On February 28, one of the biggest earthquakes recorded in history hit central Chile. The 8.8 quake caused massive damage leaving many areas without electricity, water and phone lines.  As of today, the death toll recorded is over 700 lives.

Gloria G. Grabois, our Local Area Representative in Central New Jersey, is from Chile and has relatives and close friends in the country. She was kind enough to share her feelings about how this tragedy has affected her and her family and friends.

“My attention has been diverted this week due to the earthquake in Chile, where I am from, as only now, almost a week later I know that my family and friends are well although there are a handful of close friends that we are not able to contact, which I hope is due to technological issues only.  Although any loss of life is too much, the numbers are not what one would expect after such a catastrophic event.

My family suffered only the irrelevant material losses that can be easily replaced but, I think only in the last few days, the reality of this earthquake has really set in and they now realize the monumental rebuilding task that is ahead of them. From so far away, the feeling of impotence is paralyzing as for many days we had no way of communicating with our loved ones. But this is the age of communications and I am not a ‘technologically savvy person’ but I am now grateful for having Blackberries, Facebook and Skype, which were the only way to get some news.

Now, the task ahead is also the responsibility of us, the ones living abroad, to help our country in any way possible, especially the children who have experienced the magnitude of the unimaginable-- "the big one"-- and still, even now they live they young lives with tremors and aftershocks that almost reach earthquake levels.

I am deeply thankful for everyone who has expressed their concerns.  Chilean people are strong and it is their faith, grace and love for one another that will make them rebuild again."

Our condolences go out to all the Chilean people. We hope the rebuilding process goes smooth and those who still have not been able to contact their family members are able to do so.

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.

Utah’s Granite School District is implementing a new program to help kids learn another language while still in elementary school. The program called Dual Immersion, works by giving kids, starting as early as 1st grade, 50 percent of their instruction in English and 50 percent in another language. Reading and Language arts classes are taught half of the day in English. While classes like math, science, or social studies are taught in their targeted language. Art, music, and P.E. can be taught in either language.

The project coordinators at Granite School District  "because of the teaching strategies used, the students learn the concepts and skills for the subject area and develop the ability to read, write, speak, and listen in another language.” The Dual Immersion program has been implemented for over 25 years in the United States; Granite School District will be using all those years’ research and experience to bring this program to Utah.

It is interesting to note that students who learn a second language increase their brains' ability to solve problems and there is no better time to learn a second language than when children are in elementary school.
The goals of this program are to “develop literacy skills in both English and the target world language such as Spanish, French, or Chinese while attaining academic achievement that is at or above their grade level as measured by Utah core testing.”

Along with teaching children another language, the program helps students create cultural sensitivity, making them more aware of the different cultures and people that share the world they live in. According to Granite School District web site the school strives  "to prepare Granite School District students academically, linguistically and socially for the challenges and needs of our global community.”

The success of the program can be previewed by the Chinese Summer Camp program, held in two of the district's schools. This program called “Startalk” is a collaboration with fluent BYU Chinese teachers. The program works in the same way, with half-day classes in Chinese during eight days.  Recreation and P. E. activities are also based on the Chinese culture to help kids better understand Chinese traditions and practices.  

Studies have shown that children who learn a language before their teen years have higher chances of acquiring a native-like pronunciation, plus introducing children to new languages broadens their view, prepares them for their future careers by sharpening their communication skills and gives them opportunities to understand people with different backgrounds and absorb more of the cultures.

For more information about Granite School District Dual Immersion Classes visit their Web site.

The Department of State on Monday, January 18, 2009, proposed a new rule in the Federal Register to increase nonimmigrant visa application processing fees. The Department stated that ongoing process and security enhancements have increased actual processing costs beyond the current $131 fee set on January 1, 2008.

An excerpt from the official statement reads, “The Department is proposing the increase to ensure sufficient resources to cover the increasing cost of processing nonimmigrant visas (NIVs). This increase applies both to nonimmigrant visas placed in passports and to border crossing cards issued to certain adult applicants in Mexico.”
 
"Under the proposed rule, applicants for all visas that are not petition-based, including all student and exchange visitor visas, would pay a fee of $140." The J-1 visa (the type of visa issued to an Au Pair) is not a petition-based visa and falls under the exchange visitor visas.

We will keep our Host Families and Au Pairs aware of the fee increase and any other changes that may come from the proposed change.

To learn more about this proposed rule change, visit the Department of State website. You can also read the statement in from the Federal Register.

Days after the tragic earthquakes in Haiti, survivors are still feeling the results of the massive destruction. Reports of people killed in the earthquake range from 10,000 to over 100,000. Gangs are roaming the streets with machetes and the supply of food and water is dwindling.

Organizations around the world have rallied to provide food, medical supplies, water, toiletries and many other types of disaster relief supplies. Companies of all sizes throughout the world have setup fundraisers for the people of Haiti. Even American Express and Visa have dropped transaction fees on all donations to Haiti.

Many people around the world have been affected by one of the most tragic earthquakes in decades. An agent from goAUPAIR’s recently contracted Au Pair agency in Haiti was in Port-au-Prince at the time of the earthquake. Through email communication Ms. Kelly recounted the terrifying experience. "The building I was in capsized but I escaped with minor injuries. As you would well imagine some of the people that I was associated with are dead and others feared dead. Many people are homeless and others are badly hurt. The city of Port au Prince is devastated but the people have a burning hope within them, their resilience overwhelms me."

Kelly also said, "The Haitian people were truly appreciative of the effort being made. It is my determination to continue my work in helping Haitians, please keep those opportunities available through your organization open to be accessed by the Haitians."

The U.S. Department of State announced the passing of Victoria DeLong, a Foreign Service Officer serving in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed her condolences to DeLong’s family and commended the efforts of the State Department officials and other American citizens currently serving in Haiti “in its hour of need."

"This morning I spoke with the family of Victoria DeLong, the Cultural Affairs Officer at our Embassy in Port-Au-Prince who lost her life in the earthquake. I expressed my sincerest condolences on behalf of the men and women of the State Department and the American people. So many have lost their lives in this tragedy. The United Nations has suffered grievous losses. And the Haitian people have endured unimaginable heartbreak. For the State Department, we have lost one of our own.

Victoria was a veteran Foreign Service Officer who worked tirelessly to build bridges of understanding and respect between the people of the United States and the people of Haiti. She served her country with distinction and honor, and she will be sorely missed."

Also on Friday, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced the department designating a temporary protected status for Haitian nationals who were in the United States before earthquake.

"This is a disaster of historic proportions and this designation will allow eligible Haitian nationals in the United States to continue living and working in our country for the next 18 months," she said.

Search giant Google, released images of its Google images “satellite view’ of the city of Port-au-Prince before and after the earthquake showing incredible destruction.

Emergency aid is arriving daily; however, one of the biggest problems with providing relief is the partially destroyed Port-au-Prince airport. Crews are working day and night to properly distribute emergency supplies in a safe and efficient manner. “Safe” is one of the keywords as many fear survivors will turn to violence in attempts to find food and water.

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said, "Other than some scavenging and minor looting, our understanding is the security situation is pretty good."

"The key is to get the food and the water in there as quickly as possible so that people don't, in their desperation, turn to violence or lead to the security situation deteriorating."

In December, an Au Pair from goAUPAIR was part of a front page photograph in the USA Today. The photo shows Au Pair Bessy Pocasangre and one of the children she cares for sledding down a hill in front of the nation's Capitol building. The photo was part of a story about the major snow storm that hit the East Coast and dropped more than 20 inches of snow.

Despite delays in flights, many people enjoyed the large amount snow. Many of our Au Pairs located around the East Coast enjoyed the fresh snow with sledding, snow angels and more.

Heavy rains triggering flooding and mudslides have left at least 124 people dead and many missing in some of the worst flooding El Salvador has ever experienced.

President Mauricio Funes declared a national emergency describing the disaster as a “tragedy” and the damage as “incalculable.”

"Today is a very sad day for the country and its government, in fact it is one of the most tragic days in memory," he said in a televised address to the nation on Sunday.

About 7,000 people lost homes in the disaster on Sunday. Cars, trees and all kinds of debris have been floating through the streets of the hardest hit cities like the capital San Salvador. Residents in the most tragically affected areas have been wading through rivers of mud in efforts to rescue men, women and children.

Authorities said the death toll is expected to rise as rescuers struggle to reach regions where roads have been completely destroyed and washed away.

Fortunately, goAUPAIR’s international representative located in San Salvador has reported that everything is fine with their agency and families.

"There is a lot to do here, it is so sad,” said Anabella, goAUPAIR’s international representative in El Salvador. “Thank God the Sun is shining today.  (There was) lots of rain during the weekend, my garden was a swimming pool. My husband had to work things out in the middle of the night to avoid the flooding, or the water coming inside the house. We had no losses, but lots of people have lost their family and homes.

As far as Anabella knows, all Au Pair candidates are safe with their families.

“We are calling the candidates now to see how they are doing.... so far everybody is scared, but fine.”

goAUPAIR will post any updates regarding delays from the San Salvador embassy.