a childcare provider. Being a childcare provider is truly one of the most important jobs I can think of, because you are helping to shape our next generation.  What message are you sending them when you would rather interact with a computer than with them? How will they feel about themselves and about you? Children feel as though everything is about them. They will see this as a rejection of them and they will be more likely to act out.

It also poses a safety concern when you are not paying enough attention to the children in your care.  Accidents happen, but when an adult care giver is close by and appropriately supervising the chances of a major injury dramatically reduce.


During work hours, the following would not be considered acceptable:
-Texting
-Talking to friends on the phone
-Chatting with friends online
-Using Skype or Facetime
-IMing
-Emailing
-Updating your status on Facebook
-Using Orkut, Google+, Studivz, SiempreGente or any other social media site
-Watching videos on YouTube (even my really fabulous ones)
-Tweeting on your Twitter
-Uploading photos on Instragram or Vine
-Anything else on the computer, unless it is going to Nickjr.com together with your host children


Think about this — even if you work 45 hours a week, that leaves you 123 hours per week for all of that other stuff, or about 70 hours (if you are getting the recommended 7-8 hours of sleep per night.)

Host Parents – You need to be clear about what you consider acceptable during work hours to avoid misunderstandings.  Also, please understand that you are dealing with a new generation of people who are very accustomed to being plugged in at all times.  Their intention is not to be rude, they don’t necessarily realize how their actions will be perceived.  Please use this information as an opportunity to begin a dialogue on the issue.

Craving something sweet??

Carrot cake (or cupcakes)…… Need I say more???

Cake:

3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup quick-cooking oats
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 (2 1/2 ounce) jar carrot baby food
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups finely grated carrot (about 4 ounces)
1/2 cup chopped pineapple
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Frosting:

1/3 cup (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 Tsp butter, softened
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup flaked sweetened coconut, toasted in oven


1. Preheat oven to 325 F
2. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through salt) in a food processor, until well blended. Place flour mixture in a large bowl. Combine sugar, canola oil, baby food, and eggs; stir with a whisk. Add to flour mixture; stir just until moist. Stir in grated carrot and pineapple. Spoon batter into an 8-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray.
3. Bake at 325 F for 40 minutes (or 14-17 minutes if you’re making cupcakes). Cool in pan on a wire rack, then transfer to the fridge (this keeps them moist).
4. To prepare frosting, combine cheese and butter in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at high speed until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla, beating at low speed until smooth. Spread over cake, sprinkle with coconut.

Summer Safety

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-huZ8k4FZcS0/T7vRdgP7EXI/AAAAAAAAAes/94F7-hIFbLA/s1600/SummerSafe.gif

During the summer months we need to take some added precautions
to keep children safe in the sun and by the water.

  • Avoid long periods of sun exposure especially between
    10.00 a.m. and 4.00 p.m.
  • 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 critical levels.
  • Never leave children or animals in a car unattended.

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  • Actively supervise children in and around the water,
  • Giving them your undivided attention. Appoint a
    designated “water watcher,” taking turns with other adults.
    Be very clear who is in charge.
  • When in the water there should be an adult at arms
    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 the water.
  • Swim in designated areas supervised by lifeguards.
  • Always swim with a buddy; do not allow anyone to swim
    alone. Even at a public pool or a life-guarded beach, use
    the buddy system!
  • If you go boating, wear a life jacket! Most boating fatalities
    occur from drowning.
  • Avoid alcohol use. Alcohol impairs judgment, balance and
    coordination; affects swimming and diving skills; and
    reduces the body’s ability to stay warm.

Enjoy the summer and be safe!

Disaster and Safety Library

Great website! Please go over the various topics with your host families/au pairs!!

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Tools and Resources
The American Red Cross has created this Disaster and Safety Library to assist you in preparing your home, school and workplace in the event of a disaster or emergency. Here you will find fact sheets, preparedness checklists, recovery guides and other helpful information to keep you informed and safe.