Why do families want Au Pairs to take care of infants and toddlers?

Choosing an Au Pair for a family with babies is a game-changer for several reasons. An Au Pair ensures personalized care, offering one-on-one attention tailored to the infant’s unique needs. The flexibility in scheduling is ideal for parents with unpredictable work hours, providing peace of mind. With the Au Pair program, childcare happens at home, eliminating the hassle of transporting infants to external facilities. The cultural exposure an Au Pair brings enriches the infant’s environment, fostering cognitive development and cultural awareness.

Language diversity enhances early communication skills. Beyond childcare, an Au Pair becomes a supportive family member, assisting with household tasks and offering an extra set of hands. The program is often an affordable option for in-home, personalized care, making it especially appealing for families with small kids. The loving bond formed with an Au Pair contributes to a positive family dynamic, ensuring continuity of care and stability for the infant’s early years.

While having Au Pairs doesn’t guarantee kids won’t get sick, the personalized care, cultural practices, and individualized attention they offer may contribute to a healthier environment. Proactive hygiene habits, flexibility for outdoor activities, and a lower child-to-caregiver ratio could positively impact overall well-being.

Having an Au Pair can offer a unique and enriching childcare solution for families with infants, providing a blend of individualized care, cultural exposure, and practical support for both parents and the little one.

New au pair from China

 Yushan Sun (Catherine) is 21 years old. She is going to live in Philadelphia! She wrote and introduction for us! Let me share it with you:

So happy for me to join this warm Au pair family in Philadelphia.I want to be an Au pair, because I like children very much,they are very cute and lovely. When I play with them,I feel happiness and full of energy.In another hand,I want to learn more about the American culture and also make more friends from other countries,

I’m an easygoing person.I think, I can get along very well with anybody. I have many hobbies: I like reading,writing,watching movies,traveling ,hiking and cooking,I can cook many traditional Chinese foods for you to taste. I want to share Chinese culture with my friends,also learn the culture from other countries.

I like arts.There are many museums in Philadelphia,I want to visit. The most famous one is the Van Gogh’s sunflower in there. During my holiday,I want to travel around America and go to the Universal Studios, because I like Harry Potter very much.We can travel together!Can’t wait to see all of you!

Thanks for the warm words Catherine! ♥

Saying goodbye to an amazing au pair Lisa Jean Cloete

It’s always difficult to say good-bye, especially to really friendly, kind,fun and flawless au pair from South Africa Lisa Jean Cloete.

 

We hope Lisa’s au pair experience was awesome, and she will take only the best warm memories home to South Africa! But before she leaves, we would like to share her opinion about her au pair year with all of you. Here is what Lisa said :

“My experience with Go Au pair was very good, no real complaints everyone was helpful from every department.

I Loved Niagara falls and Poconos family beach house, also enjoyed Atlantic City NJ. Usually I loves spending my free time by hanging with my friends especially the ones I met in Connecticut as we would do bonfires and they showed me everything enjoyable:) I also loved spending time making new friends or meet ups with Au pairs. If I stayed home I loved NETFLIX who doesn’t lol.

I loved the experience of meeting different people from different cultures. Our Philadelphia au pair  cluster was triple the size if not more than my previous cluster. So was nice meeting all the ladies and gents. Definitely a big group of South Africans felt like home lol.  My best experience living in the US? I loved doing the travel courses like Niagara Falls etc meeting other Au pairs at courses and making new friends. I loved the feeling of being on the campus.

 

My au pair experience taught me to have lots of patience but I knew that coming into this that I would need that and to be very independent. I loved this experience, Love the culture and small traditions that American families have. Love the BBQ and learning to do a BBQ etc.  I learnt to shovel snow and a lot of it, I learnt how to BBQ and how to paddle board and Kayaking.

My favorite Au pair meeting was the Christmas party as we all came together did the secret Santa and made yummy dishes from our countries. Plus most of the group was there that day, so met a whole lot of new faces.  I would recommend being an au pair but I recommend it to people that are at least 21 and up so they have more childcare experience and have some driving experience which you need.  I hope all the Au pairs in the cluster and Polina have a lovely year further and may you all have some fun meetings ahead. Don’t forget to have fun and travel. Go Au pair keep up the great work. Thank you all for being amazing xoxo” LISA

Have a safe trip back home, Lisa, and thanks a lot for sharing with us!

 

TV limits. How Much TV Should Kids Watch?

Kids are spending more time with screen media than ever before.  The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) — one of the only established organizations to make recommendations on screen time — offers guidelines that put limits on media exposure.

The average American child watches a few hours of TV a day, despite a recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) that kids 2 and older watch no more than one to two hours daily. The AAP recommends that kids under 2 watch nothing at all.

Because of a busy life, parents often use videos or television as a babysitter.  Many modern families choose the Au Pair Program instead. Over 20,000 American families each year prefer Au Pairs to nannies and daycares for childcare.

Au Pairs have a vested interest in being a great childcare provider because they are young, sporty, inspired and motivated to be a great role model for the kids.  It is common keeping kids active and healthy with the Au Pair help.
Here are some ideas what an Au pair can do with the host family kids at home instead of watching TV, playing video games or surfing on the computer. 

You can view summer activities at Go Au Pair blog  a list of summer activities.  As parents, we should teach our kids to make healthy choices when it comes to screen time, just like anything else that affects kids health.

 

 

 

 

 

Yoselin, our transition Au Pair from El Salvador

Now my Au Pair mission goes on with a new interview.
Around six weeks ago a new Au Pair joined our cluster. Her name is Yoselin and she’s a transition Au Pair, who moved from the New Jersey cluster. Like all new Au Pairs in our cluster, she answered me some questions about herself and her life as an Au Pair in the States.

I decided to be an Au Pair to have an international experience. Since that makes you grow as an individual. You can enjoy the time with the kids paricipating their activities and still explore a lot in the US.

She loves singing, reading, shopping, doing sports like swimming and going to the gym. Additionally she likes to spend time with friends.

My best experience during the last months was my move to my new host family in Pennsylvania.

Yoselin characterizes herself as patient, friendly and tolerant.

A big wish of her is getting a degree in Canada.

In my free time I like to travel. Some places, I want to go are some other states in the US, e.g. Washington and California. I’ve already been to Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey.

Things, I think I’m really good at are singing and languages.

From the time as an Au Pair here in the United States, I expect to have a lot of fun, make good memories and study. Furthermore I would like to  make new friends and to visit more unknown places – especially now in my new cluster around Philadelphia.

Yoselin, I wish you a great time at your new family and say again: Welcome to our cluster in Philadelphia! Have a great time!

 

Our second new Au Pair: Nicole from Germany

In the last post I wrote about Jenny, our new Au Pair from Germany. Now I have the chance to introduce our second German Au Pair Nicole to you. She answered my interview questions and said a few things about herself. To get to know the new area and have a easy start, she has a buddy: Cherry from South Africa.

 

I am 20 years old, turning 21 in July *yippie*. I came from Hamburg, which is a big city in the north of Germany. I finished my A-Levels last year and now it’s up to decide which way to go. I love languages. So I thought about doing something in that direction, but I am also very into psychology and criminology. I am happy when I have the possibility to get to know other people and different life stories. So I am hoping that this travel will be a life-changing experience and that it will be one of my best years. 🙂 Looking forward to meet you!

She characterizes herself as happy, fair, curious.

I want to be an Au Pair,  because I love kids, I always wanted to have siblings, so thats a way to get this experience. And I think it’s one of the best ways to learn the language and to get to know the country.

 My love in life is dancing. I like singing, reading and listening to music. Travelling is a huge part of my life. And I guess I could never live without pets.

One of the best things during the last month was that we flew with a little airplane to New Jersey. That was exciting!

If she had one wish it would be: to know what she wants.

First of all, I would like to see Miami. But I would like to see the west coast, too.

I think everything is meant to be. But you still can choose how you handle certain things and that can make a change.

Two things she considers to be very good at are dancing and keeping order.

During the time as an Au Pair in Philadelphia she hopes to learn more about herself and about the country, the people and the way of life.

Nicole, given that it’s  the first time for you in the US as well, I can say – from my own experience – you will have a great year here and we are happy to welcome you in our cluster! And during time in the US you have the chance to travel and learn a lot – one of the things you enjoy to do!

The Au Pairs Christmas party. Sweet moments.

Every year there is a big Christmas party for Au Pairs from Go Au Pair agency with many different activities.

This year  our Christmas party included a sweet activity- a desert contest.

Thanks to the host family from Bucks County for hosting our party. We had really sweet moments during our party enjoying a delicious dessert and having fun time selecting the winners.

The judges – the Au Pairs- sampled desserts and chose the winners. Everyone had one candy and an opportunity to vote for the best dessert.

Au Pairs choose three winners of the contest.

The Au Pair Annie from Mexico

The Au Pair Jacqueline from China

The Au Pair Joana from Colombia

I want to thank everyone for participating in the contest. There were many different deserts, and I tried many of them, and each one could have easily been the winner. Congratulations to all the winners and participants.

Related articles

• A photo contest for Au Pairs. (goaupairphiladelphia.wordpress.com)
• Au Pair’s wonderful Thanksgiving in Houston (goaupairphiladelphia.wordpress.com)
• A Special Moment- Volunteering at the Philadelphia Marathon! (goaupairphiladelphia.wordpress.com)

A photo contest for Au Pairs.

On Saturday, December 14, 2013 is our annual Christmas party at Peddlers Village, Lahaska, Bucks County, PA.  Take as many photos as you can during the party for the photo contest for Au Pairs.  Any funny photos from the party or a photo of having fun with other Au Pairs will be great for this contest.You need to send me a photo by email pkravets@goaupair.com before December 20, 2013 with a description.

This competition runs from December 15 to December 30, 2013 at 11:59 EST.

Terms:

• One photo from the Au Pair’s Holiday party or a photo of having fun with other Au Pairs.
• Open to Au Pairs only
• All Federal, State, Local, and Municipal laws and regulations apply
• No purchase or payment is necessary

Submission Deadline: December 19, 2013, midnight.
The winners will be selected by the readers of my blog.
Prize: The top 3 winners will receive a $25, $15, and $10 Gift Certificates
Dates:
December 19, 2013 all photos must be received no later than midnight.
The top 8 photos will be posted to this website and entrants will be notified.
From December 20, 2013 to December 30, 2013 Vote for your favorite photo
December 30, 2013 All votes must be submitted by midnight.
January 1, 2014 The votes will be tabulated, and the winners contacted.

Be creative. Good Luck.

Related articles

• Au Pair’s wonderful Thanksgiving in Houston (goaupairphiladelphia.wordpress.com)
• A Special Moment- Volunteering at the Philadelphia Marathon! (goaupairphiladelphia.wordpress.com)
• Are you thankful for your au pair? (iapa.org)

Au Pairs Holiday party and a fun photo contest!

Time flies and the Holiday season is almost here. On Saturday, December 14, 2013 at 12:00 pm is a Holiday Party in Peddlers Village, Lahaska, Bucks County, PA.  

Party’s schedule: exploring Peddler’s Village, dining at Cock ‘n Bull Restaurant, and eating dessert at the host family house nearby with a gift exchange, games, contests and fun. 

Optional: Explore Peddlers Village at night to enjoy the Christmas decorations and lights for more fun.

I am also planning to start a photo contest for an Au Pairs.  Take as many photos as you can during the party. The information about the contest is following.

Related articles

• Au Pair’s wonderful Thanksgiving in Houston (goaupairphiladelphia.wordpress.com)
• The positive impact of Au Pairs volunteering for causes in the US. (goaupairphiladelphia.wordpress.com)
• Au Pair’s awesome class (goaupairphiladelphia.wordpress.com)

Love is everywhere at my host family’s home.

Ophelia’s Diary.

If you step into our living room, a keepsake from Go Au Pair to my host family will show up in front of you. My host mom is so thoughtful, she hanged the gift from Go Au Pair agency on the wall of our living room. They can see the picture of their child Theo and me every day.

As Christmas is coming soon, our church organized a “Gifts for children in need” program. I invited my host to attend this program.

They helped collect a lot of gifts for the poor children. I am so grateful for this.

I love my host family. They are a loving family.

I still remember the first week I was here, my host dad helped me find the information about the Chinese church in Philadelphia. Thanks to my host dad’s help, I made a lot of friends in the church.

Living in such a loving family, I am sure Theo will grow up very happy.

Read more stories from Ophelia’s Diary.

Related articles

• An Au Pair Vs. Nanny: What’s The Difference? (peekaboochildcare.wordpress.com)
• Helpful Tips for Au Pairs (goaupairphiladelphia.wordpress.com)
• Iapa (wysetcwetm.wordpress.com)