Carol Steinbrecher

Lucia Belen Olivera  from Argentina arrived in Newtown Square on Friday from au pair school in New York. you can say hello with an email to:     lu_cia932@hotmail.com

Adriana Marcela from Columbia arrived in Media, PA from Au Pair school in  New York on Friday. Please welcome her to our area with an email:         adryana_pint@hotmail.com

April Savings on Flexible, Affordable Childcare

Do you need a helping hand, are your kids too old to go to summer camp, or maybe you need someone to drive your children to their many activities? Au pairs provide childcare, light housekeeping for the children including laundry and meal preparation. Do you know someone who is looking for flexible and affordable childcare?

Apply from April 20, 2012 through April 24, 2012 to receive a $75 application fee waiver as well as a $300 program fee discount. As an added bonus, if you finalize your au pair match by May 31, 2012 you will receive an additional $350 program fee discount-for a total of up to $725 in savings!

A qualified, live-in au pair provides 45 hours of childcare per week at an affordable $350/ week. Au Pairs have back-ground checks, valid visas, references, speak English, childcare experience, year-round support network, and medical coverage.

Meet Angie from Poland. just one of the many qualified au pairs that would like to spend a year or two in the USA helping an American family in exchange for the opportunity to see America.  Angie is 26 years old, experienced driver, non-smoker, nursery school   teacher in Poland, attends church weekly, strong swimmer, enjoys volleyball, drawing, and working with clay.   Here’s an excerpt from her application:

Why I want to be an au pair:

“I want to be an au pair because I really like children and the work with them giving me the satisfaction and pleasures. I adore to please children and to see their wonderful smile. I’m pleased when I can pass on my knowledge and abilities and cool ideas for the game to children. ”

Call Carol for more details and the promotion code for this discount, 610-312-3579.

Affordable,  flexible childcare. When you want the world for your children.

The National Drug Take-Back Day provides an opportunity for the public to surrender expired, unwanted, or unused pharmaceutical controlled substances and other medications for destruction. These drugs are a potential source of supply for illegal use and an unacceptable risk to public health and safety. More than seven million Americans currently abuse prescription drugs, according to the 2009 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on drug use and health.

Each day, approximately 2,500 teens use prescription drugs to get high for the first time, according to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including the home medicine cabinet. Don’t just flush excess or outdated prescriptions down the drain. Please dispose of these drugs responsibly and safely at the many locations available on Saturday April 29th.

National Drug Take-Back Day is Saturday, April 28, 2012; 10:00 a.m.  - 2:00 p.m.  For more information, and to locate a collection site near you, visit http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/

MAY AU PAIR MEETING

Many of you have been asking about the Au Pair Amazing Race and we are happy to tell you that you will be able to register at our April 14th Au pair meeting.

Here are some of the basic Au Pair Amazing Race details:

When: Saturday, May 19th

Time: 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm

Location: The Race will begin at Love Park, near the Suburban Train Station.

Map & Directions

Registration Fee: $5 per au pair, with $1 of each registration fee being donated to Kids First. All fees are non-refundable. As the registration is paid online, a credit/debit card will be needed to register. Au pairs cannot register the day of the race.

Teams: Teams will be made up of 4 people. They will officially be made the day of the event but start thinking about them now.

Deadline to Register: Au pairs must register and submit payment to their LCC at the April meeting. There will be no late registration the day of the event.

We have some great prizes this year:

The winning team will win a trip to Boston (bus fare, hostel accommodation and a bit of spending money). The au pair who raises the most donations for Cultural Care Kids First Foundation will win a trip to California, courtesy of Au Pair Adventures. The trip is usually worth $800, so it’s a really great prize for doing a good deed!!!

ON THE DAY OF THE EVENT:

Transportation options:

Please note: I strongly recommend that au pairs take public transportation. I do not expect au pairs to be given special permission to drive into the city if they would not normally be allowed to do so, nor do I expect host families to drive them to the city!!!  I will also be taking the train, so I will not be driving anyone into the city either.

The best and preferred option is SEPTA.

plan to take the train on the day of the race:

Plan to meet at the Media train  station at 11.00 am and ride the 11.09 train. If you want to get on the train closer to your house please plan to arrive to Suburban station before noon, and walk from Suburban Station to Love Park. click here to  check the schedule General Information:

On the day of the event, au pairs are asked to come to the Art Museum to sign-in by 12:00 and assemble their teams. If they can gather a team of 4 au pairs before the day and have their team set when they arrive-GREAT! We have started a Facebook group to help au pairs connect with each other if they need help forming up teams-the group is called PHILADELPHIA AU PAIR AMAZING RACE ; LCCs and staff are also invited to join to receive updates that way. If they choose not to join that group and come the day of the event without a full team, we can assist at sign-in.

Au pairs will be given T- shirts which they MUST wear to participate in the Race; each team member will also need to wear their team number badge.

Au pair teams will need to bring:
* Pen
* Watch
* Rain gear and/or sunscreen
* Comfortable clothing and footwear - sneakers preferable. (You will be doing A LOT of walking).

Au pairs are advised to bring:
* Snacks and / or water for the duration of the race. (Eating lunch before the event is advised.)
* Money for incidentals, food, souvenirs, etc

Au pairs will not need:
* Maps
* Philadelphia guide books

RACE DETAILS:

The Race will be started by Cultural Care’s Pennsylvania  very own Program Director Sabina Wieder   SHARPLY at 12:30 pm. There are several  checkpoints located throughout the city, which need to be completed to finish the race. Like the TV show, there will be Detours, Road Blocks and Fast Forwards that will make the race fun and challenging for all. Throughout the race, teams will also have the opportunity to fast forward the checkpoint if they can raise money and awareness for the Kids First charity on the day through the challenges we have prepared. This may just give one team the lead they need to win the race. Be prepared for physical challenges, eating challenges, performance challenges and more to get them out of their comfort zones a bit, but ahead of the pack to be the first team to the finish line!

There will be individual checkpoint winners but the Grand Prize of the FREE TRIP TO DC is for the first team to successfully complete all  checkpoints.

Philadelphia is an old city rich in history and culture. This event will ensure the au pairs leave with not only a sense of team accomplishment, but also with a better knowledge of the birthplace of America!!!

The Fabric of Peace is an on-going project begun in 2008. Women artists from around the world are creating fabric swatches which will be assembled to create a quilt. The quilt will be displayed in the United States and abroad.The Fabric of Peace is a positive statement by women, connecting our shared interest in keeping peace in the world.

On Wednesday April 18th at 7 pm, women of all cultures and faiths are invited to start a dialogue of what peace looks like, and to begin a new quilt for peace.

Women are the primary caretakers of children. How do we teach peaceful ways of living to the next generation?  All religions preach peace. Let us practice what we preach. Let us all share our ideas together Wednesday April 18th 7 pm at Reformation Lutheran Church, 102 W. Rose Tree Road, Media, PA 19063

Jeri Rose Smythe has joined our group. Please take a minute to welcome her to our area.  Her email address is jeri-rose-smythe@hotmail.com

Speaking the Same Language

After host parents explain something to their au pair, it’s always a good idea to ask a simple question afterward: “Do you understand what I mean?” Given cultural and language differences this can help keep misinterpretation to a minimum. To be absolutely certain that everyone is on the same page, we suggest parents follow up with yet another question: “Can you tell me what you took away from that?” , or “please   explain what I said to you” ? Host parents might be surprised at how often they will hear ‘yes’ to the first question, followed by a very different account of the meaning of the conversation. Taking the time at that moment to achieve clarity can be a great investment in their relationship in the long run.

As part of Cultural Care Au Pair’s commitment to ongoing safety education, we held our March 8th meeting at the Newtown Square Fire House. The firemen covered the following items:

1. The au pair’s top responsibility is to get all children out of the house safely, and call 911.

2. Talk to host parents about having an exit strategy from the home. Each area should have 2 exit points. Practice Fire Exit as an activity with the children, so they now what to do if there should be fire or smoke. Establish an outside meeting point (such as the end of the driveway near the mailbox)

3. Smoke goes to the ceiling first, so drop as low to the ground as possible for more fresh air. Crawl out of smoke/fire areas.

4. If you clothes catch fire- DO NOT RUN. Oxygen will feed the fire. Stop, drop and roll to put out clothing fires.

5. Ask where the fire extinguishers are kept in home. Spray extinguisher on base of fire, not the flames. Sweep the bottom of the fire with spray from extinguisher.

We will have a water safety meeting in June.

Some au pairs asked what we could do about the “Invisible Children” as shown in the Kony 2012 youtube video.  We will have a bake sale for our April meeting benefiting Echoes, an organization that helps Ugandan children directly. For more information please click on the following link:
http://www.echoesfoundation.org/about_echoes/

Au Pair Meeting Date: Saturday, April 14th Time: 10am- noon Location: Wilson Farm Park - near the big playground   http://www.wilsonfarmpark.com/map.php
500 Lee Road  Wayne, Pennsylvania 19087

Please bring your goodies (brownies, cupcakes, cookies, slice of cake) wrapped in single size servings and don’t forget to label them (or at least make one big label with the ingredients) - if you need a place to bake, let me know. We will be joining Helena Malarkey’s group in this bake sale, with all funds raised going to Echoes. Also, I will be collecting $5.00 from each au pair for our May 19th Amazing Race Meeting in Philadelphia.

If you need to work that day, bring your host children - Wilson Farm Park is a great place for them to enjoy outdoor play!