Unending torrential rains have left China devastated by severe flooding. Estimates show that more than 700 people have lost their lives and more than 300 are still missing.

Reports are showing that about ninety percent of the casualties were caused by mountain floods, mudslides and landslides triggered by heavy downpours. Around 645,500 houses have also collapsed.

There is also worry about the number of rivers running dangerously high. More than 230 rivers are above warning levels and 25 of them are at record highs. This is contributing to flooding in over 100 cities. Chinese government officials have also said that over 117 million people have been affected by the intense flooding. Estimated damage costs are reaching close to $21 billion dollars and the floodwaters are not close to stopping.

When a natural disaster like this occurs, it is much more impactful when you know someone who has been directly affected. Many of our Host Families have Au Pairs from China. As of right now, all our Chinese Au Pairs’ families and friends are safe in China. However, some Chinese Au Pairs said the affects have been far reaching.

“Just recently my friend who [studies] in Xi`an said that the railway in Xi`an was affected, some of the railway lines are destroyed so some students can not go home by train,” said Lily an Au Pair from China.

The flooding is also affecting our Chinese Au Pairs who are trying to get their embassy appointments. Meghan Ramirez, goAUPAIR’s International Representative Coordinator advised that the flooding “may be contributing to long embassy waiting times.”

We send our deepest condolences to the people in the flooding areas. We will keep you updated with any news we receive regarding embassy wait times and our Chinese Au Pairs.

The Dual Immersion Program in Utah has proved to be a great success. The program was first instituted at Granite School District in the summer and now the Utah State Office of Education expects that soon it could have up to 30,000 students enrolled in the program. 

The Dual Immersion Program gives 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.

Educational representatives from other states and even other countries are coming to Utah to view the program’s model. Gregg Roberts, the world language specialist for the Utah State Office of Education says that in the fall there will be 14 more programs, making a total of 51 programs and 7,000 students enrolled. The hope is to have 100 programs and 30,000 students enrolled by 2014.

Like the Au Pair program, the Dual Immersion Program gives children the opportunity to experience culture exchange. Learning a new language is important to broaden student’s view and gain professional and personal enrichment experiences.

For more information visit KSL.com or the Granite School District’s Web site.

The Au Pair program was launched in 1989 by the U.S. Department of State. It consists of bringing foreign nationals between the ages of 18-26 to live with a family in the United States, take university credits and overall improve their English skills, while offering child care and performing light housekeeping.

Because the Au Pair program is carefully regulated by the U.S. Department of State, Au Pair and Host Family candidates must work with a designated sponsor of the Au Pair Program. These sponsors are responsible for background screening and training, travel, visas and managing Au Pair and Host Families interactions.  goAUPAIR was one of the original six Au Pair sponsor agencies designated by the U.S. Department of State.

At our headquarters office, our Placement Coordinators meticulously review the preferences and qualifications of each Au Pair to begin sending Host Families information about numerous Au Pair candidates who best fit the Host Families’ needs. They also manage the Au Pair application process and once a match has been confirmed, your Placement Coordinator will begin working on the Au Pair’s arrival process.

We also work with Local Area Representatives all over the U.S. Their job is to provide local support to our Host Families and Au Pairs. Local Area Representatives perform the initial interview in the family’s home before their Au Pair arrives, they are also responsible for an orientation shortly after the Au Pair has arrived. In addition to maintaining monthly contacts, Local Area Representatives also hold Au Pair activities as well as provide Host Family Day Conferences which every Host Family is required to attend at least once each year.

Currently, goAUPAIR represents hundreds families across the U.S. and works with Au Pair agencies in over 50 countries around the world.

As states across the country continue to recovery from a global recession, some states and industries are bouncing back slower than others. The child care industry in Silicon Valley, CA is no exception. Nannies have taken a notable hit in hourly pay; however, some people argue they have no reason to complain about their hourly wages.

The Wall Street Journal reports that hourly rates in Silicon Valley have dropped to $18 to $20 an hour down from $18 to $25 just two years ago. However, some don’t think $18 to $20 sounds too little. A reader commented on the Wall Street Journal article and said, “25 bucks per hour? That is great salary. If I am able to intern in Big four, the highest salary for me is $25 per hour. They earn more than college graduates!”

Is the price of child care in Silicon Valley too high? Well, that depends what you consider high, but when you consider the hourly cost of a nanny compared to an Au Pair, the cost difference is tremendous. At only $7.58 an hour, Au Pairs are a bargain compared to Silicon Valley nannies. The savings are even more noticeable if you consider the cost of an Au Pair and Nanny for 45 hours a week - $341 for an Au Pair and $810 to $900 for a nanny.

Au Pairs and nannies are similar in many ways; however, there are some notable differences between them.  One of the greatest advantages of an Au Pair is the close relationship your Au Pair will have with your children. As a live in child care provider, your Au Pair will have a greater opportunity to bond with your children. You may be surprised how soon your children would consider your Au Pair an older brother or sister rather than just a caregiver.

Parents can also have peace of mind knowing the U.S. Department of State oversees and regulates the Au Pair program. There is no need to worry about your caregiver’s illegal citizenship status, withholding taxes, or background checks. The Au Pair program takes care of all those and more.

We’d love to hear from you. How does your child care rate compare with that of an Au Pair?

As the riots, protests and violence begin to dissipate in Bangkok, Thailand, we wanted to follow up our previous post about the protests, with some comments from some of our Au Pairs from Thailand.

According to the Thai Au Pairs we have heard from, none of our Au Pairs’ family or friends have been injured in the violent protests in Bangkok. We are grateful for their safety and we have admonished our Thai Au Pairs to stay in close contact with their families during this time of turmoil.

Below are some of the responses to our questions from a few of our Thai Au Pairs.

How were your family and friends affected by the protests and violence in Bangkok?
"My sister lives in Bangkok. She said she has been affected a lot, such as she can't go anywhere easily like in the past because most businesses are close to Bangkok and the protesters. Some days she couldn't go to work or they even got there late."

- Orchid 

"Fortunately, my family lives far away from where the fighting is. They all are fine, just facing a problem of transportation to their work."

- Apple

Have you been able to communicate with your family and friends? If so, how did you contact them?

"Yes we communicate all the time both email and phone and sometimes we chat with MSN or Skype."

- Orchid 

"Yes, I have been able to communicate with my family via Skype but thank God, they're far away from the capital. - With friends, purely Facebooking."

- Joy

What did your family and friends say about the protests and the government?
"All [the] Thai people are talking about this. Some people like the government and some people really don't like it. But my parents, they hope only that it will calm down and everything [will get] better soon. My parents are always working [so] they just watch [the] news [and] don't much talk about this. ... They said they don't like the protests or the violence anymore."

- Orchid

"Obviously everyone is not happy with the 'protests,' irritation, etc. With government, [I have] not heard much comment about it, but as far as I hear, they kinda support the government. Some are tired of this endless political problem. For me personally, I'm very disappointed with how government has been dealing with this crisis. It could have ended long time ago. I don't understand the idea of handling things peacefully and let those people cause this much damage to the country."

- Joy.

If your family or friends were close to the protests, how much damage was done to the city?
"If my family or my friends were close to the protests, it was very bad for them. They might move from there to somewhere which very far or go out the city to visit with who we know and wait for it [to calm] down and then come back to Bangkok. I saw from the news it is very bad,  we never seen [anything like this] before. So it might be dangerous for them."

- Orchid

"The damage, the last I heard, is one of the shopping malls right in the middle of the city might collapse because it was set on fire. There are many places set on fire; banks, TV stations - it gets really ugly."

- Joy

One of our Thai Au Pairs closed her response with the following, “All I can say is I don't choose any sides or colors. We all are Thai and looking for peace.”

We are happy to announce our first donation to the Park City Education Foundation. As part of our commitment to bettering our local community, we made the decision to team up with the Park City Education Foundation in conjunction with a special offer for the Park City Local card. We committed to donate $100 to the Park City Education Foundation for every family that resides in Park City, UT and matches with an Au Pair from goAUPAIR.

“We are excited to have another family in Park City. We have a great cluster with Au Pairs from all over the world and a family with a German Au Pair will only add to the great diversity,” said Erin Mortensen, Local Area Representative for the Park City Area.  “It's nice because all our new families in Park City indirectly help the local community with goAUPAIR’s donation to the Park City Education Foundation."

We hope our donation will increase awareness and participation from the community to contribute to the Park City Education Foundation’s efforts. Due to recent budget cuts, Park City’s schools are looking for more private support. Tax dollars are just not enough. goAUPAIR appreciates the effort of non-profit organizations like the Park City Education Foundation and values their dedication to increase the quality of education in the community.

About the Park City Education Foundation

The Park City Education Foundation (PCEF) promotes and recognizes excellence in Park City schools. By using contributions, PCEF is able to support top-level educational programs and opportunities for students and teachers at all seven schools in the Park City School District. The Park City Education Foundation raises money to bridge the educational funding gap to measurably improve student achievement in math, science, languages and arts. 

For more information, visit the Park City Education Foundation.

Anti-government protests have caused the Thai government to announce emergency law in the city of Bangkok today. Violent protests have left 35 civilians dead in only four days and many more injured.

The anti-government protests have been going on since March; however, they became more violent and intense when one of the leaders of the “Red Shirt” protesters was shot in the head while being interviewed by a New York Times reporter.

Numerous reporters and bloggers in the area have described the city as a war zone. Citizens of surrounding countries have been warned not to travel to Bangkok and most government offices have been closed. We received an email from our International Representative in Bangkok stating the following:

“The government announced emergency law in city of Bangkok so our office will be closed from 17-18 May and we will answer all e-mail by Wednesday, Thailand time. Many embassies in Bangkok have been closed since Friday, [May] 14 including [the] US embassy.”

Closed U.S. Embassies in Bangkok may result in longer wait times for visa interviews for Au Pairs. Thai Au Pairs are very popular among U.S. families because of their kind disposition and willingness to help and learn.

We will release any further information we receive from our International Representatives in Thailand regarding the situation in Bangkok and any delays with our Au Pairs and their visa process.