As you gather up your financial statements and fire up the tax software, I wanted to direct you to the Cultural Care website where you can find detailed information on how hosting an au pair may affect your tax bill. As tax laws differ from state to state, and every family’s situation is different, Cultural Care Au Pair does ask that if you have further questions, you consult a tax professional.
For your convenience, here is a link to the information for Host Families:
as well as for au pairs:
With this past weekend’s huge snowstorm and another on the way, snow days can cause some unexpected changes to an au pair’s normal daily routine. She may not be used to having to find ways to entertain all the kids all day, so hopefully the ideas included here will be helpful–it looks like we may be snowed in for a bit!
I know there are some au pairs out there from our warmer countries who haven’t even seen snow before, so hopefully they will get out and try some of these things too!
These snow activities are a springboard to the world of fun snow play. As you and your kids play these games, variations on each will develop, depending on the interests of those involved. So go ahead and bundle them up from head to toe, and don’t forget to have a good supply of hot cocoa on hand for when you come back inside.
INDOOR ACTIVITIES:
Of course, they may not want to stay outside all day, so the following site has some craft ideas as well:
Indoor and Outdoor Winter Crafts
Need more ideas: Google “fun snow activities for kids” or “fun snow activities for toddlers” and you should find more ideas of things to keep them busy on these long winter days!
Feel free to share ideas or photos with me of great activities that au pairs have done with kids — it’s fun to see what you’re up to and can be a great way to share ideas with others!
This time of year can be difficult for au pairs and other caregivers to keep kids amused indoors. Playing in the snow can be fun for a little while, but what about those days when it’s too cold or windy or just miserable and you can’t take them out to play? Well, time to be a little creative and come up with some new ideas to make playing inside fun!
The following sites have some activity ideas you can use, or they might help you come up with some ideas of your own, too!
One of the challenges for some au pairs may be preparing meals for their host kids, and not only meals that are easy to prepare, but good for them too!
Many of the recipes you will find here, courtesy of Discovery Health, contain healthy ingredients and are not too difficult to prepare–some items require very little to no cooking, so they should be easy for everyone! If your kids are old enough, get them to help!
Be sure to involve your host parents as well. If there is something new you want to try, be sure to check with them first. There may be food allergies, or a history of such things, and it could be very dangerous to introduce or even expose your host kids to some food items; peanuts are a good example of this. Some peanut allergies can be quite severe and could cause very serious health issues, so if you aren’t sure, ASK! It’s also helpful to ask, as some families follow special diets, like vegetarianism, for health or religious purposes.
Good luck! 
Our February meeting will be held Sunday, 21 February. We will meet at 4 pm at Grotto Pizza in the Main Street Galleria in Newark. This will give us a great opportunity to come together with all of our group and work on establishing a positive group environment, practice our English and allow everyone to ask questions of each other and me!
Grotto’s is a Delaware tradition, so I thought it would be a good place for us to meet! I remember going on family vacations to the Delaware beaches and one of our stops was always Grotto Pizza! Since then, it has expanded a bit, but it is something unique to our area!
There is parking in the back, but it is a pay lot, so plan to carpool! We will meet in the lobby of the Galleria and go in together to be seated, so please be on time!
As part of our ongoing childcare safety training, au pairs at this morning’s meeting received an overview of basic adult / child and infant CPR techniques, as well as what to do to help someone who’s choking.
The training was conducted by Karl Hitchens, a New Castle County EMT. Au pairs practiced breathing and compressions on manikins, both adult and infant sized. Proper rescue breathing and compression administration was discussed and practiced.
Au pairs will receive a card from the American Heart Association, verifying their participation in today’s training. They’ll be sent to me, so hopefully I can distribute them at our next meeting.
A HUGE THANK YOU again to our trainer and Julia’s host mom for helping to set this up!
ADULT CPR:
* Check the Scene - make sure it is safe for you to help. Don’t become another victim.
* Check the Victim - tap and shout to get response.
* Call for Help - call 9-1-1, or tell someone to call. If you are alone with an adult, call first then start CPR if needed. Call for any unconscious victim, whether they are breathing or not.
* Airway - tilt head back, lift chin up to open airway.
* Breathing - Pinch nose closed, take a normal breath, cover victim’s mouth with yours and blow out your breath until you see the chest rise. Give a second breath. Take about 1 second per breath. If chest doesn’t rise, open airway again.
* Circulation - pump the chest 30 times. Place the heel of one hand in the center of the chest and your other hand on top of it. Press chest down 1 1/2 to 2 inches at a rate of 100 per minute (16 in 10 seconds).
Repeat until help arrives or the victim starts breathing.
CHILD CPR:
Notice that these child CPR steps are nearly identical to adult CPR steps with the following key differences:
* Perform 5 cycles of CPR (about 2 minutes) before calling 9-1-1 if you are alone.
* Use one hand instead of two.
* Depth of compresssions is based on the size of the chest cavity.
Check the Scene - make sure it is safe for you to help. Don’t become another victim.
Check the Victim - tap and shout to get response.
Call for Help - Tell someone to call 9-1-1. If you are alone with a child, perform 5 cycles of CPR first, then call 9-1-1. Even if the child is breathing, call 9-1-1 for any unconscious victim.
* Airway - tilt head back, lift chin up to open airway.
* Breathing - Pinch nose closed, take a normal breath, cover victim’s mouth with yours and blow out your breath until you see the chest rise. Give a second breath. Take about 1 second per breath. If chest doesn’t rise, open airway again.
* Circulation - pump the chest 30 times. Place the heel of one hand in the center of the chest. Press chest down 1/3 the depth of the chest at a rate of 100 per minute (16 in 10 seconds).
Repeat until help arrives or the victim begins breathing.
INFANT CPR:
Notice that these infant CPR steps are nearly identical to adult CPR steps with the following key differences:
* Be careful not to tilt the head too far.
* If you are alone, perform 5 cycles of CPR (about 2 minutes) then call 911
* Cover mouth and nose with your mouth and give gentle breaths.
* Use two fingertips instead of two hands for chest compressions.
* Depth of compresssions is based on the size of the chest cavity.
Check the Scene - make sure it is safe for you to help. Don’t become another victim.
Check the Victim - tap and shout to get response.
Call for Help - Tell someone to call 9-1-1. If you are alone, perform 5 cycles of CPR First, then call 9-1-1. Call 9-1-1 for any unconscious victim, including an infant that is breathing.
* Airway - tilt head back, lift chin up to open airway.
* Breathing - Take a normal breath, cover victim’s mouth and nose with your mouth, and give a gentle breath until the chest rises. Give a second breath. Take about 1 second per breath. If chest doesn’t rise, open airway again.
* Circulation - pump the chest 30 times. Place two fingertips of one hand in the center of the chest.
Press chest down 1/3 the depth of the chest at a rate of 100 per minute (16 in 10 seconds).
Repeat until help arrives or the victim begins breathing.
ADULT & CHILD CHOKING:
Check the Scene - make sure it is safe for you to help the choking victim. Don’t become another victim yourself.
Check the Victim - Ask if they are choking. If they can not cough, speak, or breathe, then they need help.
Call for Help - Tell someone to call 9-1-1. If you are alone with an adult, skip this step until later - it’s more important to fix the choking.
Back Blows and Abdominal Thrusts
Give 5 back blows:
* Stand slightly behind the victim.
* Place one arm diagonally across the victim’s chest for support and lean him forward. With the heel of your other hand, strike the victim firmly between the shoulder blades.
Give 5 abdominal thrusts:
* Place the thumb side of your fist just above the victim’s belly button.
* Grab your fist with your free hand.
* Pull quick, upward thrusts to dislodge the object.
Repeat Back Blows and Abdominal Thrusts until the object is forced out, the victim can breathe, or the victim becomes unconscious.
INFANT CHOKING:
Check the Scene - make sure it is safe for you to help the choking victim. Don’t become another victim yourself.
Check the Victim - If the parent is there, identify yourself and ask if you can help. If the infant cannot cough, cry, or breathe, then they need help.
Call for Help - Tell someone to call 9-1-1. If you are alone with an infant, skip this step until later - it’s more important to fix the choking.
Blows and Thrusts:
* Carefully hold the infant face down on your forearm, your hand supporting its head and neck
* Strike the infant directly between the shoulder blades with the heel of your other hand 5 times
* Turn the infant over and position two fingers in the center of the chest
* Give 5 1/2 to 1 inch deep chest thrusts
Repeat Blows and Thrusts until the object is forced out, the infant starts breathing, or the infant becomes unconscious.
For more information about this, visit the following websites:
Here are some pictures from our training:
The results from the 2009 Host Family Survey are in … and the consensus is that our host families are overwhelmingly happy! To share a few of the stats:
- 96% of host families are satisfied with the quality of childcare that their au pair provides
- 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
Thank you to our current host families for participating and for helping us to further improve our program! Host family feedback gathered through our customer satisfaction survey has contributed to several changes at Cultural Care Au Pair including an improved host family and au pair matching process, increased new and repeat host family discounts, new payment plan options, and better online and phone support for host families. In addition, host families are able to provide direct feedback to senior management at face to face meetings held throughout the country, and they may participate in an online forum (www.community.culturalcare.com) created just for program participants.
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.
I would also like to add that I, your local LCC, have received positivity ratings of 100% on each of the four surveys. We’ve also seen an increase in participation each time, so I do sincerely thank you for your positive feedback! If at any time during your year, you have any further feedback, suggestions or concerns about the service I provide, please contact me directly or my manager, Program Director Robin Hannum.
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
Our January au pair meeting will begin this Sunday, 24 January at 10 am! It will be held at my house, so please email me if you need my address and/or directions for how to get here! If you have been here before, please offer to carpool with some of our new au pairs, especially if you live near each other. If you need help finding a ride, let me know and I will help you!
Our guest speaker will be an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) who will be conducting a CPR refresher for the au pairs, thanks to our connections in the New Castle County police department!
Please arrive on time or early, as our guest would like to begin on time! We will start at 10 am, so please make every effort to be prompt!
Coffee, tea, juice and donuts will be provided
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.
Sample & Save - try our 3 “Ways to Match” risk free
Now for a limited time only, host families who apply to Cultural Care Au Pair will have the opportunity to try our 3 Ways to Match FREE. New families who submit an application through January 31st, 2010 and take an au pair into their home by October 22, 2010 will have the $75 application fee waived, in addition to our $275 au pair selection fee waived. In addition, families applying will also receive a $500 discount off the program fee - a total savings of $850!
There’s never been a better time to begin your search for an au pair. For more information about our 3 Ways to Match or our limited-time-only $850 discount, contact me.
