Helen Cook

  One of the challenges for some Au Pairs may be preparing meals for their host children, and not only meals that are easy to prepare, but good for them too!

Many of the recipes you will find here, courtesy of Discovery Health, contain healthy ingredients and are not too difficult to prepare — some items require very little to no cooking, so they should be easy for everyone!  If your children are old enough, get them to help!

Be sure to involve your Host Parents as well.  If there is something new you want to try, be sure to check with them first.   There may be food allergies, or a history of such things, and it could be very dangerous to introduce or even expose your host children to some food items; peanuts are a good example of this.  Some peanut allergies can be quite severe and could cause very serious health issues, so if you are not sure, ASK!   It is also helpful to ask, as some families follow special diets, like vegetarianism, for health or religious purposes.

Kid-Friendly Breakfasts

Kid-Friendly Lunches

Kid-Friendly Dinners

HAPPY COOKING

REMINDER:  The January Au Pair Meeting for the  Lehigh Valley Au Pairs be held on January 24, 2010.  We will all go “Ice Skating” (Indoor Ice Rink).   ”Steel City Ice Center”  is conveniently located on the south side of Bethlehem on the site of the historic Bethlehem Steel Company.  The location is easily accessible from Routes 22 or 78 via Routes 378 and 412.   Plenty of parking is available.  Here are the details:

WHERE:     Steel City Ice Center, 320 East 1st Street, Bethlehem, PA 18015

PHONE:     610-625-4774

DATE:       Sunday, January 24, 2010

TIME:         1:00 P.M. to 3:30 P.M.  (Lateness will count as a Non Attendance!)

COST:        $5.00 Per Au Pair (Includes Rental of Skates and Public Ice Skating)

We will have a private room for you to relax, have hot chocolate and snacks!   We will have a short CEP Safety Meeting and will be finalizing the Ski/Snowboard Trip Details (Ski/Snowboard Day is Sunday, February 21).

Procedure:   Come to the Steel Ice Center Building and go to the “Front Desk”.  Give the person at the Front Desk your name and she/he will give you a ticket for the rental skates.  Go to the Rental Area - gather your skates - and come to the Meeting Room (near the ice).  You will have 1 1/2 hours of skating time.  You will pay Helen ($5.00) in the Meeting Room (not to the Front Desk).

Please watch for more details re Ski/Snowboard Trip.  I WILL NEED YOUR RESERVATION AND MONEY FOR THE SKI/SNOWBOARD TRIP ON THIS JANUARY MEETING SUNDAY!!!   We will be completing the Rental Forms for the Ski/Snowboard Trip and please — if you can have your payment for the trip (correct amount if possible — it’s always hard to make change — cost of the Ski/Snowboard Trip announced in January Newsletter).

Looking forward to seeing all Au Pairs on Sunday, January 24, 2010 — Bring friends and/or other Au Pairs — all are invited!

Directions to the Steel Ice Center

From Route 22:
1. Exit onto the 378 South/Bethlehem exit.
2. Follow 378 South until the expressway ends.
3. Get into the left lane.
4. At the first light turn left onto 3rd Street.
5. Follow 3rd Street to the fourth traffic light.
6. Turn left onto Polk Street.
7. SIC is on the left at the end of Polk Street.
1. Exit 67 at Hellertown/Bethlehem.
2. At the end of the ramp turn right onto 412 North.
3. Pass Wendy’s on your left.
4. Continue to the third light and make a soft right to
  continue on 412. (412 becomes 3rd Street)
5. Turn right at the Polk Street traffic light. (Polk Street   is just after the Discovery Center)
6. SIC is on the left at the end of Polk Street.     

From I-78:

From the South:
1. Take 309 North through Coopersburg to 378 North.
2. Follow 378 North over the mountain.
3. At the bottom of the mountain you will see a McDonald’s on your left.
4. Go to the second light after the McDonald’s where you will see the Church of the Nativity.
5. Turn right at this light onto 3rd Street.
6. Follow 3rd Street to the fourth traffic light.
7. Turn left onto Polk Street.
8. SIC is on the left at the end of Polk Street.

The epic earthquake in Haiti has affected all of us — the suffering is unbelievable and help is needed now and for a long time in the future.

At Cultural Care Au Pair and our parent company EF Education First, we believe in connecting people as citizens of the world, and breaking down barriers of language, culture and geography.  Never is that mission more important than in a time of crisis.  In order to reach out to the people of Haiti, EF Education First will match up to $100,000 of employee, student and customer donations made through the American Red Cross.  We believe this is our responsibility as a company, as educators and as global citizens.  We hope you will join us in our effort to aid the millions of Haitians who need our support.  Together, we can make a difference.

If you would like to make a donation, please click or paste the following link in your browser:   

http://american.redcross.org/efeducationfirst-emp

Host Families and Au Pairs:   I will be traveling to Boston — Wednesday thru Monday (January 13 thru January 18) for meetings and training.  I will be available on my cell phone and via email on a limited basis.  Please feel free to give me a call or email if you would need to speak with me.

Remember:  January Meeting scheduled for Sunday, January 24 .. See this website for further details.

Cultural Care is committed to providing families with flexible and affordable childcare as well as excellent customer service.  We have decided not to raise our prices in 2010 so that our new and repeat families will take advantage of the same program fee we charged in 2008!  Please continue reading for our current discounts with their promotion codes.

Cultural Care Au Pair offers many discounts for both new and repeat host families. If you have specific questions regarding any of our discounts, please email me at Belma.Bostanci@lcc.culturalcare.com or call me at 973-379-2628. Total savings (including the application fee waiver and program fee discount) cannot exceed $650 per program year, with the exception of “lock-in” savings and savings earned through the host family referral program. Please contact me at  Helen.Cook@lcc.culturalcare.com for more information.

New Host Family - New Year Discount! Save $500!

Apply between January 4 and January 31, 2010 to enjoy a $275 selection fee waiver and a $225 program fee discount for a total savings of $500!  Please call 610-797-5887 or 610-393-3919 for promotion code.  Families must be new to Cultural Care Au Pair and welcome an Au-Pair into their home by October 22, 2010 to qualify for this offer.

Competitor Families - “Repeat with us” and save up to $1,000!

We welcome families from other au pair agencies to repeat with us.  As a family experienced with the Au Pair Program, Host Families who switch to Cultural Care Au Pair are entitled to $1,000 in savings!  These savings include a $75 application fee waiver, a $275 selection fee credit on their account, a standing $500 program fee discount and free overseas connections (a $150 value).  Please call me for the Promotion Code.  Families must submit proof of payment of their agency’s program fees (proof of payment of application fee does not qualify).  The $500 program fee savings will be applied upon receipt of proof of payment.

$300 Pre-Arranged Match Discount

Families who find their own future Au Pair are entitled to a $300 program fee discount.  The candidate must meet Cultural Care Au Pair’s screening requirements and must complete the Screening & Orientation Day in the appropriate recruitment country.  Total savings cannot exceed $650.  No promotion code necessary: savings will be applied upon approval of candidate.  Please call me (610-797-5887) for further details.

Repeat Families: Save up to $1,000 in Repeat Family Rewards

Extension Families: Save up to $2000 in Repeat Family Rewards

Families who extend with their current Au Pair are entitled to a $75 application fee waiver, $275 selection fee waiver and up to $1,650 in program fee savings. Total savings = up to $2,000!  Families who reapply to host another Cultural Care Au Pair are entitled to a $75 application fee waiver, a $275 selection fee credit on their account, a $250 repeat family discount, and complimentary overseas connection service ($150 value).  Families who apply early enough can earn an additional $250 early matching bonus! Total savings = up to $1,000!  For an early matching bonus deadline chart, visit the Host Family InfoSource. No promotion code necessary; discounts are applied automatically.

Host Family Referral Program

Current host families can earn a $150 program fee discount when they refer new host families to Cultural Care Au Pair.  For referring families to qualify for the $150 program fee discount, Host Families must personally know families they refer, and referred families must have children under the age of 18 years. A program fee discount will be applied automatically to your account when the referred Host Family welcomes an Au Pair into their home.  Please contact me regarding all the savings at Helen.Cook@lcc.culturalcare.com (610-797-5887)

C.W. Post, Long Island, New York has published its Class Schedule for Weekend Classes in the Winter and Early Spring. Please visit the C.W. Post (Au Pair) Website for further details and registration:

http://www.liu.edu/cwis/CWP/aupair/

By attending a Weekend Class at CWPost and Completing the Assignments, an Au Pair will earn Three (3) College Class Credits which can be used toward the U.S. Dept. of State Educational Requirement of the Au Pair Program.

To register by telephone with a credit card please call Anne Schubeck or Victoria DiBenedetto at (516) 299-2359.

For more information, you can email CWPost at aupair@cwpost.liu.edu or fax your application form to CWPost at: 516-299-2363.

The C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University is pleased to provide educational programs that Au Pairs may attend to fulfill their credit requirements. These courses are open to Au Pairs and all interested students. This program provides an opportunity for students to participate in a few options on the C.W. Post Campus. During the winter semester overnight accommodations will be on campus. During the spring semester overnight accommodations will be offered at the East Norwich Inn.

Winter Semester

History of American Women-American History   January 29-31, 2010

TOEFL/ English Preparation Course   January 29-31, 2010

Growing up in America    January 29-31, 2010

American Indian Cultures and Their

                    Impact on American Society January 29-31, 2010

Highlights of the Harlem Renaissance   February 19-21. 2010

History of American Music   February 19-21, 2010

American Indian Cultures and Their

                    Impact on American Society February 19-21, 2010

Spring Semester

History of American Music   March 5-7, 2010

Growing up in America   March 5-7, 2010

American Government, Politics, and Social Issues   March 5-7, 2010

Storytelling: As A Way of Life: Exploring Traditions   March 19-21, 2010

TOEFL/ English Preparation Course   March 19-21, 2010

American Indian Cultures and Their

                        Impact on American Society March 19-21, 2010

History of American Music   March 26-28, 2010

Regional Identities - American Culture   March 25-28, 2010

American Indian Cultures and

           Their Impact on American Society       April 16-18, 2010

TOEFL/ English Preparation Course     April 16-18, 2010

History of American Music     April 16-18, 2010

Celebration of Holidays - American Culture   April 16-18, 2010

Please remember:  You will need to discuss these class schedules with your Host Family before enrolling.   You will need to take the bus to New York City and follow transportation directions to the school.   Classes fill quickly .. so plan ahead!!

Two Lehigh Valley Colleges are offering Classes on Weekends right here in the Lehigh Valley — Cedar Crest College and Muhlenberg College are offering classes to be held on Weekends in January, 2010 and Au Pairs will be able to earn THREE (3) Credits of the required Education Component of the Au Pair Year.  Please see the schedules below.      This might be a good way for Lehigh Valley Au Pairs to earn at least one-half of the required education credits needed for the Au Pair Program.   Muhlenberg and Cedar Creest will honor the $350 per class (audit only) for Lehigh Valley Au Pairs.   Muhlenberg and Cedar Crest are both excellent schools in the Lehigh Valley - so Au Pairs can avoid the travel expenses that might be associated with going to other Weekend Colleges.

The schedules are below and please note that you can call the schools and attend “Open House” by the schools to find out more about the courses.

CEDAR CREST COLLEGE — 610-740-3770 — www.cedarcrest.edu  — offers an Open House on Thursday, January 7 between 3:00 and 7:00 p.m.   Au Pairs can stop by (or call anytime) to find out more about the classes offered.  Classes at Cedar Crest will be held weekends of January 8-10 and January 15-17.   Courses offered are:

•      Art 101  Beginning Drawing
•      Art 103 Painting Studio
•      Art 160 ST:  The Art of Bookmaking
•      BUA 110 Principals of Management
•      BUA 328 Power, Influence and Negotiation
•      GSC 104  Earth Science:  Historical Geology
•      MRK 332:  Sales Management
•      MUS 221:   Musical Styles:  Humor in Music
•      PSC 208:    Women, Law and Politices
•      REL 227:  Islam In America
•      SOC 100:  Introduction to Culture and Society
•      THS 201:  Acting For Non-Majors

Actual Spring Classes for Cedar Crest Begin:  January 19, 2010.

MUHLENBERG COLLEGE  (484-664-3300   wescoe@muhlenberg.edu) The Wescoe School )  - is offering a full college course - worth 3 credits 36 hours - to be taken over just two weekends!

The Classes offered are:

• Introduction to History of American Bad Guys
• American Ethnic Diversity
• Business Ethics
• Introduction to the Art of Acting
• Literature and Film
• Vodou in Haiti & the Diaspora

 Classes are offered over two weekends:

• January 8 (6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.), 9 and 10 (9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.)
• January 15, 16, and 17, 2010 (same times).

Please be sure to tell the school that you are an Au Pair with Cultural Care Au Pair (Helen Cook) and that you wish to “Audit” the course as an Au Pair.   Register Early - these classes may fill quickly!

The January Au Pair Meeting for the  Lehigh Valley Au Pairs be held on January 24, 2009.  We will all go “Ice Skating” (Indoor Ice Rink).   ”Steel City Ice Center”  is conveniently located on the south side of Bethlehem on the site of the historic Bethlehem Steel Company.  The location is easily accessible from Routes 22 or 78 via Routes 378 and 412.   Plenty of parking is available.  Here are the details:

WHERE:     Steel City Ice Center, 320 East 1st Street, Bethlehem, PA 18015

PHONE:     610-625-4774

DATE:       Sunday, January 24, 2010

TIME:         1:00 P.M. to 3:30 P.M.  (Lateness will count as a Non Attendance!)

COST:        $5.00 Per Au Pair (Includes Rental of Skates and Public Ice Skating)

We will have a private room for you to relax, have hot chocolate and snacks!   We will have a short CEP Safety Meeting and will be finalizing the Ski/Snowboard Trip Details (Ski/Snowboard Day is Sunday, February 21).

Procedure:   Come to the Steel Ice Center Building and go to the “Front Desk”.  Give the person at the Front Desk your name and she/he will give you a ticket for the rental skates.  Go to the Rental Area - gather your skates - and come to the Meeting Room (near the ice).  You will have 1 1/2 hours of skating time.  You will pay Helen ($5.00) in the Meeting Room (not to the Front Desk).

Please watch for more details re Ski/Snowboard Trip.  I WILL NEED YOUR RESERVATION AND MONEY FOR THE SKI/SNOWBOARD TRIP ON THIS JANUARY MEETING SUNDAY!!!   Watch for further emails re Ski/Snowboard.

Looking forward to seeing all Au Pairs on Sunday, January 24, 2010 — Bring friends and/or other Au Pairs — all are invited!

Directions to the Steel Ice Center

From Route 22:
1. Exit onto the 378 South/Bethlehem exit.
2. Follow 378 South until the expressway ends.
3. Get into the left lane.
4. At the first light turn left onto 3rd Street.
5. Follow 3rd Street to the fourth traffic light.
6. Turn left onto Polk Street.
7. SIC is on the left at the end of Polk Street.
1. Exit 67 at Hellertown/Bethlehem.
2. At the end of the ramp turn right onto 412 North.
3. Pass Wendy’s on your left.
4. Continue to the third light and make a soft right to
  continue on 412. (412 becomes 3rd Street)
5. Turn right at the Polk Street traffic light. (Polk Street   is just after the Discovery Center)
6. SIC is on the left at the end of Polk Street.     

From I-78:

From the South:
1. Take 309 North through Coopersburg to 378 North.
2. Follow 378 North over the mountain.
3. At the bottom of the mountain you will see a McDonald’s on your left.
4. Go to the second light after the McDonald’s where you will see the Church of the Nativity.
5. Turn right at this light onto 3rd Street.
6. Follow 3rd Street to the fourth traffic light.
7. Turn left onto Polk Street.
8. SIC is on the left at the end of Polk Street.

Every year thousands of young people from all over the world embark on a special journey by becoming an Au Pair. Now it’s time to recognize the extraordinary and ordinary daily accomplishments that each Au Pair makes in his or her host family by nominating your Au Pair for the International Au Pair Association’s seventh annual “Au Pair of the Year Award”.

The International Au Pair Association established the Au Pair of the Year Award to recognize the many Great young men and women participating in the Au Pair program worldwide. In addition, the award helps highlight public awareness of this valuable cultural exchange program.

For the last two years, Au Pairs with Cultural Care have been honored with the IAPA Au Pair of the Year Award. In 2009, the honor was awarded to Francisco Ricardo Silva de Araújo, of Brazil, an Au Pair to the Boyer family of Virginia.

In 2008, Linda Falter, an Au Pair from Germany, received the award while she was an Au Pair for the Sato family of Hayward, California.

WHAT MAKES YOUR AU PAIR OUTSTANDING?

Maybe it is the day-to-day things he or she does, such as kicking around a soccer ball, helping the kids with homework or entertaining them while you cook dinner. Maybe it’s the way he or she has embraced your family, such as teaching your kids her language, baking treats from her home country or coming to watch your children in the winter program at school. Every thing your Au Pair does that helps your family or brings a rich cultural exchange into your family is worthy of recognition, and a great way of saying thank you to your Au Pair!

Host families who would like to nominate their Au Pair should submit an essay detailing what makes their Au Pair exceptional in the form provided. Nominations for the Au Pair of the Year Award must be received by Friday, January 15. Once you’ve submitted your nomination, don’t forget to share it with your Au Pair to show her or him how much you think of what she or he does for your family!

Simply nominating an Au Pair for the IAPA Au Pair of the Year Award is a wonderful honor that can show your Au Pair how much you value what she or he does for your family. This award allows so many in the Au Pair community to reflect on what an incredibly positive program this is and the many lives it touches and enriches along the way.

For more information about the Au Pair of the Year Award or nominating your Au Pair please click here.