Federal Government shut down and how it affects the aupair program

• During the government shut down you will likely have many questions come your way. I would like to clarify some of the more common questions about what will affect aupairs and host families during the Shutdown:  
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• Not affected
  • Department of State J-1 program. This is a fee based program and has its own funds to continue operations. There is no current worry of our program shutting down.
  • US Embassies. Currently still issuing Visas.
  • Customs and Border Patrol (CBP)/Transportation Security Administration (TSA). CBP and the TSA are still operating as they are considered essential to National Security. There is a minor staffing reduction, which means that traveling aupairs can expect longer wait times when entering the US.
  • The Postal Service: Aupairs waiting on DS forms and other paper work can still expect to receive them in the usual time frame.

 

• Affected
  
  
  • The Social Security Administration (SSA). While the SSA is still operating, they are not issuing any new Social Security Numbers during the Government Shutdown. That means that any aupairs that have not yet applied for their cards will have to wait until after the shutdown. When I spoke with a SS Office, it was unclear what is happening with applications that were being processed when the shutdown happened, but there is potential for delays.
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Top 10 driving mistakes

 

1. Driving under the influence.

Drugs and alcohol might make you feel confident in your driving skills, but really all they’re doing is impairing your judgment.

Statistics show that, approximately every 45 minutes, someone is killed by a drunk driver, and in 2008 alone, roughly 11,773 people died in accidents related to drunk driving. In 2006, nearly two million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics.

In other words, if you don’t kill yourself or someone else, you’ll most likely go to jail.

2. Not getting enough sleep.

 During the past decade researchers have shown sleep deprivation can have the same effects as being drunk. Reread the above.

3. Not wearing a seat belt.

Wearing a seat belt decreases your chances of becoming injured or dying in a car accident by about 45 percent. It’s as simple as that.

4. Packing too many passengers in the car.

Car pooling is great for the environment, but there is some truth to the adage “too much of a good thing.” The more passengers you have, the more noise and distraction you have.

Never offer rides to more people than you have seatbelts for, and always make sure your passengers keep the noise and potentially distracting behavior to a minimum.

5. Not coping with road rage.

Best case scenario? Someone hears a dirty word or sees an obscene gesture. Worst case scenario? Someone dies.

If you know or have been told you suffer from road rage, pinpoint your triggers and work toward learning defensive driving – rather than aggressive driving – techniques. The outcome of a road rage incident could affect you, your passengers, innocent drivers-by, and even your family and friends. Ignoring your problem is plain irresponsible.

6. Improperly traveling with animals.

Whether it’s a trip to the vet or a move to a new home, nearly every pet owner has to travel with his or her animal(s) at some point; however, just because it’s common doesn’t mean it’s always safe.

Anyone traveling with a pet must make sure the pet is secured in the vehicle before heading out on the road. Otherwise, the driver ends up with a scared cat trying to hide under the brake pedal or an overexcited dog trying to jump out the window, and trying to prevent these situations mid-drive could result in a car crash.

7. Playing music too loudly.

Loud music not only distracts you from other drivers and driving conditions, but also it can prevent you from hearing the emergency sirens of a police car, ambulance, or fire truck.

8. Driving with unchecked emotions.

Your boyfriend broke up with you. You found out your child is sick. Your boss just fired you. Your cat just died.

We’ve all been there at some point.

When you suffer a blow, be sure to take some time to calm down before getting behind the wheel of a vehicle; if it looks like that’s not happening any time soon, call someone for a ride.

9. Not learning (or paying attention to) safety laws.

These days, most teen drivers learn about safety laws through a state-mandated drivers education or training program; however, not all states require these driver safety courses and not all teens (or adults) are willing to enroll in them if they don’t have to.

Safety laws teach you important basics such as how to handle a four-way stop sign, how far from a railroad crossing you should be, and how to properly veer onto another highway. Without this knowledge, you could find yourself in the middle of a serious accident.

10. Being arrogant.

Arrogant drivers think they know it all – regardless of how much they actually know.

Understand that if everyone around you is driving too slowly, perhaps you’re driving too fast; driving a big four-wheel-drive SUV in a sea of tiny two-door compacts does not make you a god; and just because you’ve never been in an accident doesn’t mean you’re invincible.

Halloween is around the corner

Halloween is October 31 but the celebrating will start before that! Although the holiday is observed around the world, few countries celebrate to the extent
that people do in the United States. The name "Halloween" is short for "All Hallow's Eve", being that it is the day before All Saints' Day, a Christian holy day.
In Ireland and Scotland, where the holiday is thought to have originated, people would dress in masks and disguises so that the spirits of the dead would not
recognize them. This evolved into the tradition of dressing in costumes. Today's "trick-or-treating" resembles the medieval practice of "souling", when poor
people would go door to door on November 1, receiving food in return for prayers for the dead on All Souls' Day, November 2.

Halloween is always exciting for children. And most au pairs will enjoy trick-or-treating with their host family's kids before attending Halloween celebrations
of their own. Please help keep children safe by checking all treats before allowing children to eat them. Costumes should be easy to move in and not pose a
tripping hazard. If you are out after dark with the kids, be sure to carry flashlights and hold their hands when crossing the street. And of course, have fun!

Cars, Gas and Carpooling......

Host Families:

• Provide transportation for au pairs to school (up to completing 60 class hours or 6 credit hours).  This can be either gas money or driving au pair; cannot expect au pairs to get free rides from other au pairs or friends
• Provide transportation for au pairs to one cluster event each month (Should be the bigger event of the month vs. the coffee night whenever possible).  This can be either gas money or driving au pair
• Please do not rely on other au pairs in the cluster to always drive your au pair; this is not fair to other host families.  If another au pair is driving your au pair, please offer gas money
• Pay for gas whenever the au pair is driving the children or driving for the family (to the grocery store, to get pizza, etc.)
• May limit mileage for the car, driving distance, place curfews when the car should be home, and restrict car due to weather (snow, ice, etc.)
• Host families pay for car insurance, car repairs, and maintenance (including oil changes)
• Help your au pair get a State driver'sLicense or at minimum a State  Identification card
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Au Pairs:

• Respect all the car rules from your host family:  Mileage, driving distance, car curfew, filling out driving log, etc.
• Understand that there are times you do not have a car to drive:  Host parents using it, poor weather, car in need of repair, etc.
• Appreciate having access to a car to drive (this is an added expense for all host families)
• Always ask to use the car, even if you are going to school.  Host families should ALWAYS know where their car is going and when it will be back (even if they are not sharing the car with you)
• Keep the car clean and let your host family know right away if something is wrong with the car, not working, or anything lighting up on the dashboard
• Bring the car home with a full tank of gas after driving it over the weekend or at least fill up what you used.  Never return it empty
• Carpool, Carpool, and Carpool whenever possible (share gas, mileage, and have companionship)
• Pay for all personal gas and car washes (once per month at the most)
• Pay $250 for damage to the car if you have an accident and pay for any driving tickets
• Never allow another au pair or friend to drive your host parent's car for any reason
• Pay any and all fees to get a State Driver's License
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Great questions to ask during an interview

What values did you parents teach you as being most important in life?

What three adjectives would your friends use to describe you?

Do you have a boyfriend? How does he feel about your decision to become an AP? How do you think you’ll handle being away from him for a year?

Are you close with your siblings?

How did you hear about the program and who suggested that you become an aupair ?”

Do you have relatives in the US?

Is religion important to you?

Are you a morning person? Are you able to start your day early?

Do you have a housekeeper? Do you have duties at home? Please explain what your duties are

Have you had a job before? Tell us about your job & what you did. What where the challenges? What did you like? How long did you work there? Why did you quit?

How do you handle conflict with your parents?

How do you like to keep your room at home?

If the baby is crying & hurt, the 3 & 4 year old are fighting & the doorbell rings – how would you handle that situation?

What would you do if you were driving & the boys are fighting or takes off a seat belt?

What is your biggest strength/weakness?

What is your biggest concern or fear about becoming an au pair?

Why do you want to come to the USA and what are your plans when you go back to your home country?

Do you have a maid at home?

The child you are looking after is just learning to walk. She is walking on a concrete sidewalk and falls forward and hits her head. Her head is cut and bleeding heavily. She is crying hysterically and is very upset because she is in pain and is scared. How do you handle this?

Have you ever clipped a baby’s fingernails or toenails?

What are your expectations for the home that you will live in as an au pair? Will you be uncomfortable if the home is not perfectly clean at all times?

Have you had any prior lengthy illnesses?

What age children do you prefer to take care of?

How much sleep do you need to feel rested?

How do you plan to spend your time when you’re not working?

Do you know anyone in the US?

What is your best and worst memory of your family life?

What kind of role do you want to have with the children? A playmate? A teacher? A parent? How would you go about these roles?

Do you want to be like a roommate or do you want to be like a member of the host family? A roommate socializes outside of the home most nights and weekend with friends. A member of the family eats dinner at home each night and spends time at home on the weekends and watches movies with the host family in the evening.

How do you make friends?

Do you enjoy playing with dogs and are you comfortable with them?

How do you envision your day taking care of our daughter?

What do you think is most exciting thing about coming to the US as an au pair?

Looking for a good dentist

The aupair insurance does not cover dental problems unfortunately! But here is a link to UMKC school of dentistry that does a good job for a good price if you live in the Kansas City area.


Happy Teeth!!

September Promotion