Amy Bryan, Local Childcare Coordinator

Important Information Regarding Matching and Extended Summer Hours

Posted by: Amy Bryan on June 16, 2009

Summer is our busiest time of year and this year is no exception!  To make matching easier and more efficient, Cultural Care Au Pair is offering the following to families who are in the matching process:

Multiple Matches: We have so many au pairs that have applied to the program this year that we are able to offer families multiple matches to review in your online accounts.  The first match is considered your “primary” match.  Any others you find there are available for you to review for 48 hours.  If you would like to pursue one of the secondary candidates, just contact your Placement Manager and that au pair can be made your primary match.  You can also let me know and I can pass the word along to the Placement Team as well. We also have more au pairs–including those in transition and looking to extend–posted at culturalcare.com, as well as videos made by the au pairs themselves.

If your family or someone you know has been thinking of applying to host an au pair, I encourage you to do so now!  We have the most extensive supply of au pairs ready to come to the US to spend the year with an American family than ever before.  We have also been getting more au pairs from some of our newer recruitment countries, such as Turkey, China, South Korea, Uzbekistan and Nepal.

Extended office hours: The home office in Boston is extending business hours during the summer to be able to assist families in the matching process by offering extended weekday, as well as weekend, hours. Monday through Friday, office staff is available from 7:30 am to 8:30 pm and on weekends from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Hopefully these changes will help to expedite the matching process, as we know it can be somewhat tedious and stressful!

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me or Placement Manager Melena Tsoflias.  She can be reached at 1-800-333-6056 x3784 or at melena.tsoflias@culturalcare.com.

New Weekend Course Option in MD

Posted by: Amy Bryan on June 14, 2009

The following information is from the website of Sojourner Douglass College.  For specific information regarding dates, course offerings, location and transportation options, see the downloadable registration form!

Au Pair Course

Sojourner-Douglass College, Division of Professional and Continuing Studies is pleased to offer a weekend course dedicated to the education, training and socialization of Au Pairs in America. The weekend will include coursework in American culture, history, government, family life and personal growth while providing an opportunity to develop new friendships. During an assignment in America, an Au Pair is required to complete the equivalent of six credit hours of course work. To ensure that each participant earns the required credits hours, two, three credit hours weekend sessions will be offered. In addition each student will be required to do a paper and a project prior to the beginning of the training weekend. The weekend course work plus the paper or project is required to ensure that all credit hours requirements are met.

The Au Pair weekend is offered 6 times a year by Sojourner-Douglass College. A fee of $250 per weekend session includes coursework, lodging, social activities and meals. The Au Pair is responsible for transportation to and from the course. It is a great way for Au Pairs to receive required credit hours and meet new people. Registration is ongoing. Early registration is encouraged for first selection and added value.

Each weekend session is different, session may include but are not limited to:

Nutrition, American History, American Justice, Psychology, American Culture, History of American Music, Smithsonian System, Entrepreneurship in America, Hospitality Industry, Harlem History, American Family, Educational games, children and poisons, Storytelling through crafts and TOEFL.

Register for the Au Pair Weekend by mailing payment along with the registration form to:
Sojourner-Douglass College Au Pair Program
c/o Angela Garnett Program Coordinator
P.O. Box 4822
Upper Marlboro, Md 20775

No credit cards will be accepted. Confirmation will be emailed. Download Registration form or email info@worksdc.com.

Mail registration with checks made payable to Au Pair Weekend to:
Sojourner-Douglass College
Au Pair Program
c/o Angela Garnett Program Coordinator
P.O. Box 4822
Upper Marlboro, MD 20775

Late registration must be faxed to 1-866-855-5707

For questions call Angela Garnett, Program Coordinator at 301-213-2404 or Ann Bostic.

Special Promotion for New Families — THIS WEEKEND ONLY!

Posted by: Amy Bryan on June 13, 2009

This weekend only, Cultural Care Au Pair is waiving the $350 application fee for new families in addition to $400 off the program fee!  This is a total savings of $750; all you have to do to be eligible for this promotion is to enter PCAPP2009 when you submit your completed application.  You don’t need to give us any credit card information and are under absolutely no obligation!  You can try our matching process completely risk-free.

We have thousands of au pairs who would love to come to the US and spend a year caring for your children. NOW is the time to explore this wonderful option and expose your family to the great benefits of cultural exchange.

New Website for Young Drivers in Delaware

Posted by: Amy Bryan on June 9, 2009

This information was passed along by one of our host dads here in Middletown.  If you have any questions about obtaining your license, need to practice for the written test or need to see the Delaware Driver’s Manual, I encourage you to check this out.  I’ve put a link under the ***Useful Links*** category.

Delaware Does More for Teen Drivers

Teen Driving Website, Parent Orientation Training and Teen Driver Alert Programs Featured

Dover — Today, in Dover, Lt. Governor Matt Denn, joined by representatives of the Teen Driving Task Force - a consortium of agencies dedicated to educating youth on driving safety - Senator Brian Bushweller, students and advocates announced the roll out of new programs aimed at improving teen driving in Delaware.

Lt. Governor Matt Denn stated, “It is such an important thing to do all we can to educate and protect young drivers in Delaware. I am especially proud of how these state agencies have built a bridge of cooperation to make sure that the Teen Driver Alert program is successful.”

“In 2008, teen drivers in Delaware made up 5% of all licensed drivers, but were involved in 10% of all vehicle crashes,” explained Jennifer Cohan, Director of the Division of Motor Vehicles. “Despite being lower than when the Graduated Drivers License program began in 1998, those percentages can still be improved.”

The Delaware Does More for Teen Drivers Program features a number of components. A new website designed for the teen driver at www.teendriving.dmv.de.gov, is now active. The site is full of information, resources, and tips to help teens stay safe while enjoying their newfound freedom in the driver’s seat. A specialized training class for the parents of teen drivers - the Graduated Driver License Parent Orientation Class - is available as an hour long tool to increase parental involvement. The training course was created by the Office of Highway Safety and is free to the public.

Another positive initiative is the Teen Driver Alert Program which is a reflective magnet/sticker program aimed at GDL holders and their parents/sponsors. All Division of Motor Vehicle locations will be handing out, free of charge, a “Novice Driver” magnet or removable sticker to graduated driver license applicants and/or their parents/sponsors. This magnet/sticker can be used when teen drivers are learning to drive at home with their parents/sponsors.

The Teen Driving Task Force is a joint effort of the Division of Motor Vehicles, the Department of Education, the Office of Highway Safety, Delaware State Police, AAA Mid-Atlantic, and SmartDrive. Established in the fall of 2008, the Task Force was organized to develop a collective partnership for teen driver safety initiatives. The founding premise was to educate teen drivers and their parents/sponsors regarding the importance of safe driving skills, training, and the consequences if ignored.

Cultural Care Au Pair on ABC News!

Posted by: Amy Bryan on June 9, 2009

Cultural Care Au Pair’s Peace of Mind Guarantee made national news yesterday as families look for protection against an uncertain ecomonic climate. Our Peace of Mind Guarantee offers a financial safeguard in the case that a host parent loses a job, and this program feature, announced in March, is one reason why host moms Krysti Zeiger and Brenda Sonneveldt, both chose to host a Cultural Care au pair. Watch the story now!

Great Ideas for Summer Fun!

Posted by: Amy Bryan on June 9, 2009

Now that the older kids are out of school for a few months, the idea of keeping them happy and occupied all day can be a daunting task!  Here are some suggestions of some fun activities au pairs can do with their host children throughout the long summer months.  Be sure to get your host parents’ permission first!

Ask your host family if you and your host children can have a small part of the garden to grow some “friendship” flowers. Then take your host children to a local shop, together select and purchase some flower seeds. Plant them in your special garden. Throughout the summer you can see the seeds you planted together turn into beautiful blossoming flowers.

Plan a picnic

Pick a nice spot near your home, or even in the garden, to have a picnic. Ask children to help you get ready. Plan a game to play together and then share the food and drink you prepared. You can even do this on a rainy day, just put a blanket on the floor.

Play dates

Get together with another au pair with children of about the same age and plan to meet at a play ground or park. Make sure you bring your camera and something to drink.

Write and act a Play

Most children like to dress up and act out plays. Write a simple play with your host children. Ask them to invite their friends to participate. Help them make their costumes, build a “stage” and make up invitations for the parents to come and see it. Perhaps you can include the grandparents, aunts, uncles. Plan some simple refreshments, you can have the children help with that as well.

International Day

Pick a country you and your host children would like to learn about.(Yours maybe?) Go to the library with them and find some books about that country. As soon as you’ve picked a country, the whole family can try to all learn as much as they could about it. Let’s say you picked Greece. You could plan a Greek dinner and try to find appropriate music. You could all set the table together and then during dinner, talk about  all the things we had learned about the country we had selected. If you have an artistic host child he or she could make placemats with a map of the country drawn on it. The possibilities and ideas are endless.

Memory book

If you have not done this yet, now is a great time to start your memory book.  You can also help the children make one of their own.  You can paste in pictures, ticket stubs, etc from all the things you do together.  They can also write in their books every day about what you did.  This will be a great thing to have for all of you.  You and they will love looking back at this for years!

Plan a surprise dinner

Plan a simple surprise dinner with your host children for their parents. Take them for a walk to pick some flowers and have them help set the table. You can go to the library or on the internet to find recipes the (older) children can help make.

Treasure Hunt

Hide “treasures” around the garden (or house on a rainy day) and have the kids find them. They can dress up as pirates and start searching. Maybe a little prize at the end? Afterwards just make sure all treasures are put back where they belong.

June Meeting at the Blue Rocks game!

Posted by: Amy Bryan on June 7, 2009

I hope everyone had a great day!  Thanks for joining us!!

Frawley Stadium in Wilmington, DE.

Ana from Brazil, Monica from Colombia, Tamara from Brazil, Frauke from Germany, Rafael from Colombia, Nadine from Germany and Ariel from China sit in the stands watching the game and enjoying the warm weather.

Fun, family-friendly area events for June

Posted by: Amy Bryan on June 3, 2009

Delaware has lots of events and cultural festivals going in the month of June.  Most are free and family-friendly (the Italian festival charges a $5 admission fee for those ages 14 - 61).  If you are looking to get out and enjoy the summer weather, check out some of these events.  They are also listed on the calendar and links with further information can be found in this post as well as along the sidebar.

* Greek Festival - June 2 - 5; Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Wilmington

* Newark Nite - Saturday, June 6th; Main Street in Newark

* Italian Festival - June 7 - 14; Little Italy, Wilmington

* Chinese Festival - June 19 - 21; Chinese-American Community Center, Hockessin, DE