Susan Wildeboer: Childcare Expert

On a deliciously warm, end of the summer day, host families and au pairs gathered to carve Halloween pumpkins. For many au pairs it was their first, ever, carved all by themselves, pumpkin. You can see they are very pleased with their creations.
. . . . . . . . . . . This holiday is huge in the US, but most au pairs have never celebrated this event and they LOVE it! We ended the day with a group photo and I snapped family photos too. This was a combined event of two au pair groups from Mountain View, Los Altos, Palo Alto and Gilroy.

The two special cards in the photo above were made by the children these au pair’s care for everyday. It’s great to have one cake for your birthday - well how about FOUR cakes and 14 birthdays to celebrate? That’s what we enjoyed together at our April meeting. Everyone brought a gift and a card, we drew names out of a hat and spent time visiting with one another before we exchanged gifts. My Latin au pairs came on strong to make awesome cakes, I added the candles and we all sang Happy Birthday to each other.

For our March au pair meeting we split up into smaller groups and played games. In the photo above you see some “Pictionary pals”. It was fierce and friendly competition and even the losers had fun. (See the photo below!)In the other room they were playing hot potato with the Catch Phrase game.
Of course there had to be some tasty treats too - so everyone brought their favorite toppings for ice cream and we had a delicious make-your-own-Ice Cream Sundae Bar!

Julieth and Lizzie couldn’t make it to our monthly meeting, when we played Laser Tag, so they came to my house the other night to visit. We were chatting about their time here in the US, their host families, their time caring for the children and what they were learning about the US. I was looking forward to the SuperBowl, so I had my two cheeseheads sitting on the couch. I asked them, “Do you know what a cheesehead is?” They did not. In the urban dictionary the first definition is: “Someone from Wisconsin. A proud term, not derogatory.” The second definition is: “A Wisconsinite. A Wisconsinite who supports the Green Bay Packers professional football team. Anyone who supports the Green Bay Packers professional football team. An orange foam headpiece initially manufactured in the shape of block of cheddar cheese (sporting swiss cheese-like holes, go figure) by Foamation, Inc. of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to be worn proudly by cheeseheads everywhere.” I asked them if they liked American football and Lizzie said “Oh Yes! I really like it!” I explained these two cheeseheads were very precious to me, because I grew up, not in sunny California, but in the frozen North, in a state named Wisconsin and in a town just south of a small city named Green Bay. And there is a football team in that small city, and once you are a fan of the Green Bay Packers, you are always a fan of the Green Bay Packers. I asked them if they wanted to try on a cheesehead. And they did. Now you can see for yourself, proud German Cheesehead Lizzie, and a “I’m not so sure about this cheesehead stuff”, Colombian Cheesehead Julieth. And of course me, one of those ever faithful cheeseheads. There is no question who I am rooting for in the SuperBowl! And now I have added to Lizzie and Julieth’s cultural exchange experience in the US!

I came across this article and had to add it to the website for all of my host families and au pairs! As I know that au pairs can help their host children learn a new language…

The New York Times posted an article yesterday entitled: Looking for Babysitters: Foreign Language a Must. It reveals a growing trend in the New York City area and beyond: many parents are looking for childcare providers that can help their children learn a second language—one they may not speak themselves.

According to the article, although learning multiple languages simultaneously “doesn’t make kids smarter” multi-lingual children:

•learn additional languages more easily
•do better at complex tasks like isolating information presented in confusing ways
•do well in subjects like science and math due to the flexibility of their thinking

While some parents initially enrolled their children in classes to help them learn a second language, they all felt that that wasn’t enough for their kids to become fluent. Hiring an in-home caregiver who spoke the language of their choice was a natural next step.

The article mentions families who have foreign nannies and babysitters but not-a-one with an au pair. Even so, our program is a great fit for parents looking to expose their children to a different language. (Perhaps even a superior one due to the affordable cost and the fact that au pairs can stay with a host family for up to two years.)

July 1, for our au pair meeting, a portion of our group went to the city to see this amazing play. It was phenomenal! We sat behind a family who knew the female lead and that made it extra special. We decided this is an activity we want to repeat!

A beautiful day, a beautiful park, lots of excited children, host families and au pairs and to top it all off - our annual water balloon toss. Things got very, very wet! Once the initial toss was over and the second, surprise cooler of water balloons were revealed there was a lot of water flying around!

Cultural Care Au Pair hopped on the Blue & Gold Fleet and took in breathtaking views of the beautiful San Francisco Bay last weekend. All 232 passengers danced the night away, with their cowboy hats and tiaras, taking very picturesque shots as we cruised outside the Golden Gate Bridge, around the Marin headlands , Angel Island, circling Alcatraz and then along the San Francisco skyline. The weather was breezy, cool and clear ( no fog ), but it was HOT inside the boat as the DJ played to the crowd and found songs to get everyone dancing, hooping and hollering. [

Our national parks are called America’s Best Idea! If you have never visited there are a three times this year you can visit for FREE!

* April 17-25, 2010
(National Park Week)
* September 25, 2010
(Public Lands Day)
* November 11, 2010
(Veterans Day)

Did you know there are 32 national parks in California? Alcatraz, Yosemite, Sequoia, Death Valley, Devil’s Postpile, to name a few. This link to California National Parks will give you the complete list.

To get all the information about visiting them for FREE check out the National Park Service website for more information and pack up the kids!

According to statistics, adults over the age of 60 and children under the age of 5 are more likely than any other age groups to be harmed in the case of a fire emergency.  Recognizing this, on February 28, 2010, our monthly meeting was a fire safety meeting held at the El Monte Fire Station in Los Altos.  Au Pairs from Poland, Germany, Brazil, Colombia, Sweden and Host parents from Mountain View and Los Altos attended.   Members of the Santa Clara County Fire Department covered topics ranging from smoke detectors to safely exiting a home in the case of a fire.  They emphasised the cultural differences for handling an emergency here in the United States compared to other parts of the world. 

When we arrived the Captain and his crew of three, told us if there was an emergency call, they would have to leave. Twenty minutes into the presentation they were called to a medical emergency - off they went with sirens blaring.  It was an excellent, live demonstration for all of us!    Shortly after,  the Battalion Chief arrived, continued our safety education and then took us on a tour of the living quarters for the firemen.

When the crew returned they showed us the fire engines and equipment they have to tear open a crunched car, as well as put out a fire.  Most of their calls are actually medical emergencies and a paramedic rides on each call.

The training is part of Cultural Care Au Pair’s ongoing Continuing Education Program (CEP). As a U.S. Department of State regulated program, au pairs receive safety and childcare education throughout their year long stay in the United States, beginning with a week of intensive courses at the Cultural Care Au Pair school in New York.  Prior to attending this meeting, each au pair was asked to use information on the Santa Clara County Fire Department website to prepare a fire safety escape plan with their host families.

These are safety tips for local families:

• Test smoke alarms once a month and replace batteries once a year
• Make sure you have a fire alarm on every floor of your home
• Plan fire escape routes for your family and identify a meeting place outside the home in case of an emergency
• Keep matches, gasoline, and all flammable materials locked away and out of a child’s reach
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Introduce children to a firefighter, so they will know not to be scared in the case of a fire
• Avoid plugging several appliance chords into the same electrical socket
• Consider buying safety ladders for upper levels of your home and show older children how to use them

Fun Fact:  The fire station captain’s name is…  Captain Kirk !!  This was an extra draw for Star Trek fans!

Anna on the Firetruck!