The place to find out about Au Pair in America's VAO cluster in Old Town Alexandria, VA
Au Pair in America is the nation's first legal au pair program. Since 1986, we have provided the best child care opportunities to host families across the U.S. and au pairs from around the world.
Almost everyone experiences culture shock when they come to a completely new environment. Everything is different: the language, the food, and the people. When everything feels so unfamiliar, it is natural to long for the security of home. However, you don’t want to let that feeling of longing for home, make you too sad or Read More
Back to school time is here. This can mean changes to the au pair schedule and possibly to the duties. It is very important to communicate these changes to avoid problems. Here is a list of topics to consider discussing: Au pair’s work schedule The children’s school and activity schedules Where the children get dropped Read More
The National Cherry Blossom Festival is an annual event which celebrates springtime in Washington, DC as well as the 1912 gift of the cherry blossom trees and the enduring friendship between the people of the United States and Japan. This year’s festival will be MARCH 20-APRIL 14! The predicted peak blooming period of the cherry Read More
Just because a child is old enough to occupy themselves, doesn’t mean that they should be expected to do so the majority of the time. Host families have a certain expectation of activity and involvement for their children. Get the kids engaged and active. You can be more fun than the TV or a video Read More
We live in a time of constant sharing through social media. We often share pictures, plans of somewhere we are going or rants about problems, without thinking much about who will see it and what could be the consequences. Before clicking “post”, stop to think: Am I violating someone’s privacy? Am I sharing personal info. that could Read More
Play dough is the perfect modeling material for children. Their small hands can pat, poke, pinch, roll and knead it into many shapes. Keep it in an airtight container to use another day, or let it air dry into favorite shapes. Measure 2 cups of flour, one cup of salt and 4 teaspoons of cream Read More
The Folklife Festival will take place June 27-July 1 and July 4-8. The annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival is an international exhibition of living cultural heritage. Attracting more than one million visitors yearly, the two-week long celebration is the largest annual cultural event in the United States. The Festival is held outdoors on the National Mall Read More
Remember to bring along drinks, especially water. Try to get children to drink water every 20 minutes, when they are outside in hot weather. Pay attention to surfaces that can be hot against children’s skin, such as metal slides and other playground equipment in the sun. Safety around water is particularly important. A child can Read More
What is Daylight Saving Time? During Daylight Saving Time, clocks are turned forward one hour, effectively moving an hour of daylight from the morning to the evening. Today, approximately 70 countries worldwide utilize Daylight Saving Time, in at least some portion of the country. The U.S. started observing it in 1918, so it celebrates it’s Read More
It is good to offer kids a balance of independent play time and play where you are actively engaging with them. You can make toys they may be bored with, feel new and exciting, by suggesting different ways to play with them. Try some of the ideas below as a starting point. Play Food/Dishes Teach Read More
