We recently held a successful conference with the region team leads of our Local Area Representatives. The conference lasted four days and was held at our corporate office located in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The conference was a great opportunity to meet with five of our regional directors and discuss how goAUPAIR can better help Host Families through our Local Area Representatives. Topics that were discussed included customer service, marketing, training, Au Pair activities and Host Family support, among others.

"The results from our team lead conference have been fantastic. Breaking out into groups with different focuses really gave us a chance to have one-on-one time with each of our team leads," said Tanna Wilson, managing director of goAUPAIR. "We enjoyed the chance we had to take advantage of the great ideas that come from our team leads."

The three day conference officially began Wednesday and ran through Friday; however, a few team leads arrived early for extra training instructions. We also had a chance to enjoy a delicious dinner with our Team Leads at the iconic Spaghetti Factory Restaurant, located in the historic Trolley Square. Overall it was a great conference. We look forward to implementing the great ideas that came out of it.

The number of natural disasters happening around the globe seams to increase every year. According to scientists this is due to climate change, rapid population rise and a growing concentration of people in risky areas that weren’t populated before. Whatever the reason, we can’t deny the fact that natural disasters are becoming a frequent conversation topic among friends and family, including our children. It's important to know how we should explain these tragedies to our younger audiences.

Dr. Robi Ludwig, a Care.com contributor, wrote an article regarding how to talk to kids about the Haiti earthquake and other natural disasters. He explains that talking to kids about natural disasters might be a difficult task for parents, but it is still important tackle children's fears, thoughts, anxieties, and questions: “No matter how much we may want to, we can't completely protect our kids from what's going on in the world. Open up a dialog with your children, and when they have questions, you'll be there to help put things into perspective.”

Here are some suggestions regarding the best ways to help your children cope with natural disasters. 

Should I let my children watch television?

Research has shown that watching media coverage, especially repeated viewing, can create stress for children even when they are not directly exposed to disaster. Television viewing for young children should be limited. Parents should watch with their children in order to deal with their reactions and to be available to share their reactions and correct misinformation. Assure them that chances of a similar disaster occurring in their area are remote.

Discuss current events with your child regularly. It's important to help kids think through stories they hear about. Ask questions: What do you think about these events? How do you think these things happen? These questions can encourage conversation about non-news topics too.

Put news stories in proper context

Showing that certain events are isolated or explaining how one event relates to another helps kids make better sense of what they hear. Broaden the discussion from a disturbing news item to a larger conversation: Use the story of a natural disaster as an opportunity to talk about philanthropy, cooperation, and the ability of people to cope with overwhelming hardship. 

Find out what they know At this age, children know the difference between fantasy and reality, which, research shows, can actually make stories like the Haiti earthquake scarier, especially for boys. Asking a specific question, like "Have your friends and teachers been talking about this?" can help you figure out where they are coming from.

Show them that people aren't powerless

Talk about how much help and assistance Haiti is receiving and how much more is on its way. Point out the good and hopeful stories of recovery as they arise.

Help children feel safe

For children who want more information and need reassurance, parents can talk about the scientific advances made to anticipate, avert and deal with natural disasters. The role of world cooperation through agencies such as the Red Cross, the United Nations Relief Fund and others can be emphasized. Older children may wish to discuss other natural disasters, the way children's lives can be affected, and ways in which they can express their concern and support for victims of disaster.

Dr. Ludwig also reminds parents that each child is different and will have a different relationships and reactions to each disaster, but talking to your children about natural disasters and how they affect people and places will help your child develop a sense of awareness, charity and sensitivity.

Read more regarding talking with children about disasters at Care.com, Aboutourkids.org, KidsHealth.org and ABC News.

goAUPAIR is pleased to announce Tucson, Arizona; Tulsa, Oklahoma and Albany, New York as the newest service areas for our Au Pair child care programs. Because of the increasing demand from Tucson, Tulsa and Albany’s families for affordable child care alternatives, we have decided to expand our services to these areas. Our hope is to bring a positive influence to families and these communities, providing year-round support and information about the benefits of cultural exchange coupled with child care.

Families in Tucson, Tulsa and Albany are now able to enjoy all the benefits an Au Pair offers. Many Host Families continually mention how much they like the flexible scheduling and personalized child care their Au Pair brings. It also exposes your children to a different culture and allows them to be cared for in a familiar environment. An Au Pair is a young adult who comes to the United States to live with a family while providing 45 hours of child care each week in exchange for room and board and a small stipend.

As our new service areas, Tucson, Tulsa and Albany residents also will enjoy a Local Area Representative from goAUPAIR. Our Local Area Representatives are responsible to meet with and interview families interested in hosting an Au Pair, ensuring they meet the regulations set by the Department of State. Along with helping Host Families, Local Area Representatives also host activities for Au Pairs in the area, allowing the young international adults a chance to get to know the Tucson, Tulsa and Albany areas and, meet other local Au Pairs and share learning experiences. 

The Au Pair Program was created by the Department of State to help increase cultural exchange and international relations. We are happy to bring Tucson, Tulsa and Albany more than 20 years of experience with child care. For more information about goAUPAIR, our Au Pair programs available in Tucson, Tulsa and Albany and how to get to know your Local Area Representative, please visit goAUPAIR.com.

This year is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.  Especially today, many efforts are being made to promote environmental friendly practices. So far 31,466,703 billion acts of green were made in communities all around the globe (earthday.org). Some of the core issues are climate change, conservation and biodiversity, energy recycling and waste reduction and finding ways to grow in harmony with nature.

At home or in the office there are many ways we can support a “greener attitude”. goAUPAIR uses these easy green office tips to help save energy, money and resources:

We take advantage of the latest technology including, web conferencing, and online document management systems (this measure has reduced printing by 90 percent) to reduce printing, traveling, and waste creation. In addition to taking advantage of cutting edge technology, goAUPAIR also uses good old fashion scrap paper whenever possible. We encourage our employees to use more scrap paper and fewer notebooks.

In our corporate office building we have installed “smart lighting” that uses sensors that allow for lights to turn off in hallways, offices and conference rooms after a period of inactivity. This measure alone has drastically reduced our energy consumption. We also have installed a water filtration cooler to avoid buying bottled water and creating more waste. goAUPAIR also contracts a garbage disposal service that sorts and recycles all garbage in addition to using recycling bins for paper and soda cans.

Besides our sustainable practices in our corporate offices, goAUPAIR encourages all employees to protect the environment. The majority of our employees live within ten minutes of our offices and drive fuel efficient vehicles, including two hybrid vehicles. We also have employees that work from home in order to reduce emissions and traffic congestion.

Here are some links to find more ways to celebrate Earth Day everyday at work or at home:

http://earthday.nature.org/?gclid=COWNjYubm6ECFRLxDAodAn-wNw

http://www.earthday.org/

goAUPAIR was pleased to attend and participant in the annual Work Experience Travel Market and IAPA Annual Conference in Miami, Florida last month. During the conference some the employees from goAUPAIR had the chance to meet with International Representatives and potential future representatives from various parts of the world. 

During the conference goAUPAIR was recognized as a Long-Standing Member of the International Au Pair Association. This recognition is given to members that have held membership in good

standing for 10 years. Meghan Ramirez, received the award from Jack Hompes, the IAPA Executive Board Chairperson, on behalf of goAUPAIR.

“The WETM-IAC (IAPA) Conference allows many of the leading Au Pair organizations in the world to come together and meet in one location.  Meeting existing partners in person and talking about the Au Pair program face to face, and what both sides can do to improve it is essential to a good partnership (…) You begin to develop an actual relationship with each agency to foster a better working environment and in effect, better applicants.     

Featuring seminars, community action programs, award ceremonies and more, WETM-IAC enables delegates to help shape their business and the industry for tomorrow.  Representatives from goAUPAIR took part in several informative seminars, practice discussions and case study reviews.

“I am glad we were able to meet together as an Au Pair community and discuss issues that are important to all of us. I was able to meet so many of our agents and put a face to their names, to hear their stories a

nd why they are involved in the Au Pair program.”

WETM-IAC Conference provides a unique opportunity for organizations working with cultural exchange, Au Pair and work experience programs to meet and ‘to establish and strengthen sector-focused partnerships, gain industry intelligence and tap into emerging global markets.’

“As the International Representative Coordinator, I feel that being able to talk with the people that I work with without the separation of email or the phone will make our cooperation go much smoother in the future. I learned a lot about the Au Pair industry around the world, and hopefully will be able to put what I learned to good use.”

goAUPAIR is always reaching out for better alternatives and new resources to make the Au Pair program more effective to our Host Families. Meeting International Representatives and making connections with agencies from all over the world gives goAUPAIR a chance to recruit Au Pairs from more cultures and backgrounds which gives our Host Families a greater variety of Au Pairs and countries to choose from. 

  For more information about the annual Work Experience Travel Market and IAPA Annual Conference visit http://www.iapa.ca/

When necessity calls for both parents to work, the first question that rises is, “What about the kids?” Today, there are many child care alternatives. Flexible schedules, quality and qualifications of care providers, and of course, price are some of the points to consider when choosing between all options.

Some popular child care options are nannies or babysitters. They are typically residents (legal or illegal) of the U.S. and are usually hired by word of mouth, nanny agencies and job boards. Although many of them have years of experience, they are not required to have any specific qualifications.

Au Pairs are young adults who come to the U.S. to live with a family while providing 45 hours of child care each week. Au Pairs initially come for one year, but can extend for a second. All Au Pairs speak English and complete an extensive application process which includes references, interviews, physician’s report, criminal background check and psychometric tests.

As part of our ongoing effort to improve customer service to our Host Families and Au Pairs, all of our Host Families have the option of having their Au Pair attend our live training held in New York. The training content is designed to help Au Pairs provide the best child care while having a successful year with their Host Family. Some of the topics covered in our live trainings include first aid, child activities ideas, common meals, driving tips, international calls and cell phone use, homesickness and culture shock.

Another benefit of hosting an Au Pair is that during the placement process our Host Families have the assistance of our dedicated Placement Coordinators who will review in detail, the preferences and qualifications of the Au Pairs for which you are looking. goAUPAIR developed the Mutual Match system based on our 20 years of experience to help Host Families find the best possible Au Pair for their unique needs. All Au Pairs participating in the goAUPAIR's Au Pair program are required to complete a full application and screening which includes the following:

    * In-person interview
    * 2 child care references
    * 1 character reference
    * Physician's report
    * Letter to potential Host Families
    * Clean criminal background check
    * Psychometric test
    * Personality test
    * High School graduate or equivalent
    * 32 hours of training on safety and child development
    * Pictures

Because of all the advantages Au Pairs have over other child care options, there is a misconception that they are not affordable for every family. The truth is that a weekly cost of having an Au Pair is less than most child care options. According to the National Association of Child Care Resources and Referral Agencies, child care providers charge on average $9.10/hr, the average cost of hosting an Au Pair’s is only $7.58/hr.

Hiring an Au Pair instead of a nanny or babysitter, gives young adults from foreign countries the opportunity to travel to the United States in order to work, study, and learn about a culture different from their own.  In addition, the Host Family is treated to the type of personal child care they are looking for. Host Families and children are given the opportunity to broaden their knowledge and learn about other cultures and learn a new language.

For more information please visit the New York Family Guide and our goAUPAIR.com.

The U.S. Department of State officially notified goAUPAIR last year that the Summer Au Pair Pilot Program was discontinued. Starting this summer, families will not be able to enjoy some of the benefits the program provided.

We understand that many families may be disappointed to hear the Summer Au Pair Pilot Program is no longer available. Summer time is when most parents need the flexible and quality child care Au Pairs provide. There are still various alternatives available for those looking for a short term placement Au Pair who will fit their schedule and provide all the benefits an Au Pair brings to a Host Family.

Please contact goAUPAIR to know what other options are available to your family. One of our Dedicated Placement Coordinators will be glad to help you evaluate your options and decide what is the best for your unique situation.