Recent Posts:

• Cultural Care Au Pair

  Saturday, 13 March 2010, 10:17 pm by lcieslak

  

  Today’s busy parents face many concerns. Among those challenges is the search for safe and dependable childcare that is both flexible and affordable. For many parents the solution is hosting a Cultural Care au pair.

  Cultural Care Au Pair’s childcare and cultural exchange program offers families flexible, live-in childcare with a unique international perspective. Your au pair lives with you as a member of your family and your children benefit from a one-to-one relationship with a committed and caring live-in companion. All Cultural Care au pairs are between the ages of 18 and 26, proficient in conversational English and have documented childcare experience.

  Cultural Care Au Pair

  • Has over 20 years of experience in intercultural childcare
  • Has successfully placed over 75,000 au pairs into welcoming American homes
  • Has a dedicated worldwide staff on-call 24 hours a day
  • Provides local support for both au pairs and host families
  • Is U.S. government designated and regulated

• Upcoming AuPair Meeting–Kickboxing & Self Defense

  Saturday, 13 March 2010, 6:55 pm by dbalchunas

  Hi Everyone,

  This is an alternate meeting for March if you can not attend the bowling outing.  This will be a kickboxing self defense class at the American Marital Arts Studio in Whippany.  Please plan to be there at 6:45pm as the class will begin at 7:00pm.

   
  Sunday, March 21st:

  American Martial Arts

  Whippany, NJ 07981

  http://www.amakarate.com

  Wonderful instructor who will teach us some self defense techniques and kickboxing . You will feel confident defending yourself anywhere you go. Special prices will be offered to those wishing to join the gym for kick boxing or any other class.

  The charge for this meeting is $10 per person. You are welcome to bring friends who are interested and participation is absolutely required. Please wear comfortable workout clothing and sneakers. Please pay attention to the instructor sand be respectful. Questions are welcomed, so don’t be shy. Safety meetings are mandatory and are a State Department requirement, so please plan accordingly.

  You can get onto Route 10 by the mall, but it will take you longer, the faster way is as follows:

  Directions: Make your way to Morris Avenue via Millburn Avenue West:

   Turn RIGHT on MORRIS AVE/NJ-124/CR-527. Continue to follow NJ-124 W. 0.5 mi
   Merge onto NJ-24 W via the ramp on the LEFT. 8.8 mi
   Merge onto I-287 N toward I-80/MAHWAH. 1.4 mi
   Take the RT-10 E exit, EXIT 39, toward WHIPPANY. 0.4 mi
   Merge onto NJ-10. 0.5 mi

  Let me know if you are planning on attending and if you need a ride.

• Upcoming Weekend courses near Baltimore

  Saturday, 13 March 2010, 5:34 pm by csteinbrecher

   
  April 10-11, 2010 Understanding American Culture and Caring for Special Needs Children
  Only 20 slots available

  Does your au pair take your kids to the pool, beach or lake?
  Enroll  them  in our 1/2 credit Water Safety Course  on  May 1, 2010
  The course is designed to teach  care givers water safety, drowning prevention and  self help techniques in an aquatic environment.  Hands on training will be provided.
  Date: Saturday, May 1, 2010                                                   
  Time: 2-5pm
  Cost: $60
  Credit:    0.5 (1/2 credit)
  Location: Maritime Institute Indoor Pool
  Bathing suit required
  You do not have to know how to swim to participate.

   
  Infant and Child CPR and First Aid for Care Givers
  This American Red Cross course is designed to certify a care giver in infant and child CPR and also certify them in first aid techniques. 
  Date: Saturday June 5, 2010      
  Time : 10am-5pm
  Cost : $98
  Credit: 1 credit
  Location: Conference Center at the Maritime Institute

   
  TOEFL Review Course
  This course is designed for persons where English is a Foreign Language.  The TOEFL test is not included in the weekend.
  Whether you are  planning  on taking the TOEFL test or not ,  this course will help reinforce skills in reading comprehension, writing, listening and speaking English.
  Date: Friday, August 6, 2010- Sunday, August 8, 2010
  Time: 7pm Friday, August 6, 2010
  Cost: $392, After July 9, 2010 $417
  Credit: 36 classroom hours with paper
               3 CEU no paper
  Location: Conference Center at the Maritime Institute
    
   
   
  Summer Weekend Course Registration
  May 1-2, 2010 Child Development and American Government
  June 5-6, 2010 Experiencing America
  July 10-11, 2010 American Culture and Personal Development
  August 7-8, 2010 American Language, Culture and Tourism

  if the au pair attends a weekend course the hotel room in the conference center is included in the course fee.   If an au pair would like to attend the one day or half day  course and want to spend the night they are more than welcome.  The reduced rooms rate is $90 single occupancy which can be split among a maximum of 3 au pairs. If the au pair doesn’t drive or the family doesn’t want them to drive to MD the hotel van picks up from several local public transportation locations.  The conference center is 7 minutes from BWI Airport and the BWI Amtrak Station.  Au Pairs from PA can take the train or Super Shuttle.  The Super Shuttle drops off at BWI Airport.  We don’t recommend the bus because the stop in Baltimore is too far from the conference center and requires at least two other modes of transportation to get to the final destination.
   
   Onsite Rereation: Health club; 50-ft. indoor pool, racquetball court, game room, jogging-running trails.

                                                                         
   
  Any questions please email or call
  Angela Garnett
  Program Coordinator
  301-213-2404
  www.aupairweekend@gmail.com
  www.aupairweekend.org

• Next Au Pair Meeting Wednesday, April 21,2010. We will meet at my house and Kings Restaurant for dessert.

  Saturday, 13 March 2010, 4:02 pm by mwells

• In need of an Au Pair?

  Saturday, 13 March 2010, 3:38 pm by pazuma

  Finding the perfect au pair made easy Cultural Care Au Pair offers 3 Ways to Match Cultural Care Au Pair host families now have the ability to review even more applications and au pair profiles with our new 3 Ways to Match, a program feature that let’s host families select the style of matching that best suits their needs. Host families can now search through multiple candidates on their own timeframe, set an appointment for a consultative matching session or work one-on-one with a placement manager who carefully selects possible matches. Best of all, our 3 Ways to Match allows you to enjoy the benefits of all three matching styles to help you find the right au pair for your family. To get started Whether you’re a new family to Cultural Care Au Pair or have already hosted an au pair, our 3 Ways to Match makes it easy for you to begin reviewing au pair candidates right away. Simply fill out your new or repeat application. Once it’s processed, you can log into your account and begin matching. Here’s how it works:Personalized, exclusive matching Enjoy the benefits of our trademark one-on-one matching. Your placement manager will select carefully screened applications for you to review based on your family’s unique needs. Each au pair is exclusively reserved for your family’s review, which means no two families are contacting the same reserved au pair candidate at the same time.Consultative matching Review our pool of au pair candidates in real time by setting up a consultative matching appointment by phone with your placement manager. This highly effective method allows you to carve out time with your placement manager to review available candidates who are not being reviewed by other families. At the end of the appointment, you have the opportunity to have up to three candidates maximum reserved for your family exclusively.Search & Select An enhancement to our current profile review system, this new feature offers families the ability to build a list of au pair profiles available for review. Families can narrow the search field and request, for example, a driver, a second year au pair or someone available now. If you find a candidate of interest to you, you may add the au pair to your list and notify your placement manager of your interest by clicking the Notify Placement Manager button. Your placement manager will review your suggested matches and place up to three of those matches into your host family account for further review of their full application. For more information about our 3 Ways to Match, call your local childcare coordinate, Pam Azuma at 781-834-2666 or visit our website.

• NOTE MEETING TIME CHANGE FOR SALSA PARTY!

  Saturday, 13 March 2010, 3:31 pm by ejacobs

  The time for the Salsa Party on Sunday, March 14th is from 4-6. Please come with guests. There will be a drawing for a prize for those who bring guests from other agencies. Complete information and directions on this website under “MEETINGS.”
  See you all there.

• Traveling to your home country

  Saturday, 13 March 2010, 1:45 pm by eford

  Hello Au Pairs - I have done some research for one au pair and I thought I would share what I learned with the group.

  Many of you traveled here in 2009 when most airlines allowed 2 bags to be checked with no extra fee. Unfortunately when you travel home you will likely only be allowed one bag or you will have to pay a fee for the second bag. The fee’s are higher for international flights so please plan on saving money for that expense. Once you are certain of the dates and location you are traveling home from you can go onto your account and request your flight home. At that time CCAP will inform you of any fee’s you may owe to change airports or travel on weekends. Once those fee’s are paid you will get your flight information home, and you can learn the airlines and the restrictions at that time.

  I would suggest shipping your extra items home in the least expensive way, it may take many weeks for those items to get home. Also avoid purchasing heavy items while here in the US unless you plan to ship all that extra stuff home.

  Please remember you must stay in good standing by attending 10 of the 12 meetings and completing your 6 credits by your 10th month to get your ticket home paid for my Culturalcare.

  I hope that helps you at the end of your program year or years if you have extended.

• Atlanta scavenger hunt

  Saturday, 13 March 2010, 1:21 pm by sserowitz

  scavenger-hunt-2

• Au Pair Educational Requirements and Host Family Tuition Obligation

  Saturday, 13 March 2010, 12:40 pm by cgiaimo

  I am sure some of you have questions regarding Au Pair Educational requirements and what the Host Family tuition obligation is.   For the 1st year, the family and the au pair are responsible for 6 credit hours or 72 hours, and the family must pay up to $500 towards their education.  For their second year, if the au pair is extending for 12 or 9 months either with the same family or a new family, they still have to take 6 credit hours or 72 hours with the current host family required to pay up to $500 dollars.  For a 6 month extension, the au pair would need to take 3 credits and the host family obligation would be $250.
   
  It is the same for vacation.  A 12 or 9 month au pair gets 14 days of vacation, and a 6 month au pair gets 7 days of vacation!   For those Au Pairs that are looking for classes, here are some upcoming classes at Hennepin Tech.  

  Next courses in Hennepin Technical College this Spring:
   
  ESL Business English - 2.1 Credits  March 30 to May 18  Thursdays from 730 to 9:30 pm. $182
   
  Expanding Vocabulary: Reading and Discussion.  March 30 to May 18 Thursdays from 6 to 730pm ($182)
   
  Seminar for Teaching English as a Second Language.  April 17 and 24 From 9:00 am to 5:00pm   $225  (2 credits)

• March au pair meeting Wednesday, March 24 at 7:15 at Sewickley Bead Company. We will design earrings.

  Saturday, 13 March 2010, 10:18 am by mwells