Au Pair of the Month
To highlight the hard work au pairs put in each day, one will be honored at the end of each month with the title of Au Pair of the Month. The winner each month will receive a $10 gift card. Au pairs can be nominated by their host families, au pair friends or Cultural Care staff. A winner will be selected from the nominations submitted via email or over the phone. Submissions should include stories or examples of why the nominee should be recognized. Reasons can range from being a supportive au pair friend, going “above and beyond” in their day-to-day duties, receiving A’s in their courses, obtaining their Driver’s Licenses, CPR certification, etc…the possibilities are endless! It’s really nice to be able to highlight the positive experiences that families have with the au pair program and hopefully recognizing the efforts of the special au pairs we have in our group will even further prove what a great option hosting an au pair can be for families.
Winners can be found below!
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FEBRUARY, 2010 - Julia, Germany
Our Au Pair of the Month for February is Julia from Germany. Julia was nominated by her host mom. Julia has been doing a great job since her arrival and has been doing a great job integrating herself into the family, including pitching in around the kitchen and helping out in an emergency.
Her host mom also says: “Julia is a hard worker, and has had very little problems adjusting. Julia is much loved by our children and it is a joy to hear our oldest son ask for Julia or say her name. Julia has already gotten her social security card, her drivers license, her bank account and some of her school registration completed. We are so glad that she has made friends with the girls in her group and have been actively looking for a dance group or class for her to join.
JANUARY, 2010 - Elisa, Brazil
Our first Au Pair of the Month for 2010 is Elisa from Brazil. Although Elisa only just arrived, she has been proactive in getting herself established here–she already took care of getting her Social Security number and registering for classes; she is now looking into getting her Delaware driver’s license.
Her host family also reports that she has been working hard and has done a good job establishing herself in her role. She’s even been speaking to the family’s baby in Portuguese to expose him very early on to a new language!
Thank you, Elisa, you’re off to a great start! I look forward to having you with us in the coming year and hope you have a wonderful experience!
DECEMBER 2009, Jenni - Australia
The Au Pair of the Month for December 2009 is Jenni from Australia. Jenni takes care of a 2 year old boy in Cecil County, MD. She was nominated by her host mom and I hope she won’t mind me sharing her thoughts on Jenni:
Jenni is our 3rd Au Pair and we were matched with her through transition which I honestly wanted no part of, however she is far the best Au Pair we have had and restore our faith in this program. As far as what we feel towards Jenni I would say the following:
Jenni has become a true asset to our family over the last nine months and we wanted to make sure that she receives the proper recognition not only from us but from the Au Pair community. Over the course of her time with us Jenni has been an integral part in raising Ethan, she taught him his colors and how to count in both English and Spanish. He has learned his alphabets and most shapes that you could throw his way. By 2 years of age Jenni began potty training Ethan and b/c of her tenacious personality and can do attitude we all survived with minimal pain. Jenni is great at providing Ethan with daily routines and the structure that we believe he needs. She is protective over him and we know we can trust her in any situation, which of course puts our minds at ease. Jenni is a great communicator and is proactive in suggesting new ideas that we take into serious consideration. She is a natural at what she does and we are so delighted that she has agreed to extend her time with us!
I would like to personally thank Jenni on behalf of Cultural Care Au Pair for her great efforts and am happy to honor her this month.
NOVEMBER 2009, Julia - Germany
Julia was nominated by her host mom for really going “above and beyond” in her duties. She says Julia has been a huge help to her family over the past couple of weeks. Here’s what she had to say:
“I can’t tell you how wonderful Julia was this week. Even more so-she offered to put the kids to bed last night while she was off just so I could get some things done. Julia took it upon herself to spend time with the kids when she was off, and helps me with them often on her own time…She really took initiative this week and planned a fun scavenger hunt for them.”
On behalf of the staff at Cultural Care Au Pair, we thank you, Julia, for being such a big help to your host family! It’s so nice to hear these great things about our au pairs. 
OCTOBER 2009, Zlatka - Czech Republic
Although Zlatka has only been with us a short time, she has done a wonderful job fitting into her new host family after transitioning here from Washington state. Her host family is so pleased to have her here!
“…we love having Zlatka! [S]he has been a pleasure from the moment we met her. She’s delightful and great with the kids they bonded with her immediately! She has put forth such a great effort when she wasn’t even officially working.“
Zlatka is so enthusiastic about her role as an au pair and her previous LCC also gave her very high praises. Therefore, for making such a great adjustment and quickly establishing yourself into your new host family, Zlatka is October’s Au Pair of the Month!
SEPTEMBER 2009 - Nina, Germany
Our Au Pair of the Month for September is a new arrival, Nina from Germany. Nina arrived in August from the Au Pair Training School and has been doing a great job integrating herself into her au pair position and her new family. Her host mom has great things to say about her, and that’s why she’s been chosen to be recognized this month.
Her host mom says, “Nina is working out great! She has already bonded with the girls quite well - very quickly with our oldest…
We love how outgoing and creative Nina is! She fits in with our family like a glove. I think she is also having fun with other au pairs, and seems to make friends easily.”
I look forward to hearing more good things about Nina in the future! Thank you for putting in the effort to get off to a great start in your au pair year!
AUGUST 2009 - Ana, Brazil
Ana was nominated by au pairs Monica, Frauke and Ariel. They all agree that Ana is deserving of recognition for the month of August because she is such a great friend to her fellow au pairs. She plans playdates with them and the little girl she cares for, who she has become very attached to since she arrived last October. In addition, they praise Ana for her positive attitude and say that she can see the good in all situations.
Ana will be extending for a second year in California at the completion of her time here in October. We wish her the best of luck! Until then, on behalf of Cultural Care Au Pair, I want to thank Ana for being such an asset to our au pair group and I hope you enjoy your gift card and the rest of your year!
JULY 2009 - Ariel, China
Ariel has been an au pair for her host family in Bear since her arrival in the US in November. Ariel is well-liked by her peers and has done a great job caring for her three little boys. Ariel really enjoys sharing her Chinese culture with others, and these are just a few of the reasons why she was nominated by her friend and fellow Cultural Care Au Pair, Frauke from Germany. Here is what she had to say about Ariel:
“I would like to nominate Ariel for the au pair of the month July!
A few reasons:
- having 3 host boys and always being relaxed
- working whenever her host family needs her without complaining
- going through all the month without a drivers licence and without a car and still being happy that she made the decision to come to the USA even though it was so though for her as a Chinese to get her licence!
- cooking Chinese to share — the REAL Chinese food (Ariel always calls Chinese food we buy here “Americanised Chinese food”)
- is patient with questions about her country and always very proud to answer them
- turning me into a Chinese-food-lover 
…and cooking it for me sooo many times!
- getting me out of the house after a crazy day with my girls
- for all the crazy weekend trips we did together
- picking me and my host kids up at the bus stop yesterday ( the 2 scheduled buses didn´t come and my host family had no car to pick us up!)…we were waiting for more than one hour when she arrived and my girls just said “Ariel is our angel because she is rescuing us now!”…and we all three really felt that way!”
On behalf of the staff at Cultural Care Au Pair, I would like to thank Ariel for going above and beyond in her au pair duties and promoting cultural exchange. She is a big help to host family and friends alike and it is a pleasure having her with us! I look forward to learning more about China and trying some “real” Chinese food!
JUNE 2009 - Rafael, Colombia
Rafa was nominated by his host mom, Sherry. He has been with their family since May of 2008 and truly goes above and beyond in caring for his 6 host kids. He had quite a job to do and has done admirably; he never once complained about his experience and has really enjoyed his time with us here in Delaware. He has also been a great au pair friend, offering frequent rides to au pairs who needed one!
Here is what Rafa’s host mom had to say in her nomination (I hope she won’t mind me sharing):
“I am sure it goes without saying that Rafa is certainly worthy of consideration for Au Pair of the Month.
He helps our family with 6 school-age children, 4 of whom we adopted and have only been in the United States for 1 year and 8 months. He is like a part of our family and is flexible, calm and has a lot of common sense (all of which are a necessity when working with so many children).
Rafa drives our children to school, takes them to doctor’s appointments, assists them with their school work, mediates “fights” between them and provides moral support for us (and them). Managing a family our size is difficult and Rafa takes it all in great stride with a sense of ease that most people would find hard to believe.”
On behalf of Cultural Care Au Pair and your host family, we thank you for the work that you do tirelessly every day. You’ve gone above and beyond to make your host family’s lives easier and richer and we all thank you!
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