Helen Cook

Meeting Rules and Procedures

ATTENDANCE GUIDELINES:

Au Pair Monthly Meetings posted on the calendar page on this website.  It is your responsibility to write them down and schedule them into your month!  You should not make plans with your friends or plan to be out of town, etc. on those days.. 

Attendance at monthly Au Pair meetings is a State Department requirement for successful completion of the Au Pair program.  Host families need to accommodate for this, as well as provide and / or facilitate transportation for your Au Pair to get to meetings.  First Year Au Pairs must attend a minimum of 10 out of the 12 meetings scheduled during their year  Extension Au Pairs are allowed to miss one or two meetings depending on the length of the extension (see below for details). However, attendance at all meetings is strongly encouraged.  These meetings are designed not only with the cultural exchange aspect of the program in mind, but also to give Au Pairs a way to network and form friendships.  They are a good way for you and I to also get to know each other and what is happening in your life as an Au Pair - this could be very important over your Au Pair year!

Au Pair meetings are lots of fun!    Don’t miss them!

Meetings are scheduled at least three months (and usually six months ahead).  The date has been picked but not always the activity.  (I am always open to suggestions from Au Pairs for activities/meetings you would like to have.)  Some of our meetings will be free, some will have a small cost, and a few (skiing, whitewater rafting and Hershey Park trip) may have a larger cost (but you WILL HAVE FUN!!).   When there is a more expensive meeting (as in skiing, whitewater and Hershey), I do offer a “make-up” or second meeting for the Au Pair that choose not to attend the “main meeting”.   The “make-up or second” meeting will always been announced; however, it will be a “Coffee and Conversation” meeting and usually held on a Thursday evening.  It certainly not be as much fun as the “Main” meeting. 

The meetings on Sunday are the “regular” general group meetings, which could be an activity or a Continuing Education program; it could be in the afternoon or the evening depending on the nature of the activity, so please schedule to allow for this. This is the meeting I prefer that Au Pairs attend.  I know the Au Pair Meetings are mandatory and you are required to participate, but I do want them to be enjoyable.  Please take the meeting attendance as seriously as I certainly do.

Make - up meetings are not an excuse to miss the regular monthly meeting — they are simply being offered as an option in the more expensive meeting situation or extreme emergency situations.  Again, make-up (second) meetings are usually a “Coffee and Conversation” event and held on a Thursday evening.  The date and time will be published along with the details of the “Main” Au Pair Meeting.

Acceptable Reasons For Missing A Meeting:

a)      confirmed illness (must be confirmed by your Host Family); 

b)      b) you are on vacation or have your family visiting and you are traveling with them.

c)      You are not to miss a meeting because you are “working or on-duty”.  It is the Host Family’s responsibility to adjust their schedule to allow you to attend and participate in the monthly Au Pair meetings - so please be sure you share the meeting dates with your family or at least put them on the family calendar.

• YOU WILL BE CHARGED A MISSED MEETING for anything other than the above reasons.
• YOU WILL BE CHARGED A MISSED MEETING if you arrive to the Au Pair Meeting on-time (15 minutes late if you tell me) and you do not participate in the meeting. The meetings will begin at the described time - please be on-time!.
• If you must miss a Monthly Au Pair Meeting for a very good reason (see above), please email me at least three (3) days before the meeting.
• When you miss a Monthly Au Pair Meeting, you MUST call me and come to my home to “sign-in” and so you and I can “make contact”. Even if you “sign-in”, you will still be charged a “MISSED MEETING” .. this “sign-in” will be our monthly contact - but not official attendance at the Monthly Meeting.

Meeting dates are posted on the Meeting Schedule page of this website.   It is your responsibility to write them down and schedule them into your month!  You should not make plans with your friends or plans to be out of town, etc. on those days unless you have already done so.  MEETINGS ARE MANDATORY and need to take priority over your social calendar! 

Guests are always welcome and other Au Pair friends are encouraged to attend!!  You will also be asked to RSVP on some occasions and submit payment to me before the meeting.   This is because I will need to make reservations and, in some cases, rent a bus - so be prepared as you get the instructions.

Finally, by not attending, you have chosen to miss the meeting for the month and must take the unexcused absence.  

“First Year Au Pairs”:  You are only allowed to miss two (2) Monthly Au Pair Meetings throughout your Au Pair year. 

“Extension Au Pairs”:

6 Month Extension - You are allowed to miss one (1) Monthly Au Pair Meeting

9 Month and 12 Month Extension - You are allowed to miss two (2) Monthly Au Pair Meetings.

If you do miss more than the allowed meetings, you will risk:

a)      You losing the opportunity to extend for a second year;

b)      You being ineligible to have your deposit refunded when you get back home

c)      Loss of your paid return flight home.

If you are unsure of how many meetings you’ve attended, you may ask me. However, it is your responsibility to keep track of the meetings you do and do not attend. You will also need to track why you missed the meeting.

GENERAL RULES FOR MEETING ATTENDANCE:

1.  Speak English at all times.  That is the only language we ALL have in common.

2. Any special issues that need to be discussed with me must be done before the meeting and should not take the focus off of the general discussion / event or your fellow Au Pairs during the meeting.  Please make an effort to arrive early and let me know in advance, so I can plan accordingly.

3.   Meetings will be NON-SMOKING.

4.  Please be on time or call me as soon as possible if you are running late, so the rest of us can begin in a timely manner.  (See note above about lateness)

5. You will not receive credit for attending if you do not plan to participate in the meeting.  You should plan to come to a meeting or event and actually participate or take part for the duration of that meeting or event.  You will not be allowed to come and sign in, only to have you turn around and leave.