The Buzz, Cultural Care Au Pair Blog

Develop A "Stuff Strategy"

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:54:00 -0500

We often find that au pairs will come to the end of the year having amassed a significant number of items they’ve purchased and collected throughout the course of their year. As airlines are imposing higher fees for baggage in general as well as for overweight bags, please encourage your au pairs to think strategically about how they will get all of their belongings home at the end of their year. One idea would be to think about their visitors that may come throughout the year and have them send items back with them to avoid these fees and the stressful challenge regarding what they will do with all this stuff! It also may be cheaper to send some things home via mail in so long as these items are not sent via priority overnight service. Lastly, while it may be difficult to part with some things, it can also be helpful to do some spring cleaning and weed out the items that they may be better off throwing out or giving away. Whatever the best solution is for each au pair, it’s important that these questions are explored so that they don’t end up having to make last-minute and very expensive decisions. Thinking ahead about these things can save them time, anxiety, and money.

Regional Meetings: Take Pride In Your Participation

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:11:34 -0500

Each year Cultural Care Au Pair hosts a series of regional meetings across the country and 2010 is no exception. We’ve been so excited to meet with all of you to share our program updates and to provide professional development opportunities for every Local Childcare Coordinator. Most importantly the senior management and staff of Cultural Care is able to spend time with all of you answering questions and hearing about all of the wonderful things you are doing and successes you’ve had over the past year. We hope that you are as motivated as we are by these meetings and it’s important to share the fact that you’ve participated with the families and au pairs in your region. Your attendance shows your continued commitment to your LCC role and your dedication to being the best local representative for them. Thank you all so much for being a part of these meetings and if we haven’t seen you yet, we look forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming meetings in March!

We love our “mannies”! Parents who host male au pairs are quick...

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:31:09 -0500

We love our “mannies”!

Parents who host male au pairs are quick share that their au pairs offer their family everything that female au pairs do and more. Cultural Care is one of the only au pair programs that recruit male au pairs and we are very proud of our male candidates! Here are some reasons to consider hosting a male au pair. Watch the video.

Thoughts from a Kids First-traveler

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:18:04 -0500

Katja Richter from our office in Berlin, Germany just returned from the Kids First trip to South Africa and sent us some thoughts.

“Our children are our greatest treasure. They are our future” Nelson Mandela

I was honored to be part of the wonderful team that was fortunate to visit South Africa. I was truly amazed by meeting and getting to know everyone we met on our trip. At one point, it made me sad seeing the poverty, the illness and the poor circumstances the people have to deal with every day. On the other hand, it made me happy and thankful to see smiling faces that greeted us, people waving at us while passing their homes or talking with them. Those people have more in life than we ever can think about – they have joy, hope and love for each other.

They care about their neighbors and help each other when help is needed. They are thankful and use every day taking the best out of it. We saw amazing women who don’t have much material luxuries in their life but still give so much and love the children in need. They have their own sadness in life but want to give those children a better future.

This trip showed us the beauty of South Africa but also how much there is still to do. The people we talked to, like Mama Pumla, Rosemary and Hazel, told us their stories and intensions why they are doing all this, and it made me feel very grateful and thankful to get to know these special women. They have shown us that everybody can make a change and help other people in need.

It is very hard to express all of my feelings I had during our trip but it will be a lifetime memory and made me think in a different way about my own life. Things that we complain about are nothing compared to things and situations people have to deal with in South Africa.

I truly remember one little boy, he was called the future president because he looks like the one! He was so eager to get in my arms to get held and to get my sunglasses on his face even not knowing who I was. He was one of Mama Rosemarie’s boys and even though we did not stay very long he remembered me and jumped right into my arms when we came back to hand out the gifts. It was a very special moment.

Thanks for those moments! We need more people like Mama Pumla, Mama Rosemary, Hazel and all the other great people that work for CHOSA and give their support and help everyday. Let me finish with Nelson Mandela’s words, that I found on a postcard in Cape Town;

“Our children are our greatest treasure. They are our future”!

Thank you from Katja Richter Regional Manager at Cultural Care Au Pair, Berlin, Germany

Cablevision Long Island and channels 18 and 188 recently...

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:15:00 -0500

Cablevision Long Island and channels 18 and 188 recently featured local Cultural Care au pairs, host families and Local Childcare Coordinator Jennifer Nelson and Program Director Melissa Seganti. Learn what au pairs on Long Island, New York have done to contribute to their host families lives and what they learn while here in the United States!

Date Night

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:48:00 -0500

While many families use the full 45 hours per week with their au pair, there are many other families who don’t. While many families think about the au pair hours in relation to when they are at work, one way that we’ve found host parents have also benefited from the help an au pair provides is by establishing a date night once a week. Those couple of hours where the parents can go out to dinner and reconnect allows them to come back to the house as a stronger team and more on the same page and that has benefits for the whole family. So, if your families have some hours to spare, encourage them to put them to great use and invest in date night.

Introduction to Kids First

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:51:00 -0500

Through Cultural Care Au Pair’s Kids First program, host families, au pairs, local coordinators and Cultural Care staff worldwide make a difference in the lives of children in the U.S. and overseas. Kids First provides children’s organizations with monetary contributions, necessary supplies and educational grants to benefit children in need worldwide.

Funds are raised through local events across the U.S., activities in many of our au pair recruitment countries, and through national campaigns organized by Cultural Care staff. 100% of all donations and funds raised go directly to children in need and are matched by Cultural Care.

Our partners include: Orphanage #63, a Russian orphanage outside Moscow that is home to 56 children with little hope for adoption; Ubuhle Babantwana is a daycare center that cares for over 150 of the neediest children in a poverty-stricken township outside Cape Town, South Africa; Casa do Zezinho, in an area known as “the death triangle” in Sao Paolo, Brazil, is an after-school center that offers arts and culture programs to 1,200 at-risk children and teenagers; St. Mary’s Academy, located in the heart of New Orleans, opened its doors after Hurricane Katrina to children of all ages and means and is working on building an elementary collection for their school library.

Even two bunkbeds can make a world of difference. This is what...

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:47:00 -0500

Even two bunkbeds can make a world of difference.

This is what Cultural Care Au Pair staff members and Local Childcare Coordinators (LCCs) learned when they visited the site of our Kids First partner in South Africa earlier this month. Kids First, Cultural Care’s own philanthropic program, raises funds for children in need worldwide, including many in a Cape Town community looked after by a woman named Mama Pumla.

Mama used $12,000 we sent last year to build a structure that would house the youngest children in her care, and our representatives visited in order to check on her progress. During the visit, we purchased even more supplies and gifts and met some incredibly special people. Whether you are already a Kids First supporter and want to know what kind of difference you’ve made or want to learn more about this program, watch our short movie.

Baby It's Cold Outside

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 17:51:06 -0500

As the weather continues to be chilly across much of the U.S., now is a great time for host families and au pairs to get on the same page regarding appropriate outdoor attire for the kids. Sometimes kids can have their own ideas about what counts as a “winter coat” and they may or may not think that a hat and gloves are a necessity when they head out in a snow storm. However, if the au pair is responsible for helping to get everyone together in the morning and especially during inclement weather, it’s important that they know what the expectations are of the parents in this regard. In your next monthly call, email update, or even on your website, encourage your families and au pairs to discuss this important seasonal issue.

Au Pair of the Year 2010 Nominees

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 11:00:30 -0500

Cultural Care Au Pair received almost 200 nominations for the “Au Pair of the Year” Award, three of which we sent to the International Au Pair Association for final consideration. (Each au pair agency is allowed to submit just three nominees.) Watch our movie to meet Cultural Care Au Pair’s three finalists, Ann-Kathrin, Patrizia and Sandra and to see photos and the names of ALL of our nominees. Thanks to all of our host families who submitted nominations, and congratulations to each and every Cultural Care au pair who was nominated. You are all winners in our book!

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 15:45:00 -0500

Be sure to bring a camera with you to all of your monthly meetings and capture those memorable images and post them on your LCC website. Let your au pairs know that these pictures will be posted each month and encourage them to send your website link to their friends and family back in their home country so they can see all the fun they are having in the USA! Invite your host families to share their favorite moments with their au pair as well and ask them to submit to you any photos they would like to have you share on your site. LCC websites are a wonderful place to share the memories that au pairs are making throughout the year and is a great vehicle to share this with countless others.

Cultural Care Au Pair Icecapades!

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 17:49:00 -0500

Cultural Care au pairs in Greenwich and Stamford, CT took to the ice for an au pair meeting in January. The result? Nothing but a whole lotta fun! In fact, Local Program Director Lee Anna Whitely got lots of feedback from her group about their skating adventure.

What was the funniest thing you overheard out on the ice:
The funniest thing I overheard was a Brazilian au pair saying: “Hey, easy like Sambaaaaa” right before she fell down! -Elisabeth Leiss from Austria

I was too focused on not falling that so didn’t listen to much out there. :) -Taylah Bell from Australia

What was your best move out on the ice?
Holding on to the rail and the people around me to avoid falling. That would be my signature move. -Taylah Bell from Australia

That must have been my pirouettes! -Johan Dagmar from Sweden

I didn’t try to make any special moves because I was just happy that I didn’t fall, because I haven’t been ice-skating since several years! -Franziska Kirchner from Germany

What was most fun about this ice-skating adventure?
My favorite part was when Johan “Superman” Dagman fell twice on the ice, like a real princess! -Tobias Johannson from Sweden

I got back into ice-skating without falling over, I got to meet new au pairs and see my awesome LCC and I got to experience winter in fine form ice-skating its self! it was an AWESOME meeting! -Taylah Bell from Australia

It was my first au pair meeting here in the U.S. It was fun getting to know all the other au pairs from this area and at the same time having fun on the ice! -Franziska Kirchner from Germany

Answering Difficult Questions

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 13:14:00 -0500

While the media continues to cover the devastation in Haiti, au pairs may be faced with some difficult questions from the host children about what happened and what it means. The au pairs are undoubtedly having their own personal response to this tragedy and they may appreciate some guidance or direction from their host parents about how they would like them to deal with these kinds of questions. In addition to providing an opportunity for your families to make a donation, if they so choose, through the fundraising initiative we announced last week it may be helpful to also suggest that this issue be a topic of discussion between host parents and au pairs so that everyone can be on the same page regarding how this should be handled. The devastation experienced by the people of Haiti is unimaginable, but understanding how to talk about it is important and that’s a personal choice for every family. If you have any au pairs in your group that are having any difficulty with this situation and would appreciate the support of one of our Program Counselors, please reach out to your Program Director and we would be more than happy to make this resource available to them.

Happy winter...and prayers to Haiti

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 11:27:59 -0500

Hello guys!! Sorry it’s been a while but with all the holiday stuff and my birthday (yay finally 21!) I was pretty busy.

I hope you enjoyed Christmas and New Years as much as I did!! I had my friend Robert from Germany over to visit me and we had a really fun time! I showed him all around Boston and we also took a weekend trip to New York. We were very lucky…the hostel we had booked had to close because they had some issues with the police…so they put us in a hotel for the same price. We also got Knicks tickets for free! It was great! My host family welcomed him very nicely, so he had the opportunity to stay with us for 10 days and celebrate an American Christmas! He had a blast and will hopefully come back soon!

On the occasion of the earthquake in Haiti, which sadly happened on my birthday, I want to appeal to all of you to spend some money!! They really need it! It’s awful!! I have some Haitian friends here and it’s horrible—none of them has heard anything of their families yet!! So please help them by donating some money…you can easily do it… just send a text with “HAITI” to 90999 and $10 will go to the Red Cross Relief Efforts!

At last I’ll give you some tips for activities with your kids in this cold weather! I just joined a “music together” class where I go every Friday with Henry…you can find these classes, or gym classes everywhere…they’re fun and not outside!! At home just pull out some board games…I’m sure there are a lot you might have never tried before…go ahead and try them! My kids really get into that!! Also you can bake, do arts and crafts…for example your own board games! And I’m sure your kids have gotten a lot of toys for Christmas to play with anyways. If you’re kids like being outside, go sledding, skiing or ice-skating!!

All the best and prayers to Haiti!
Larissa

Haiti Disaster Relief

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:31:58 -0500

At Cultural Care Au Pair and our parent company EF Education First, we believe in connecting people as citizens of the world, and breaking down barriers of language, culture and geography. Never is that mission more important than in a time of crisis. In order to reach out to the people of Haiti, EF Education First will match up to $100,000 of employee, student and customer donations made through the American Red Cross. We believe this is our responsibility as a company, as educators and as global citizens. We hope you will join us in our effort to aid the millions of Haitians who need our support. Together, we can make a difference.

If you would like to make a donation, please click or paste the following link in your browser:
http://american.redcross.org/efeducationfirst-emp

Cultural Care Au Pair survey results keep getting better!

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:41:52 -0500

This past fall, Cultural Care Au Pair launched another customer satisfaction survey to our host families…and the consensus is that they are overwhelmingly happy! To share few of the stats:

• 96% of host families are satisfied with the quality of childcare that their au pair provide
• 95% are satisfied with the support provided by their Local Childcare Coordinator
• 97% are pleased with the choice they made to use the services of Cultural Care Au Pair
• 96% would recommend the services of Cultural Care Au Pair to other families:

We’re thrilled with these results, which are certified by independent survey company Discovery Surveys, Inc. In fact, our participation rate (52% of active host families this time around) and the results themselves have improved each of the four times we have administered the surveys (spring and fall of 2008 and spring and fall of 2009). For more detailed survey information, visit our website.

Thank you to our current host families for partcipating and for helping us to further improve our program!

Year In Review

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 14:41:00 -0500

Each month you make calls to each of your host families to check in and to see how things are going. You undoubtedly have some updates or upcoming meeting dates to share during these calls, but try asking them to share one thing that’s going well and one challenge they’ve had over the past month. Take note of these for each family and at the end of the year as they prepare to welcome a new au pair, share their year of feedback. It may be helpful for them and may help to set them up for even more success having been given the gift of perspective of a year in review. It’s also an incredibly helpful tool for you as an LCC and can assist with additional talking points during the repeat family interview or even the orientation meeting once the au pair arrives.

New Year, New Plans!

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:38:21 -0500

The New Year is a perfect time to finally transform some of those long time ideas, thoughts, and intentions into plans. Au pairs have one year to do all of the things that they hope to and that time can fly by very quickly. Unless they are extending, their year could be coming to an end and it would be a shame to not do all the things they dreamed about at the beginning of their year. At your next monthly meeting hand every au pair a piece of paper and have them write down 3 things that they want to do before their year ends. Then, have everyone put a date by which they commit to making that happen. If they feel comfortable, have them share their list with the group. Some au pairs will realize that there are others in the group who have the same goals as they do and they can team up to achieve them together. Now is the time to make those plans and to have that weekend trip, visit that museum, or go to that show that they had thought about for so long. With a little encouragement from you, they will be one step closer to making it happen.

How much does it really cost to host an au pair? It’s a common...

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 17:53:00 -0500

How much does it really cost to host an au pair?

It’s a common myth that hosting an au pair is only for wealthy families. That is simply not true! Our average weekly cost is just $340—and that’s per family, not per child. And Cultural Care is keeping their prices the same again for 2010—they have not changed since 2008. For an honest look at the financial implications of hosting an au pair, watch my video.

Au pairs share unique holiday traditions

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 14:00:00 -0500

Lisa Scadden, Blaire Martin, and Sara Torkelson (left to right) do their best “Charlie’s Angels” impression at a dinner for North Shore, MA au pairs last Wednesday night. Scadden and Martin are from Australia, while Torelson hails from Sweden.

Cultural Care Au Pairs on the North Shore of Massachusetts are in the Salem Online News today after sharing their thoughts on spending the holidays far from home. A reporter from the publication interviewed some of the 40 au pairs who attended the holiday dinner at Prince Pizza to which they brought desserts native to their home countries. A portion of the interviews is below:

Mengue Zhang, 23, from China
Au pair in Georgetown

What do you like about being an au pair?
“I think of how the families raise their kids and I learn a lot. I really appreciate it. I think Chinese kids are very spoiled.”

Differences in Chinese and American lifestyles?
“We make most foods from scratch.”

What Chinese holiday dish did you prepare?
“We don’t have Christmas, we have Chinese New Year. I made a Chinese dessert: egg tart. That was my first time baking.”

Graziele Alves, 21, from Brazil (raised in Austria)
Au pair in Manchester

Do you like being an au pair?
“I’m very excited every day. Every day you learn something new about the American way.”

Why, what do you like?
“I love Dunkin’ Donuts,” she said with a laugh. “I die for it. And Burger King is also better than in Austria. … I’ve been to New York three times; it’s good to travel around.”

Is it hard?
“You miss your family. At home, I can do anything, and here I have to be a little bit careful what you do.”

Caroline Akerlund, 20, from Sweden
Au pair in Boxford

What Swedish Christmas food did you bring?
“Saffron buns and ginger bread.”

Differences from life in Sweden?
“The food, especially how they cook here. Everything is so quick, and how you buy it done.”

Do you like Boxford?
“I love it. It’s true country. I’m from the country with horses, dogs, woods and hills, and I love it … It’s great to have two families: one in Sweden, and one in America.”

Cultural distinctions?
“How American people raise their kids. They’re so overprotective here. It’s always, ‘Careful, careful!’ They can’t see kids fall down, but they have to fall down to learn.”

To read the whole article, visit Salem News Online.