goAUPAIR’s new Au Pair Preview allows families to search, review and compare hundreds of well-qualified and prescreened available Au Pairs.

SALT LAKE CITY, MARCH 1, 2010 -- goAUPAIR is excited to announce its new Au Pair Preview. The Au Pair Preview allows families to search, review and compare hundreds of well-qualified and prescreened available Au Pairs without having to fill out any application.

Unlike any other Au Pair search tool in the industry, the Au Pair Preview is available with no cost, no commitment and without having to take the time to apply.  With other agencies and companies, families have been limited in their search for Au Pairs by a set number of candidates chosen for them by their Au Pair agency or even a computer.  Now with the Au Pair Preview, they will be able to search with any combination of qualities they want with access to hundreds of pre-screened and travel ready Au Pairs.

Families can now search Au Pairs on different criteria including nationality, language spoken and more. The new search function will empower parents and give them the option to hand-select the Au Pair that best meets the unique needs of their family at their own convenience.

The Au Pair Preview also allows families to learn more about goAUPAIR’s available Au Pairs, making their decision process substantially easier.  Families can see pictures of Au Pair candidates, read about their child care experience, interests and learn why they want to be an Au Pair in the United States. Information regarding age, education, English rating and availability are also viewable.

“We are extremely pleased with the Au Pair Preview and the unique benefits it offers families looking for child care,” said, Devon Kapler, director of information technology. The new Au Pair Preview is unique because of three things. It’s available to the general public at no cost and with no requirement to apply. It offers the ability to search Au Pairs who are prescreened, qualified and ready to come to the United States. And it also lets you search hundreds of Au Pairs according to the parameters you set.”  

In addition to searching, reviewing and comparing candidates, potential Host Families are able to express interest in the available Au Pair candidates with just a click of their mouse. Doing so will allow one of goAUPAIR’s dedicated Placement Coordinators to send more information about that specific Au Pair to the family for their review. The Au Pair Preview is available to all families free of cost and without having to apply at www.goAUPAIR.com.

About goAUPAIR
goAUPAIR has been providing quality child care for over 20 years. Beginning as a nanny company in 1987 goAUPAIR soon expanded to include Au Pairs and was one of the original Au Pair Program sponsors designated by the Department of State in 1989. goAUPAIR has representatives in over 50 countries on 6 different continents and in over 65 American cities with headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah. For more information about goAUPAIR and the Au Pair program please visit http://www.goaupair.com.

With the ability, to email, chat, check the weather, trade stocks and order pizza from a cell phone, people spend a lot more time on their handheld devices than they used to. Technology is wonderful and life changing; however, in some ways it is limiting old-fashioned communication.

Many parents and live in child care providers, including nannies and Au Pairs, are paying more attention to their cell phones and less attention to their children. However, young children need their parents to communicate with them even before they can speak.
 
In an interview with a journalist from the New York Times, Randi Jacoby, a speech and language specialist in New York, said: “Parents have stopped having good communications with their young children, causing them to lose out on the eye contact, facial expression and overall feedback that is essential for early communication development.”

“Young children require time and one-on-one feedback as they struggle to formulate utterances in order to build their language and cognitive skills. The most basic skills are not being taught by example, and society is falling prey to the quick response that our computer generation has become accustomed to."

Parents and caregivers need to remember the importance of talking to and interacting with their young children. Communication should start early with young children to help develop motor skills.

Parents can easily turn off their handheld devices and talk with their young children while doing something as simple as walking in the park. They should also take time to identify plants, cars, colors and animals with your small child. Live in child care providers, including nannies and Au Pairs, should encourage young children to say the names of shapes and colors while playing with toys. In every situation there is always something to talk about with your young child.

Ms. Jacoby’s final advice to parents was this: “Reward your little one’s communicative attempts with your heightened attention to his/her conversation. Be prepared to put down your cell phone and look them squarely in the eye as they share their thoughts with you.”