Summer Au Pair Program

The Summer Au Pair Program was a 3-year pilot program started by the U.S. Department of State in 2005.  As it was only a pilot program, the Department of State terminated this particular au pair program in 2009.  Go Au Pair continues to get a lot of inquiries regarding this program.  Unfortunately, because this summer program was terminated, the Department of State is no longer issuing au pair visas for au pairs wanting to come for the short summer months.  


The au pair visa, as allowed by the Department of State, is restricted to only those who are willing to commit to a one year program.  Families looking for short term care for the summer months can look at au pairs who are in the US already and looking to finish out their visas with a new family (they are called Transition au pairs).  Those au pairs would be placed in your home for the remaining months on their visa, so you may have an au pair who stays a few months beyond the summer months.  


There is also the option to get an au pair who is completing her first year and wants to extend with another family for 6, 9, or 12 months.

The Au Pair Bedroom

Unlike some cultural or student exchange programs, the au pair cannot share a bedroom with the children or with another adult.  One of the things the Local Area Representative is required to check when doing the Host Family Interview when a Host Family submits an application for the program is whether the Au Pair Room meets the Department of State and Go Au Pair's requirements.

In general, the local area representative will look to ensure that the au pair will have:

** a private room with a door that locks
** a room that is not used for other purposes that would require the host family to have to be going in and out of the room (ie. storage room, den, etc.)
** a room that provides a comfortable atmosphere including adequate lighting, a bed, dresser, desk, etc.
** a room with a bathroom nearby that would not be shared with the host parents (it is okay if she shares the bathroom with the children)

What is a DS-2019?

Once an au pair arrives, there are a lot of questions regarding their paperwork.  One of the main questions asked is "What is a DS-2019?"

What I always tell my au pairs and families is to look for the form that the au pair was given by their US Sponsor Agency (in our case, Go Au Pair) to take to the US Embassy to apply for their Au Pair Visa (basically, their visa application form).  It is a white form with a bar code on the right hand side.  This form was stamped when they entered the US and should be kept in a safe place as it is not replaceable.

When an au pair travels outside of the US, she will need the DS-2019 form validated by her sponsor agency (Go Au Pair) before she leaves the US.  She will be asked to provide the form when re-entering the US at the port of entry.  This proves that she her visa status is in good standing.  Without the form, she would be denied re-entry.

In order to have the form validated, you will need to FedEx or UPS (don't send it regular post as I said above the form is irreplaceable) it, along with $30 so that they can return it to you, to Go Au Pair--151 East 6100 South, Murray, UT 84107. The responsible officer at Go Au Pair will sign the form and return it via Fed Ex to you.  Note that you only need to have the form validated once, so if you decide to travel multiple times during your year, just be sure to take the form with you when you travel.

Free Food At Chick-Fil-A

Au Pairs!!  I have a fun activity for you to do with the children tomorrow.  If there is a Chick-fil-A in your area (you can find out by going to www.chickfila.com and find your location), tomorrow is their annual "Cow Appreciation Day".  You dress yourself and the children up like cows and they will give you each a free meal!  They even have printable cow spots, hats, etc to help you get dressed.  

You can go anytime tomorrow during the morning, afternoon, or evening.  They will also have other fun activities, the cows will be there to take pictures, and they always have a play area.

Easy Fruit Dip Recipe

Here's an easy fruit dip recipe that au pairs can make for the children to snack on a variety of fruits during these hot summer months.  My kids love helping me make this!

Simply combine with a (hand-held or stand up) mixer (to taste):

Marshmallow Creme
a few Tbsp of Orange Juice Concentrate
Cream Cheese

I like to serve it with fruits such as bananas, strawberries, melon, cantaloupe, apples, oranges, mangoes, etc.

Busy Bags

A group of us are getting together next week to do a "Busy Bag Exchange".  I had never heard about it before my friend planned this exchange and I love the idea!  I thought it would be fun to share with you so that either au pairs can get together to do it or even mothers who are interested can put something together.

Here is a link to what Busy Bags are:  http://therigneys.wordpress.com/2011/08/26/toddler-busy-bag-swap/.  Basically it's a bag full of different learning activities for young children to do to keep busy (at home, in the car, at church, in waiting rooms, etc). We have a group of 21 women getting together.  Each person is assigned or chooses an activity that they will make for each child and when we get together, each of us will get one of each activity in a separate plastic baggie to bring home to use for our children--making 21 different activities for our kids to choose from!  Obviously I'll keep the big bag at home and just take a few different ones each time I go out.  

One thing we made sure of is to ask everyone to laminate anything that is made of paper so that they stay good for a long time.

Here are some links to other Busy Bag Ideas:

http://theprincessandthetot.blogspot.com/2011/07/toddler-busy-bags.html

http://www.mydeliciousambiguity.com/2010/06/toddler-busy-bag-activities.html

http://www.mydeliciousambiguity.com/2010/09/toddler-busy-bag-activities-month-3.html

http://www.gerberadesigns.com/triedandtrue/?p=505

http://moneysavingmom.com/tag/busy-bag-ideas

Things to Look for in an Au Pair's Application

Before you start looking at au pair applications, here are a few tips on what you  may want to look for to make sure she is the right fit for your family.  This will help you narrow your search down to the candidates that you really want to call and interview further.

** Childcare experience. What are your needs?  What are you expecting from your au pair?  What ages is the au pair experienced in and what ages are your children?  Do you have multiple children?  Does the au pair have experience taking care of more than one child at a time?

** Something that makes the right candidate stand out. Is there something extra that would make the au pair that much more fit for your family?  Perhaps she plays the piano, enjoys hiking, speaks a certain language, etc?

** Letter and photo collage. You can find out a lot about a person and what is important to them in both the pictures they submit as well as their letter.

** References. Look at their past experience and length of time they held other child care positions.  Read over the references and see what they have to say about the au pair.

** Driving experience. What are your driving requirements?  Do you live in a city?  Rural area?  What kind of traffic will she be driving in?

Featured Country--Brazil

Each month Go Au Pair features a country and offers a $100 discount for families who match with an au pair from that country.

For the month of July, the featured country is Brazil.  I personally have a place in my heart for the people of Brazil as my husband is Brazilian.  I've been to Brazil four times and have fallen in love with the people, the food, the culture, and the Portuguese language.  They are a warm, fun-loving, happy people with a strong dedication to family and friends.

Click here to find out more information on the Brazilian culture, language, food, etc.

Kids Bowl Free

Looking for something fun to do this summer with the kids? I have my kids signed up for this free bowling program and I thought I'd share it with you--it may be the perfect solution for au pairs looking to get the kids out of the house for a few hours!

Simply go to www.kidsbowlfree.com, select your state, and sign each child up.  You'll get coupons online for two free games of bowling every day! You only pay for the shoe rental.

Happy 4th of July!

Have a wonderful 4th of July!!

As the Go Au Pair offices are closed today, please contact your Local Area Representative with any emergencies.

Fun Idea for Kids--Origami

Go Au Pair recently sent out a newsletter to all au pairs with ideas for entertaining the children.  One idea was origami making.  Here is the link to the article (that was also posted on the Go Au Pair blog) if you are interested in doing this activity with your host children!