Juneteenth celebrates June 19th, 1865 ~ a day to commemorate the ending of slavery in the United States. As a federal holiday, Juneteenth is not only an important date of emancipation and freedom, but also of progress. 

Juneteenth was passed as a federal law in 2021.  In 1865 when Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston he issued the Order Number 3, which stated the freedom of all slaves by the issue of Emancipation Proclamation, by Abe Lincoln on January 1st, 1863. The people of Galveston did not know they were free and found out after the order was issued by Gordon Granger on June 19th, 1865, two years after the original date of proclamation hence June 19th or “Juneteenth” became the official day. The law was ratified after all the states agreed to free all forms of slavery within the Union of America which was completed on June 19th, 1865.

“Juneteenth has never been a celebration of victory or an acceptance of the way things are. It’s a celebration of progress. It’s an affirmation that despite the most painful parts of our history, change is possible.”

Barack Obama

Father’s Day is coming up on Sunday, June 15th. If you are looking for gifts you can help your host children make, check out the Au Pair in America pinboard.

Father’s Day Ideas

Now that school is out (or almost out), please sit down with your au pair and discuss what her hours will be for the Summer.  The best thing about hosting an au pair is the flexibility of the schedule.  Try to give your au pair as much time as possible when the schedule will be changing to avoid any conflicts with school or vacations, keeping in mind the government requirement that the au pair work NO MORE THAN 10 hours in one day and 45 hours per week.  A work week for the au pair is 7 days and during those 7 days, she must have one FULL day off and one day where she does not work more than 5 hours, with no split schedule on the 5 hour day.

Each month, your au pair must have a weekend off.  This means a Friday when she would normally get off work until Monday morning when she would normally go back to work, she must be off.  This is essential to the happiness of the girls and gives them the ability to go away with friends for the weekend, or take a weekend class if their work week does not allow time to take a class.

The au pairs are not permitted to work hours over and above the 45 hours each week, even for extra pay.  We don’t want the girls to “burn out”.  It’s not safe, and the safety of our children is the most important.  If you find you are at or above 45 hours each week, perhaps a part time day camp or a baby sitter for the extra hours is needed.  Your au pair should only be caring for your children.

Taking a class while the au pairs are here is a program requirement.  It’s not an option.  The au pairs come on a J-1 visa that requires the au pairs to achieve 6 credits or it’s equivalent (72 class hours) during their year here.  This requirement must be completed to meet the terms of the visa.  Please work with your au pair and the schedule to ensure she has time to attend class.  Make sure you are not waiting until the last few months to cram in classes.  That never works.   While there are very few summer classes, the fall schedule is online and I suggest registering for a class as soon as possible in the event it is canceled and you have to make another choice.  A list of schools the au pairs may attend is on our cluster blog.

One final note, if you are going to be traveling away from Northern Virginia with your au pair for more than 4 days, please let me know.  Especially if you will be leaving the country, ie, Mexico, Caribbean, cruise, etc.   There are forms that must be filled out so there are no issues with the au pair reentering the country.

I hope you have a safe and fun summer!

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

• Avoid long periods of sun exposure especially between 10.00am and 4.00pm
• 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.

• 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.

As well as the host parents numbers, au pairs should have the phone number of the community counselor and the Au Pair in America 800 number saved to their phones.  This way if they need assistance they can quickly and easily dial the number.  Remind you au pairs to call immediately if there is any issue with a child in their care.  Host families should make sure that au pairs know what to do if there is an emergency situation while they are in charge of the children,  this is a good time of year to review any family rules that apply to summer activities especially by the pool and while at the beach.

Enjoy the summer and be safe!