Jody Landon, our lead orientation trainer, told me a story that’s a typical “beginner” mistake and testifies to the importance of clear communication between a host family and au pair. ‘…a new mom, who was also a new host mom, was nervous about diaper rash. She told her newly-arrived au pair to “change the baby [...]
Recently a frustrated host mom called to report something that happened with her au pair. She had told the new au pair to wash the kids’ faces after lunch. Shortly after she saw that their hands and clothes were covered in mac & cheese. She couldn’t understand why the au pair had only washed the [...]
Lidia from South Africa had been with her host family for 2 days when I had a call from the host mom. “Lidia doesn’t know a thing about childcare. She’s not engaging with the kids, she’s not singing to them, not telling them stories, and doesn’t seem to know what to do with a temper [...]
Annika Halder, a German au pair wrote this beautiful song with one of her host children. It’s become a hit with other au pairs, and we think it’s perfect for someone who’s suffering through homesickness or doubting their ability to adjust to life in the U.S. Of her time in the United States, Annika said, [...]
Anyone who’s done it will tell you it’s not easy to adapt to another culture. Everyone adapts differently but for the most part there are often hurdles that appear insurmountable to some of our au pairs. Let’s take a look at communication. One au pair tentatively approached me and began to cry for no apparent reason. She [...]
“This is so much more than I thought it would be” is a frequent lament of au pairs! Do we ever stop to think about the enormity of being an au pair? No matter how much childcare experience, an au pair has, she’s most probably never worked where she lives, lived with strangers, been “part-of-a [...]
In 2003, Au Pair in America partnered with the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund to provide a scholarship for a deserving young woman to come to the United States on the program. A team of community counselors, our South African agent, Symonne Wilson, and Jean Quinn, Deputy Director, went to Johannesburg to interview several final candidates [...]