Au Pair in America wishes you and your family a wonderful holiday season. We thank you for the support you have given your au pairs through this difficult year and the support you have shown the au pair program. Despite COVID-19, Presidential Proclamations, and travel bans, Au Pair in America remains strong and ready to move into 2021 with an eye on ensuring that what we have experienced in 2020 is not in vain.

Our team is working fully remote now, and while we are planning on returning to the Stamford Office in the coming months, we have found that remote working can benefit our staff and customer with more flexible work hours and a focus on system improvements.

We have hosted more than 100 weekly webinars for au pairs and developed new ones specifically geared toward the challenges of COVID.

Our virtual host family day webinars were well-attended, and we will look at offering these again in the future for families. Community Counselors held virtual Zoom cluster meetings, au pairs participated in a great webinar on the US election process and a special online make-up tutorial hosted by a fellow au pair, and we are even hosting holiday story time and cocoa events for au pairs and their host children this month. Our new online orientation is being rolled out shortly and includes updated segments on social distancing, systemic racism and cultural bias, and homeschooling.

We have seen the very best in our participants shine through this year, from au pairs stretching beyond what they thought they were capable of to help their host children navigate their new school realities to families looking for ways to help au pairs have the very best year possible through understanding, support, and love.

Best Wishes for a Happy and Healthy Holiday Season.

Jean M. Quinn
Director/SVP
Au Pair in America
203-399-5025

Health and Safety Reminders

As we continue to navigate through the challenges of 2020, the health and safety of our host families and au pairs remain our first priority. We encourage host families and au pairs to meet regularly to discuss social distancing rules for their household together.

APIA Social Distancing Best Practices

Get Festive! Holiday Webinars for Au Pairs

APIA wants to make this a “December to Remember” for our au pairs. This month, we’ll be hosting several fun webinars to help our au pairs plan festive activities for children, share their culture, and celebrate the season. Encourage your au pair to grab a cup of hot cocoa and join us for some holiday cheer!

Au pairs will receive webinar registration info via email.

Visit our Au Pair Webinar page.

APIA host families, au pairs, and staff had a blast celebrating International Education Week – 2020. This week of recognition began in 2000 and is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the U.S. Department of Education. It is observed the week before Thanksgiving each year and is celebrated across the United States — and in more than 100 countries around the world!

International Education Week is an opportunity for au pairs to share their cultures with their host communities and highlight the benefits of international educational exchange programs. It’s also an opportunity for host families and children to share what they’ve learned from this incredible cultural exchange experience!

Even though we couldn’t gather in person to celebrate this year, our program participants shared their culture through games, social media fun, and with a logo design contest.

Thanks for all you do to embrace the power of cultural exchange!

Someone’s in the Kitchen

Spending some time making treats this winter? Whether you’re baking solo, or making it a family affair, one of the tastiest ways to share culture is through food. Au Pair in America loves sharing recipes from around the world on our blog and social media channels. Recent recipes have included Spanish Pisto and Swedish Chocolate Cake.

Need a pick-me-up? Try RÜDESHEIMER KAFFEE (that’s German Coffee to you)!

Learn how to make German Coffee

New Year – New You!

It’s our goal to support our au pairs throughout their entire au pair journey – from before they arrive to the US, to their return home. And once they do return home, we want to help them bridge the gap between their au pair year and their next chapter. To that end, APIA has created “Au Pair Resume and Reentry” resources, designed to help au pairs identify the transferable skills they gain through the au pair experience and leverage them for their future plans.

In early 2021, APIA will offer webinars for au pairs on resume writing and goal-setting for their return home. Please encourage your au pair to join us for this informative webinar.

Au pairs will receive webinar registration info via email.

‘Tis the Season to Be Sharing

Want to see what APIA is up to for the holidays? Be sure to follow Au Pair in America on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. And we love seeing how you celebrate, too. Be sure to tag APIA on social media to include us in your winter fun!

Additional Free Online Webinars for Au Pairs

Au Pair in America trainers offer free online webinars for au pairs several times a month throughout the year. The webinars are filled with valuable information to help au pairs get the most out of their au pair experience. There are over 20 topics offered in all. Upcoming topics include:

• Managing Play with More Than One Child
• Winter Activities for Kids of All Ages
• Homesickness: What Is It and What Can You Do?
• Help! My Kids are Fighting Again

Visit our Au Pair Webinar page

As always, we’re here to support you! Your Community Counselor is your first contact. At Au Pair in America, we take great pride in being able to provide 24-hour support to our program participants. If you cannot reach your Community Counselor and the office is closed, there is always a Regional Program Manager on call for urgent situations. To reach our after-hours emergency line, call 1-800-928-7247 and follow the prompts at the end of the message.