Amy Bryan, Local Childcare Coordinator

“Oh The Weather Outside Is Frightful…”

Posted by: Amy Bryan on February 27, 2009

“As the winter brings the final snow storms and deep freezes of the season to many areas of the country, it can become challenging for au pairs to come up with activities to do inside that do not involve television.  One great activity for a cold winter’s day is to play a junior edition of any number of various board games.  The activity can prove to be valuable for both the au pairs and the host children.  While au pairs are proficient in spoken English, they are eager to continue to improve not only their spoken English, but also in their writing, reading and overall comprehension.  Playing games such as Scrabble and Scattergories are great to help to develop spelling skills.  Games like Pictionary or Win, Lose or Draw can help with overall comprehension skills, as they illustrate the meaning of words for others to guess.  While these activities are fun and help to keep everyone engaged, they also represent a fantastic educational opportunity.  So, if the weather outside is frightful, make the activities inside delightful.”

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The above suggestion was sent to LCCs, courtesy of CCAP Sr. Vice President, Natalie Jordan.  As a former language teacher myself, I couldn’t agree more!  My German students got a lot of vocabulary practice and enrichment by playing games such as Pictionary or Scattergories using German words.  Since many au pairs come here with the hope of improving their English, games are a great way to do just that.  Why not even have a family game night or afternoon once in a while, or allow your au pair to invite some of his/her au pair friends over for an International Game Day / Night on a Friday night or weekend? It could be a great way to relax, unwind and spend some quality time with your au pair and your family.

Host Families — Your chance to meet CCAP President, David Fougere!

Posted by: Amy Bryan on February 26, 2009

David Fougere, President of Cultural Care Au Pair will be in the Philadelphia area on Thursday, March 5th, and he looks forward to meeting current host families and parents interested in our program! Philadelphia Program Director Karen Hurley and other colleagues will also be in attendance.

Please feel free to join Cultural Care Au Pair at the home of Kathleen Hassinger, a Cultural Care host mom, for some wine and cheese and, of course, great conversation.

WHEN: Thursday, March 5th from 6:30pm - 8:30pm
WHERE: 252 Kent Road, Wynnewood, PA 19096

Please RSVP online if you plan on attending. We look forward to seeing you there!

How do we screen our au pairs?

Posted by: Amy Bryan on February 25, 2009

All State-Department sanctioned au pair agencies are required to screen au pair applicants according to criteria mandated by the Department.  Cultural Care adheres to these guidelines when accepting applicants into our program.  We don’t accept just anyone who completes an application — we provide thorough screening to ensure that all applicants are highly qualified for the Au Pair program.  We are also continually working to further improve our screening process by ensuring that no matter where in the world our au pairs are screened, they are all screened according to the same standards, so that we can continue to provide host families with quality, reliable childcare!

Cultural Care’s screening process begins at the time of enquiry. Candidates are contacted by Cultural Care staff and a telephone discussion takes place to determine if the candidate meets the criteria outlined above. At this time program requirements and expectations are outlined with the candidate. If, after this discussion, the candidate is interested in applying and Cultural Care staff determines that s/he is a suitable candidate, application materials are sent to the candidate and s/he is invited to a Screening and Orientation Meeting.

Although we do screen according to State Department regulations, host families are also responsible for screening au pairs during the matching process — an au pair may be a good fit for the program, but not necessarily a good fit for a family’s particular needs and lifestyle, so families also have a big responsibility in screening each individual candidate through their phone interview to see if a particular au pair is a good fit for them personally.

There are five steps to our overseas screening process:

• Step One: Au pair application
• Step Two: The Screening and Orientation Meeting
• Step Three: Review of the written application
• Step Four: Pre-match screening
• Step Five: Screening by host families

Step One: Au pair application 

Cultural Care au pairs complete an extensive application. The application packet includes a four page application form, as well as reference forms from childcare experiences such as babysitting jobs, daycare centers, teachers, and parents of their friends to name a few. The au pair must also complete a personal letter from the au pair to the host family and a photo collage that may include pictures of her/his family and friends as well as photos of the au pair with children. All au pairs must also participate in a Screening and Orientation Meeting (S&O Meeting) before they are accepted.

• Step Two: The Screening and Orientation Meeting

While each step of the screening cycle contributes to the decision to accept or reject an au pair candidate, the Screening and Orientation Meeting is critical to the process. During this meeting, Recruitment Leaders spend several hours reviewing the Cultural Care program requirements and expectations with the candidates attending. Also during this meeting, Cultural Care continues its evaluation of au pair applicants through discussions and personal interviews. Cultural Care pays particular attention to characteristics of each candidate that may not be apparent in her/his written application. Motivation to spend a year as an au pair, maturity, interest in cultural exchange and flexibility are some of the characteristics on which Cultural Care focuses throughout the meeting.

Below is a synopsis of what is covered at the S&O Meeting. You will notice that many topics are similar to those discussed with prospective host families:

  1. General information about being an au pair in the U.S. 
  2. Discussion of the U.S. in general 
  3. Description of typical host families
  4. Au Pair requirements and duties (hours per week, types of duties, etc.) 
  5. Au Pair and Host Family Expectations 
  6. The Matching Process - what should the au pair expect 
  7. Role of the LCC in the au pair year 
  8. Preparation for challenges (transitions, homesickness, etc) 
  9. The Au Pair Training School in New York 
10. Practical information for the year 
            a. Educational component
            b. Insurance for au pair year and 13th month insurance 
            c. Driving in the U.S. and car insurance 
            d. Phone and internet use
            e. Money 
            f. Smoking, piercings and tattoos
            g. Q & A

Whenever possible, a recently returned au pair is invited to attend and speak about his/her experiences on the program and answer questions.

Finally, after the information portion is complete, interested candidates are personally interviewed. This includes an interview in English in which their language abilities are checked.

If the au pair has completed his/her application packet, the Recruitment Leader takes it at this time to begin reviewing the application and verifying the references.

• Step Three: Review of the written application

When an au pair candidate successfully completes the Screening and Orientation Meeting and Interview, Cultural Care Au Pair completes the screening process overseas with a thorough review of the applicant’s written materials. At this stage of the screening process, Cultural Care verifies all references of each applicant. A “verified” reference indicates that Cultural Care staff (office or RL) has spoken to the person signing the reference, that the reference knows the au pair, and that the reference actually is the person who completed the form and that the experience corresponds to the information on the reference form. You will see Cultural Care verification on the reference forms, as well as any additional comments that the reference gave during the interview. References are at times filled out in the native language. In those cases, the reference is translated and the translation checked by Cultural Care staff during the verification process.

In addition to reviewing the application and references the following is collected and checked:

• Cross Cultural Adaptability Inventory (CCAI) - This self-awareness inventory helps our staff focus on specific aspects of an au pair’s personality, behavior, skills, and knowledge and identifies their strengths and weaknesses in these areas. The CCAI is a means of developing self-understanding in the area of cross-cultural adaptability and as a take-off point for further awareness and skill training. The CCAI is a useful tool for the au pair program because it is not targeted to one particular culture; it is designed to be culture-general. The culture-general approach assumes that individuals adapting to other cultures share common feelings, perceptions, and experiences.
• Criminal background check
• Documentation of completion of secondary education (or equivalent)
• Documentation of drivers’ license
• Completed Interview Evaluation and English Evaluation from RL

Staff also double checks the childcare experience to see if the au pair has at least 200 hours of infant experience which later becomes important in the matching process.

Once all information is completed, Cultural Care staff makes the determination on whether or not to accept the au pair. If accepted, the au pair is sent a packet of materials, including a Cultural Care Au Pair Handbook and Childcare Lesson Unit to begin further preparations for the program. The completed and accepted application dossier is then released to the main office in the U.S. for review. After this point, the Cultural Care staff is in regular contact with the au pair through phone, email and the Au Pair Extranet to continue communications and preparation prior to departure.

Each step in the overseas screening process, from reviewing the complete au pair application to the S&O Meeting and au pair interview, is crucial to our mission of recruiting quality au pairs. The detail in the au pair application and the information conveyed by the au pair during the interview not only confirm that the au pair has a suitable childcare background, but also that the au pair is committed to cultural exchange.

• Step Four: Pre-match screening

Before an au pair becomes a final match with an American host family, her/his application is reviewed thoroughly by our main office. If Boston staff has questions or concerns about a specific applicant, the overseas office is notified and in some cases the au pair is called directly. Because of the comprehensive nature of the screening overseas, a low percentage of au pairs are rejected by Cultural Care’s U.S. main office. Continuation of the screening does, however, provide an objective outlook on each candidate before they are pre-matched with a host family. For an au pair to be matched with a family with a child under two, her/his experience must contain 200 hours of prior infant childcare experience.

• Step Five: Screening by host families

The final step in this process is the host family’s screening of an applicant. Families themselves play a vital role in the acceptance or rejection of an au pair for their own family. The U.S. Department of State requires all host families to conduct a phone interview. Cultural Care also encourages host families to conduct a second reference check. Because host families offer yet another perspective on each au pair candidate, Cultural Care welcomes any feedback on each pre-match. The Cultural Care screening process concludes with the host family screening of the application.

What goes on at the Au Pair Training School?

Posted by: Amy Bryan on February 25, 2009

One of the most common questions I hear from new host families is “What do the au pairs do at the Training School?”  So…here’s some more information about it!

Upon arrival to the U.S., Cultural Care au pairs attend an exclusive, four-day training program focused on child development and safety. Our unique Au Pair Training School offers instruction from dedicated and experienced educators in a classroom setting. Small class sizes allow teachers to give au pairs one-to-one attention. The Cultural Care Au Pair Training School is located on two campuses: the beautiful settings of St. John’s University in Oakdale as well as the Central Islip campus of New York Institute of Technology, both on Long Island, New York and within minutes of each other—allowing au pairs to adjust to their first days in the U.S. in a comfortable, collegiate environment.

Despite the fact that we now have two physically separate campuses, they are connected by our staff and resources.  Both campuses will have full-time staff who live and work on campus and all classes, workshops and meals will take place directly on each respective campus.

• FAQ’s: 

How will one campus differ from the other?
Despite the fact that we now have two physically separate campuses, they are connected by our staff and resources.  Both campuses have computer labs, 24-hour security, on-campus cafeterias, dormitories and 24-hour Cultural Care Au Pair staff support.  Each campus is located just over an hour from New York City. 

Will the same classes be taught at both campuses?
Yes, the au pairs on both campuses will receive the same training by experienced teachers and staff.  The weekly curriculum covers the State Department mandated  topics of child development, nutrition, safety in the home, discipline, communication.  The au pairs also experience a personal safety workshop instructed by Officer John Testa, an International Sing-along and a guided tour of New York City. 

How will the au pairs be assigned to each campus?
Campus assignments will be determined each week based on volume and will vary.  In keeping with Cultural Care’s mission of breaking down cultural barriers, both campuses will include au pairs from around the world and division between campuses will not be based on country. 

How can I find out which campus a specific au pair is staying at if I would like to send them mail or e-mail correspondence or contact them by phone?
Given that Cultural Care will select each au pair’s campus the week prior to their arrival, we ask that packages, letters and e-mail correspondence be directed to the St. John’s campus so that we can ensure they be directed to the appropriate location.  The address of the St. John’s Oakdale campus is:  

Cultural Care Au Pair
AU PAIR’S NAME HERE
500 Montauk Highway
Oakdale, NY 11769 

Please keep in mind that your au pair has a very busy schedule during their training week, therefore, e-mailing your au pair directly is the best way to contact him or her.  Au pairs also have access to on-campus pay phones from which they can make personal calls. 

Will arrivals and departures take place on the same days for both campuses?
Yes, arrivals and departures occur at the same scheduled times for both campuses.

What do Cultural Care au pairs learn at the Au Pair Training School?
The Cultural Care Au Pair staff developed the curriculum for the four-day program in collaboration with The Children’s Foundation in Washington, D.C.

Topics covered include:

• Health and Safety in the Home
• Child Nutrition
• Common Childhood Illnesses
• Safety and Emergency Education
• Effective Communication
• Au Pairs as Role Models
• Ages & Stages: Birth to Teenage Years
• Age-appropriate Materials and Activities
• Building Self-esteem in Children
• Behavior Management

In addition to their time in the classroom, au pairs attend group workshops. In the communication workshop, teachers and au pairs discuss cultural differences in communication and effective problem solving skills necessary for a successful year. Au pairs also attend an international sing-along, a communication workshop a personal safety workshop, led by a New York police officer and are offered a tour of New York City. Au pairs depart from the school feeling confident, socially-connected and ready for the year ahead.

You can see more pictures in the InfoSource section of your online account!

Au Pair Extension Program — Your Questions Answered!

Posted by: Amy Bryan on February 25, 2009

Au pairs who complete their first year successfully have the option to spend an additional 6, 9 or even 12 months working as an au pair!

Successful completion of the program means that an au pair has finished his/her educational component requirements and has missed no more than 2 au pair meetings. 

Au pairs can choose to extend with their current host family or match with a new family.  There are benefits to both of these options:

*  By extending with a current au pair, children benefit from another year with a trusted au pair. The au pair is confident about how to care for the children, how to discipline them, how to make them feel loved and safe.

*  Time and energy savings. Extension families avoid that period of uncertainty or “getting used to one another.” There is no need to train a new au pair or worry about whether or not she is a good driver. Extension au pairs are familiar with the family’s schedule, routine, expectations and personalities so there is no “ramp up” time in a busy household.

*  Peace of mind and consistency! Keeping a trusted caregiver in the home for another year is priceless.

*  A substantial savings on the program fee.

*  Guaranteed childcare for the extension term. In the event of a transition, Cultural Care Au Pair will find another au pair. We can not guarantee uninterrupted care, but we will do our best to find the best match possible for every dedicated host family.

*  24-hour emergency service.

*  Local support. Your continued relationship with a host family and that host family’s current au pair will benefit everyone involved.

However, sometimes an au pair may wish to spend their second year in a different part of the country with a new family and this is also a possibility.  Cultural Care will do our best to accommodate special requests for an au pair’s second year, but it is important to remain open-minded if we cannot find a placement in the exact area or to the exact specifications requested.

Why would an au pair choose to go to a new family?  Well, there are lots of reasons…it doesn’t mean that they don’t like their current family — they may just want to expand their horizons a little more…here are some of the benefits they can get by switching families during their extension period:

*  A once-in-a-lifetime chance to accomplish everything that wasn’t possible during the first year

*  A more impressive resume—more classes, an internship and better English skills are all great ways to ensure a more successful future

*  Better English skills

*  A chance to earn and save more money

*  The opportunity for more travel and sightseeing

*  Continued Basic Insurance: Au pairs are able to stay in the States with continued basic insurance at no cost to them. They also have the opportunity to buy Extended Insurance.

*  24-hour emergency service

*  Local support: No matter whether an au pair stays with her current family or goes to a new family, she will be fully supported during the extension term (by you or another Cultural Care Au Pair LCC).

Additional benefits to extending with a new family include:

*  The opportunity to explore a new area of the state or country

*  The chance to get to know a new family and meet a new group of au pairs. Au pairs who are considering a move to a new family for their extension term need your support. They may need to know and hear from you that it is okay to change families. In fact, they should change families if it will help fulfill their own personal dreams and needs. Your guidance during this decision-making process will enable them to feel good about their decision to say goodbye to their current family and hello to a new one.

If you want to extend, here’s what you need to do:

Procedure for extending with same host family

• Au pair fills out extension application in their account 60 days before 1^st year ends.
• Host family fills out extension application in their account before au pairs 1^st year ends.
• Au pair or host family pays $246 extension fee either via credit card (online or via phone) or sends in a check.
• Au pairs shows educational paperwork to LCC to have educational component verified.
• Au pair sends educational proof to Cultural Care (either via fax to 617-619-2106 or via mail).
• If au pair is not finished with required 72 hours or 6 credits, an enrollment form is sufficient for now to have the extension requested by the State Department. This happens 30 days before the end of the au pairs first year and it is mandatory that we have this or the certificates to request their extension.
• If all these steps are confirmed, the extension application is completed.
• If the au pair would like to purchase extended insurance, s/he needs to purchase it before first year is over to guarantee continued coverage.
• Once au pair has completed the required 72 hours or 6 credits he/ she needs to send proof of completion (either certificate or letter from institution on letterhead) to Cultural Care (either via fax to 617-619-2102 or via mail).
• Once Cultural Care has received proof that the au pair has completed the educational requirement new DS2019 form for the extension term will be sent to the au pair.

Procedure for extending with new host family

• Au pair fills out extension application in his/her account 75 days before 1^st year ends.
• An email for a host family reference gets sent to the current host family.
• An email for a LCC reference gets sent to the current LCC.
• Au pair pays the $246 extension fee either via credit card (online or via phone) or sends in a check.  
• Au pairs shows educational paperwork to LCC to have educational component verified.
• Au pair sends educational proof to Cultural Care (either via fax toe 617-619-2102 or via mail).
• If au pair is not finished with required 72 hours or 6 credits an enrollment form is sufficient for now to have the extension requested by the State Department.
• Once all these steps are completed the extension application is complete.
• The au pair will become available for matching.
• If AP would like to purchase extended insurance AP needs to purchase it before first year is over to guarantee continued coverage.
• Once au pair has completed the required 72 hours or 6 credits he/ she needs to send proof of completion (either certificate or letter from institution on letterhead) to Cultural Care (either via fax to 617-619-2102 or via mail).
• Once Cultural Care has received proof that the au pair has completed the educational requirement and the au pair has an new host family new DS2019 form for the extension term will be sent to the au pair.

That’s it!  If you have any further questions regarding extending, you can ask me or email the experts at extend@culturalcare.com.

LCC Regional Meeting — March 7th & 8th

Posted by: Amy Bryan on February 21, 2009

Cultural Care will be holding its annual regional LCC meeting in Philadelphia March 7th and 8th, and I will be attending.  I will have very limited phone and email access during this time.  If you have an emergency, you will need to call Account Services at 1-800-333-6056 during these two days.

Please note a change — Make-up meetings now on Wednesdays!

Posted by: Amy Bryan on February 21, 2009

Due to a change in my schedule, I will now be offering make-up meetings on the Wednesday night following our regularly scheduled meetings, instead of the next evening.

I apologize for the change, but it is due to circumstances out of my control.  Thanks for understanding!

This change has been reflected on the calendar.

Welcome, Tamara!

Posted by: Amy Bryan on February 21, 2009

Please welcome our newest au pair, Tamara from Brazil.  She just arrived to her new host family in Smyrna from the Au Pair Training School.  Please invite her to join you out for coffee or on your next trip to the mall!  Please let me know if you need her contact information and I will get it to you!

Meeting Updates–Plans through May

Posted by: Amy Bryan on February 4, 2009

The Calendar has been updated to show what’s up for the next few months.  To find out what we are doing each month, drag your mouse over the event, and a box will pop up showing you when and where we will meet.

PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW!!!!!!!!!!

February Meeting:

Monday, 23 February.  6:30 pm (18:30).  Applebee’s Restaurant, Main St. Middletown, DE.

Please plan to join us for a little get-together.  If you cannot make it, please let me know so I can plan to check in with you on Sunday, the 22nd!

March Meeting:

Sunday, 15 March, 1 pm (13:00).  Delaware Art Museum, 2301 Kentmere Parkway, Wilmington DE

 http://www.delart.org

The museum has FREE admission on Sundays.  It features lots of artwork from American and British artists.  We will meet at the museum at 1 pm and tour the exhibits.

April Meeting:

Sunday, 5 April.  Continuing Education Unit.

Time and place to be announced as I would like to arrange a guest speaker if possible.

May Meeting:

Sunday, 17 May, 3 pm.  Starbucks, Main St. Middletown.

After Mother’s Day Coffee.

A great chance for host moms to network and meet other moms in the area.  Au pairs should also plan to attend.  I hope you can join us!

New Monthly Meeting Procedures — Effective March 2009!

Posted by: Amy Bryan on February 3, 2009

Please take note of some changes to monthly meeting procedures that will begin next month.  This will hopefully allow for everyone to attend meetings and for me to not to have to track you down when you’ve missed a meeting or to have to reschedule them because of too many people not planning to attend.

Starting in March, there will be a regular meeting on a Sunday during the month, with a make-up option the next evening.  I will offer this as long as my family’s schedule allows.  If I need to make adjustments later, I will let you know!

The meetings on Sunday are the “regular” general group meetings, which could be an activity, a Continuing Education program unit or just a general get-together; it could be in the afternoon or the evening depending on the nature of the activity, so please schedule to allow for this.   This is the meeting I prefer that you attend.  I’m asking for your time one day out of the month and you are required as a participant in the au pair program to attend one group meeting a month, so please treat meeting attendance seriously! 

I do know that things can come up, though, so I will leave the next evening open, in case you are unable to make it on Sunday due to prior vacation plans, visits from family, illness or having to be on-duty.  If you tell me you are missing for any of these reasons, I will need confirmation of this from your host family.  I will not allow you to make up the meeting with a good reason!  Make – up meetings are not an excuse to miss the regular monthly meeting—they are simply being offered as an option in emergency situations.  I cannot plan two separate activities each month, so the make-up will simply be an opportunity for me to touch base with you.  Please let me know as early as possible if you cannot attend a Sunday meeting; if I don’t need to save the Monday slot to make up time with you, I may need to use this time to schedule another appointment.

The Monday make-ups will be held in one of the following locations:

*          My home (you will be allowed to stop by during specified hours which I will announce as needed).

*          Starbucks in Middletown

*          Starbucks in Bear

*          If you are farther away (Smyrna, Dover…) I can try to arrange to meet somewhere else if needed. 

I will announce these times and locations prior to each regularly scheduled meeting.

Meeting dates through May are now posted on the Calendar page.  It is your responsibility to write them down and schedule them into your month!  You should not make plans with your friends or plan to be out of town, etc. on those days unless you have already done so.  MEETINGS ARE MANDATORY and need to take priority over your social calendar!  Friends are always invited to attend, and other au pair friends are encouraged to attend!!  You will also be asked to RSVP for each meeting, so I know if I need to be available for a make-up session.  I will follow up with your host families if I do not hear from you by the RSVP deadline!!

1.            You may attend a meeting with another Cultural Care LCC.  This LCC needs to send me an email  to let me know you’ve attended their meeting instead.  This is also only meant as an option once in a while—it should not regularly take the place of my meetings!   You are welcome to attend  meetings with other LCCs whenever you want, but it’s important to attend our local group’s meeting as your check-in whenever possible, as I am the LCC who is “responsible” for you.  Since I’m posting the dates here for you to access at any time a few months in advance, this should not be an issue that often!

2.            You choose to miss the meeting for the month and take the unexcused absence.  You are only allowed 2 absences throughout the course of your au pair year.  Failure to attend at least 10 meetings during your year will result in you losing the opportunity to extend for a second year,  as well as being ineligible to have your deposit refunded when you get back home!

If you are unsure of how many meetings you’ve attended, you need to ask me.  It is also your responsibility to keep track of this.

If you have any questions about this, please ask!  Always let me know as soon as you know of vacations, visitors, etc. so I can plan ahead too!