As LCCs, you have significant ties to the community and to the host families who may have been on the program for a number of years. To a new au pair, this may be intimidating and they may feel like they are on the outside of a longstanding relationship in addition to feeling like the “new girl/guy in town”. This can potentially lead to an au pair feeling less able to reach out to you if they have a concern. It’s important to make sure that both the host family and au pair know that you are a resource for both of them and that their concerns are important to you. Be sure to review this important part of your role with them during that 48 hour check-in call and, again, at the orientation meeting. It’s one of the many items you will review in those initial days, but this is an important topic to cover to make sure that an au pair knows that they have a friend and a wonderful resource in their LCC and that while they may be the newest one in the neighborhood, they are certainly not on their own.

Cultural Care Au Pair is unconditionally and irrevocably in love with New Moon!

Cultural Care au pairs, host parents, LCCs and staff watched the premiere of New Moon together in an exclusive showing! The theater in Framingham, MA was all ours as we settled in with popcorn, soda and candy to watch the latest saga with Bella, Edward, Jacob and the rest of the Twilight gang. Watch the movie to get the full scoop!

Should I consider extending my year with my current au pair?

The extension program is a great opportunity for host families and au pairs to spend another year together. As a host family, there are many benefits to extending your year with your au pair. Most significant, of course, is the chance to secure another 12, 9, or 6 months of uninterrupted childcare coverage from an au pair that you know and trust. It is a relief to know that someone you’ve come to rely on can stay beyond her one-year term. For more details, watch my video.

What kind of support can I expect from my local coordinator during my au pair year?

Your Local Childcare Coordinator (or LCC) will be an invaluable resource to both you and your au pair during your year. Not only does your LCC act as a liaison between you, your au pair and your Program Director, she or he will alsoprovide advice as well as support throughout the year on practical issues. Watch the video for more details.

As the holidays approach and everyone scurries around to finish their shopping, I thought it might be helpful to provide some helpful advice regarding gift-giving on behalf of the au pairs specifically. Families often provide thoughtful gifts such as framed photographs, gift cards to area restaurants and attractions, “coupons” for an extra vacation day, and sentimental gifts such as personalized gifts from the children to the au pair. While gift-giving is not the central focus of the holiday season, it is something that causes some stress and anxiety. The au pairs have limited resources but oftentimes wish to give something to the host children as an expression oflove and thanksand to participate in the spirit of the season. A great tip to provide the host families in your group is to suggest that they proactively discuss this issue with their au pair and provide some appropriate parameters. Some helpful suggested guidelines are:

• If they wish to give something, a homemade gift would mean the most
• Suggest a $10 limit per child for the au pair to spend
• Give the au pair coupons or gift cards towards their purchases to offset the cost
• Give the au pair money directly to purchase gifts so that they are not out of pocket
• Suggest free gifts such as coupons for activities the kids love like a trip to the park, movie night, or an afternoon baking cookies

Showing someone you care doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. Having a simple conversation including some of these suggestions may help an au pair to understand how to celebrate the season on a budget.

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, Lee Anna Whitely, Cultural Care local childcare coordinator in Stamford, CT asked her group of au pairs what so share why there were thankful for their host families. Her au pairs, all living in the Stamford, CT area, shared a lot of reasons why they are appreciative of their host parents and children. Here are just a few of their responses:

I am thankful for my host family because they ARE like a family for me. I’m grateful for all those little moments that keep me from being homesick. It could be sitting at the dinner table with everybody and joking around, having friendly conversations with my host parents or chasing little Dilly through the house and seeing his big smile! —Annika from Germany

I am thankful for my host family because they always care about what I need and what I want to do. They know my interests and my favorite foods. They make me feel at home. —Wang from China

I’m thankful for my host family because they are so organized in giving me my schedule in advance and letting me know the plans for the day. They include me in their plans as much as they can. They give me privacy and they are always ready to help me when I need it. And especially because they have the most lovable children I could take care of. —Leticia from Brazil

I’m thankful for my lovely host kids because the best part of the day is picking them up from school and see them jumping into my arms with a big happy smile. —Ines from Germany

I’m thankful that my host family is so understanding. I’m thankful that they’ve made me feel like a family member from my first day here. I’m thankful for them bringing me with them to Washington and to celebrate holidays. I’m thankful for feeling appreciated. —Malin from Sweden

I am thankful for my host family because they trust me by letting me take care of their little girl. They give so much and I am thankful for being a part of their family. —Laura from Germany

Cultural Care Au Pair would like to express our deepest thanks to our wonderful au pairs, host families and LCCs this week. We hope you have a wonderful holiday and enjoy lots of turkey with all the fixin’s!

Want to share what YOU are thankful for? Tell us about it!

I recently had the incredible opportunity to travel to Berlin, Germany with Local Childcare Coordinators from across the country. We were able to be a part of history as the city of Berlin was alive with energy and excitement in celebration of the 20^th anniversary of the reunification of the East and West and fall of the Berlin Wall. While the city was celebrating a 20 year anniversary, Cultural Care was also celebrating our 20 year anniversary as an organization. I was struck by the connection between these two significant events and felt it was important to dedicate this week’s Nat Chat to this experience. Each day we know that we are breaking down cultural barriers and walls of ignorance through bringing people of different cultures together who find a way to become a family. Children understand the world in a different way because of the love and kindness shown to them by their au pair. They learn that we are more alike than we are different and that friendships based on mutual understanding can overcome any obstacle, including differences in culture and far distances. Au pairs understand that they can be welcomed as a part of an American family and that connection doesn’t end simply because they return to their home country. They learn that as much as they give, that what they receive from their experience is so much more than they could have imagined. I am proud to be a part of Cultural Care and I consider myself lucky to be a part of a program that can have such a profound impact on the world. As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, I am reminded of what I am thankful for. I am thankful for this opportunity. I am also thankful for the hundreds of LCCs across the country who provide support and guidance to the thousands of host families and au pairs who are making this program work each and every day. I am thankful for the au pairs who make the brave decision to come to a new country and give everything they can and I am thankful for the host families who open their home, family, and their hearts to this experience.

How much time should I be spending with my au pair?

Families often wonder how much time they should spend with their au pairs. There is no magic formula because every situation is different, but there are some general guidelines.

Because the au pair program is a cultural exchange program, au pairs expect to be part of an American family – meals, holiday, family activities. But your au pair will also want to be with her friends and experience American culture outside of your home. Through understanding and communication, you can find a balance that works for both of you. Watch the video to learn more.

The issue of appropriate au pair attire during working hours is something I have often been asked about. As au pairs have different fashion tastes as well as different ideas of what they may consider appropriate, it can be helpful to review this issue at your monthly meeting to provide them with some perspective they may not have considered. While many au pairs may dress in what is “comfortable” to them, it’s important that they consider the message they may be sending to the children in their charge as well as to their host family. The recent change in seasons represents a great example of this. The au pair serves as a role model for the host children and as the weather gets colder, it’s helpful if they dress in more seasonally appropriate clothing so that the children make that shift as well. Children often want to continue to wear their summer wardrobe despite the dipping temperatures outside, but if an au pair continues to wear tank tops and flip flops, it can be hard to have them understand why they are the only ones who need to dress for winter. In addition, the family may worry that if an au pair is not dressing in warm enough clothing themselves, they may not be making it a priority for the children to dress warmly enough either. While au pairs are adults and are certainly free to make their own choices regarding clothing, they may not realize that those choices may impact more than just themselves. Providing them with some practical advice in this regard may help to avoid some uncomfortable conversations between families and au pairs and to give them the chance to dress for success.

With new technology developing each and every day, it can sometimes be hard to keep up with the latest and greatest trends. Once upon a time email was the new way to communicate and now text messaging has swept the world over as the premier quick, easy, and cheap way to check in with friends and family while you are on the go. While it may not be everyone’s preferred method of communication, it’s important we recognize that, back at home, text messaging is standard procedure for many of our au pairs.

During the matching process, many families will send an introductory email to their prospective au pair and become frustrated when they don’t hear back from them right away. What they may not realize is that email is very expensive and not as accessible to au pairs in many parts of the world as it is here in the U.S. However, nearly every au pair has a mobile phone and nearly all of those phones have text messaging or SMS (short message service) capability. So, next time you have a family looking to send a quick message to set up a time to talk or check in, suggest that they send a text message to them instead of an email. They are likely to receive it faster and respond sooner.

Who knows how communication will continue to evolve over the next few years and what the next new gadget will be, but for the moment it appears that email is out and text messaging is in!