Amy Bryan, Local Childcare Coordinator

Summer Continuing Education Unit — Playground Safety

Posted by: Amy Bryan on July 30, 2008

Is your neighborhood playground safe??? Review the checklist distributed to au pairs at this month’s meeting to find out!

• Always supervise children when on playgrounds. Maintain visual and auditory contact at all times.
• Ensure that children use age- and size-appropriate playground equipment.
• Prevent unsafe behaviors like pushing, shoving, crowding and inappropriate use of equipment. Continually enforce the rules of safe play.
• Remove hood and neck drawstrings from all children’s clothing. Never allow children to wear necklaces, purses, scarves or clothing with drawstrings while on playgrounds.
• Tie shoelaces to prevent tripping and entanglement in equipment and look for trip hazards on the playground.
• Make sure that children use playground equipment in a safe manner. They should use ladders to get on slides, slide feet first; sit on swings; and not jump off moving swings or walk in front of or behind moving swings. In addition, children should use handrails and guardrails on equipment and should not climb or sit on top of elevated bars.
• Make sure the surface of any playground on which children are playing is safe. Acceptable surfaces include loose-fill materials maintained at the appropriate depth, usually 9-12 inches, such as hardwood fiber mulch or chips, pea gravel or fine sand. Shredded rubber, rubber mats, synthetic turf and other artificial materials are also acceptable surfaces. Asphalt, concrete, grass or soil are not acceptable surfaces. Surfacing should extend a minimum of 6 feet in all directions around stationary equipment and further around swings and other moving equipment.
• Check for unsafe design elements on the playground, such as open “S” hooks, equipment which is not securely anchored, openings between three and one half inches and nine inches which could allow head entrapment, inadequate spacing between equipment, platforms with no guard rails and protrusions or sharp edges that could cut a child or catch a string or item of clothing. Any problems should be fixed immediately or reported to the playground’s maintainer.
• Make sure playground is regularly maintained.

For more information about playground safety, visit the website of the National Program for Playground Safety.

The Great State of Delaware!

Posted by: Amy Bryan on July 30, 2008

The question I always get asked is “What is there to do around here?”

Ok…so our state is tiny, and we don’t have a big city like New York or L.A., but there are great things about Delaware, too. Give us a chance!!

I hope you will take the time to explore what this area has to offer!  We don’t have the big city atmosphere, but this IS a great area to be in!

The southern part of the state borders the Atlantic Ocean and there are some nice towns right on the water that you can visit.  You can get to the beach in a little over an hour!  There is also a Boardwalk in the town of Rehoboth Beach, where you can find lots of restaurants, shops and amusement facilities…or you can just sit and enjoy the sun, sand and surf!

If you enjoy shopping and spending all of your hard-earned money, you can venture to the Outlet Malls that are near the beach as well.  They offer some good deals on brand-name clothing, shoes, etc. 

There are also shopping malls nearby.  The Christiana Mall and the Dover Mall are great places to meet up with friends.  In Dover, you can even see a movie (a great way to improve your English!).

Dover is the state capital and has lots of pretty, historical buildings.  You can see Legislative Hall and some museums.

Wilmington is home to lots of historic mansions owned by the prominent duPont family.  Some of these, such as Winterthur, are open to the public.  Delaware even has its own art museum, also in Wilmington.

The town of Newark is the home of the University of Delaware, and personally, as a U of D graduate, one of my favorite places in Delaware!  There are some great restaurants, cafes and shops on Main Street.  There is always something going on when university is in session.  They have lots of sports teams — football (the American kind) and basketball are the most popular and there is a lot of activity surrounding these two teams.  If you get a chance, go see a UD football game — it’s a great American experience (and you’ll get to see and hear the marching band — my favorite ;-).

Middletown doesn’t have a whole lot, but we do have a bowling alley and Starbucks, which is a good place to meet and have a cup of coffee.  We also have several restaurants, including Italian, Chinese, American and even a sushi / Japanese restaurant!

If you really want that big city feel, we are not too far from some major American cities.  We are an hour from Philadelphia and Baltimore and about 2 hours from New York City and Washington DC.  These can all be reached by Amtrak train, and some by bus.  Although it is a bit difficult to get around without a car, it’s not impossible! 

If you’re looking to party, please remember that:

1.  if you are under 21, it is illegal for you to drink alcohol here.  I do NOT want to hear about any irresponsible behavior from anyone in my group!  You are a representative of your country, your host family, Cultural Care Au Pair (and ME!) and I hope you will leave a positive impression on those with whom you come into contact. 

2.  the main focus of this experience is not partying!  You are here to provide childcare to your host families and their children (which you cannot do if you are hungover!), and to experience the American culture.  There is a lot more to that than going out to clubs and partying–you can do that at home! 

3. I also don’t think that any of your host families would be happy to know that you are behaving in a manner that could cause harm to yourself or their property (i.e. their car!).  They also want you to serve as a good role model for their children — PLEASE make good choices! 

Get a group of friends together and go explore the First State!  I have several links of things to do here, and I really hope you will take advantage of them!

How to get a Social Security number

Posted by: Amy Bryan on July 13, 2008

A Social Security number is a type of identification number used in the U.S. You will need one to obtain a Delaware state Driver’s License, and you may need it for other identification purposes. It does not cost anything to apply and obtain this number.

Here is some information from www.socialsecurity.gov. This should answer your basic questions. If you have more specific questions, please contact your local office at the phone numbers provided.

I am a J-1 exchange visitor and will be working while in the United States. How soon can I get a Social Security number?

We suggest J-1 exchange visitors (e.g., camp counselors, au pairs, summer work/travel participants, research scholars) be in the United States for at least 10 days before applying for a Social Security number. Also, you should report to your U.S. program sponsor before applying. Taking these actions will ensure we can verify your immigration status with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

To apply for a Social Security number:

• Complete an Application For A Social Security Card (Form SS-5);
• Show us documents proving:

* Immigration status and DHS work authorization;

* Age; and

* Identity

(TAKE YOUR PASSPORT, DS-2019 FORM AND I-94 FORM!!!)

• Take your completed application and original documents to your local Social Security office.

All documents must be either originals or copies certified by the issuing agency. We cannot accept a receipt that shows you have applied for these documents.

We will mail your number and card as soon as we have all of your information and have verified your documents.

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If you are an au pair in MIDDLETOWN or BEAR, your nearest Social Security office is located in NEW CASTLE:

Social Security Administration

Suite 200

920 West Basin Road

New Castle, DE 19720

Local Number: 302-323-0304

Toll – Free: 1-800-772-1213

Hours: Mon – Fri. 09:00AM – 04:00PM (except Federal Holidays)

The office is located at 920 W. Basin Rd. behind the News Journal building. From Rte. 141 South, make a U-turn at Commons Blvd (Rte. 37 East). Stay in the right lane. Pass the News Journal building and make the next right. Follow the road back to the last building. The office is on the 2^nd floor above the parking garage.

If you are an au pair in CAMDEN, DOVER or SMYRNA, your nearest office is located in DOVER:

Social Security Administration

Suite 100

500 West Loockerman Street

Dover, DE 19904

Local Number:   302-674-5162

Toll - Free:          1-800-772-1213

Hours:     Mon - Fri 09:00AM - 04:00PM (except Federal Holidays)

Take Alt. Rte. 13 to Loockerman St. Go west on Loockerman to the end of the street. Office is located in the Duncan Center on the left, right before the railroad tracks. The SSA office is on the 1^st floor. Parking is at the back of the building.

If you are an au pair in MARYLAND, your nearest office is located in ELKTON, MD:

Social Security Administration

Suite A

101 Chesapeake Blvd

Elkton, MD 21921

Local Number: 410-398-7396

Toll – Free: 1-800-772-1213

Hours: Mon. – Fri. 08:30AM – 03:30PM (except Federal Holidays)

Located near the Delaware state line near the Department of Motor Vehicles. Follow Rte. 40 East and make a right on Chesapeake Blvd. 1^st building on the right, 1^st suite on the right.

Scroll to the end of this post and look at “Attachments” for a copy of the form you will need.  This way you can print it out and fill it out before you get there!  Be sure to follow the directions carefully; they will not accept it otherwise!

If you cannot open the attachment, try this link.

If you still cannot access it, go to www.socialsecurity.gov/ssnumber.  The first item in the list is Print an Application Form SS-5. Click on that and you should be able to download and print what you need!