Massachusetts - Au Pair in America

State Information

Au Pair in America in Massachusetts

Regional Update | Driving in Massachusetts | Education in Massachusetts | Tourist Information

Regional Update

Regional Presence:
Au Pair in America has 18 clusters in the New England states of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. The majority of the almost 400 families live in Eastern Massachusetts but population centers across the area served.

Quarterly Message:
January 2010
Region 1 welcomes 2010 and the winter!

After a great holiday season with holiday parties and a variety of cultural events, counselors are busy planning fun activities for the first three months in 2010. Regional meetings will include a ski trip, snow tubing and karaoke singing, and cluster meetings will be held monthly by all Community Counselors. Au Pairs will learn or practice ice skating, go snow tubing, do Valentine’s crafts, learn how to say “I love you” in many different languages and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with the Irish! Host families can feel the relief from sick days and snow days, knowing that their au pair is ready to stay home with the children. This flexibility is unique to an au pair program!

Regional Representative:
Heidi Schnabel has been a community counselor for Au Pair in America since September 2000 in Newton, MA. After having moved to the western suburbs, she is now a counselor for several towns in the Metro west area. In November 2007 she became the regional representative for the New England Region.

Her main responsibilities as a regional representative are offering field support in the region, interviewing and training new counselors, planning meetings and sharing information with the counselors in the New England region, and supporting marketing efforts in the area.

Heidi was born in Germany and is now married to an American. She and her husband met traveling in South America. Heidi "won" her Green Card in the lottery, so she says, “Everything is possible!” She has an MA in Social Education from Germany and trained at Woodbury College, VT, in Conflict Resolution.

Heidi has two school-aged children who are growing up bilingual.

Driving Information for Au Pairs

Visit the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles website for information about driving in Massachusetts.

Educational Information for Au Pairs

The information listed here is your starting point to fulfilling the education requirement. Your community counselor will have the most popular and affordable choices in your area.

The schools listed here are not all reasonable options. Ask your community counselor for the schools closest to you.
Continuing Education (also Adult Education or Lifelong Learning) classes are generally the most affordable options for au pairs.

Review the cost, class schedule, and transportation needed for the classes you are interested in with your host family. You need to be responsible about selecting courses that meet at times that will not conflict with your work schedule. Take into consideration the time it will take to travel between home and the campus. Your host family must approve your plans.
Host families reimburse tuition costs and costs of related materials (books and supplies) up to $500 ($1000 for EduCare) for you to complete your six semester hours (12 for EduCare), or the equivalent. You are responsible for all payments for tuition, fees, books and materials that exceed the host family’s contribution. Education money is not paid to you in cash if you do not use the complete amount.

For more detailed information about the education requirement and education in the US, click here to see the ABCs of Education.

Boston Academy of English
http://www.bostonacademyofenglish.com

Boston University Metropolitan College
http://www.bu.edu

Bristol Community College
http://www.bristol.mass.edu

Bunker Hill Community College
http://www.bhcc.mass.edu/

Cambridge College
http://www.cambridgecollege.edu/

Clark University
http://www.copace.clarku.edu/

Cape Cod Community College
http://www.capecod.mass.edu/web/guest/home

Framingham State College
http://www.framingham.edu

Harvard Extension School
http://www.extension.harvard.edu

Hebrew College
http://hebrewcollege.edu/

Lesley University
http://web.lesley.edu/admissions/professional.asp

Mass Bay Community College
http://www.massbay.edu/

Mass College of Art
http://www.massart.edu

Massasoit Community College
http://www.massasoit.mass.edu

Merrimack College
http://www.merrimack.edu

Middlesex Community College
http://www.middlesex.mass.edu/

Montserrat College of Art
http://montserrat.edu

North Shore Community College
http://www.northshore.edu

Northeastern University
http://www.northeastern.edu

Northern Essex Community College
http://www.necc.mass.edu

Pine Manor College
http://www.pmc.edu/eli

Quincy Community College
http://www.quincycollege.edu

Quinsigamond Community College
http://www.qcc.edu

Regis College
http://www.regiscollege.edu

Salem State College
http://www.salemstate.edu/ce

University of Massachusetts
http://www.umass.edu/

Worcester State College
http://www.worcester.edu/

Tourist and Other Information

For events around town and activities to do with children: boston.babyzone.com
Online news and information for Western Massachusetts: www.masslive.com/
Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau: www.bostonusa.com/
Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism: www.mass-vacation.com/
Family oriented site with listings by town: bostoncentral.com