Au Pair Webinars

Our au pair webinar series has continued to help au pairs feel connected with the program and each other over the past few months.

Webinars are hosted by our experience orientation trainers, and each session includes a Q & A at the end so au pairs can engage, ask questions and take part in discussion.

We are delighted to continue to offer a wide variety of topics throughout the fall months. Webinars include content focused around child care, personal development, practical tips and safety, all designed to help au pairs be successful on the program. We encourage you to participate in these sessions!

Sessions include:

• Homework: Finding the Right Strategy for Your Child
• Activity Time: Infants & Toddlers
• Homesickness: What Is It and What Can You Do?
• No Time for Boredom: Activities to do with Preschoolers
• Temper Tantrums: Helping Your Child When They Feel Out of Control
• Talk Talk Talk – Speech and Language Activities for Young Children
• Reading: The Pleasure and Importance of Reading with Children
• Successfully Communicating with Your Host Family

Visit our Au Pair Webinar page.

Regulation Reminder – Keeping on Track

Over the past few months, au pair schedules have been varied (to say the least) as families grappled with online schooling, working from home, being essential workers and different levels of lockdown all around the country! Keeping any kind of regular schedule at home has been extra challenging. Please remember that the basics of the Department of State regulations do not change even when schedules change.

Reminder:

• Au pairs can work a maximum of 10 hours a day and 45 hours per week.
• The au pair is entitled to 1½ days off each week, which means that if her hours are spread over 6 days, one of those work days cannot exceed 5 hours of work.
• Au pairs get a full weekend off every month, from Friday night to Monday morning.
• Any hours that an au pair has responsibility for the children, even if they are sleeping, are considered work hours.

If you need any advice or guidance regarding your au pair’s schedule please reach out to your community counselor.

Download this easy-to-use form to plan the au pair’s schedule and help everyone keep on track with the hours!

25 Fun Activities for Children and Au Pairs

Here are some great ideas for keeping children busy at home and having fun at the same time.

1. Have kids write notes/letters the old fashioned way, and if you have stamps, mail them!
2. Make a favorites “to do” list with the children so they are part of the decision making process.
3. Use Skype and/or FaceTime to video chat with family members/friends they have not seen for a while.
4. Have children sing their favorite song and record it. Send it to the parents as a surprise.
5. Watch a happy movie together with the kids, then discuss the characters afterwards.
6. Teach kids how to make their own face masks for the quarantine.
7. Have the kids paint each other’s fingers and toes — or maybe even yours!
8. Have each family member write down the top 5 or 10 things they are grateful for, then read them out loud.
9. Watch Frozen 2 (you might even get to watch it about 500 times if your kid really enjoys it!).
10. Play board games like Scrabble and Pictionary.
11. Bake cookies or brownies together.
12. Have an indoor scavenger hunt.
13. Have everyone list the first 5 things you want to do after the quarantine is over, including you.
14. Enjoy the Mad Scientist Color Wheel with those 6 and under.
15. If you have a backyard, try bubble prints to send to grandparents or other family members
16. Watch the jellyfish webcam at the Georgia Aquarium. There are others too!
17. Wash your hands after every activity. Explain to the kids why this is important during the quarantine AND all the time.
18. Have a dance party every day around 30 minutes before nap time.
19. Have everyone write a mini book about their experiences in quarantine. They can draw pictures like a coloring book. Then put them in a safe place and pick a date in the future to read them.
20. Have a “play checkers” time. Teach the little ones who don’t know how.
21. Teach everyone to play Charades.
22. Everyone will love watching animals, especially puppies on a webcam.
23. If you live near birds, pick out 3 of the ones kids can see, and have them draw a picture and do some research. Then write 3-5 facts about them.
24. Play follow the leader, get silly, in and around the house. Take turns being the leader.
25. Wash your hands again!! Make it a game, pick a favorite song or do a dance for  20 seconds.

We have to get through this with a smile, so find ways to keep smiling with the children.

See more activity ideas

Social Distancing

Social Distancing is still the name of the game! We strongly encourage host parents and au pairs to talk to each other about household decisions around social distancing. This is especially important now that different states across the country are in different phases of re-opening. We suggest you talk openly about this topic on a regular basis to ensure that everyone in the household is on the same page. Here are some helpful suggestions and our recommendations.

Download our guide to social distancing