Recognize your au pair! Nominations due for 2010 IAPA Au Pair of the Year Award
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More info about free flu shot!
Hi Everyone, ( one of our Host families wrote)
We tried to go to the flu shot clinics this past Saturday and the lines wrapped around the buildings. Be prepared to spend some time waiting in line. Also, these clinics will not give the flu shots to children. Only adults. I have been told that you had to be 18 years old and older and someone else told me 9 years old and older.
If your time is an issue and can afford $20, Costco is having clinics as well. You can call the location nearest you and ask for the dates. We have gotten them there in the past without any problems and the waiting was very reasonable.
Walgreens, Kmart, Walmart etc are also doing some. Even if they don’t have a designated clinic date, they may be able to offer them to individuals if they have any doses left. Just call and ask to speak to the Pharmacist. I don’t know how much this will cost.
For those of you who have a primary care physician, you can call your clinic and make a nurse appointment for the flu shot. Depending on your clinic and how busy they are, this may be the best way to go. Your health insurance should cover it.
Hope everyone stays healthy!
Lourdes
Free Flu Shots
FREE Public Seasonal Flu Shot Clinic Schedule
The Health Sciences Center drive-thru flu shot clinics for immunization against the seasonal flu will be conducted again this year on Saturdays, October 17 and October 24. The drive-thru clinics will be set up at the UNM Family Practice Center at 2400 Tucker NE, on the UNM north campus. In addition, this year the HSC will set up weekend flu shot clinics at its University Area, Northeast Heights and Southeast Heights clinics. The clinics will be held on weekends beginning Saturday, October 10, and will run through Saturday, November 21, or until the vaccine runs out. These flu shot are free to everyone. This vaccine should not be confused with the H1N1 flu vaccine, which should arrive sometime in October. A separate schedule will be set up for administering that vaccine. Below are the times and locations of the off-campus public flu clinics:
Saturday, October 10
UNM University Area Clinic, 1209 University Blvd. – 9 a.m. - noon
UNM Southeast Heights Clinic, 8200 Central SE – 9 a.m. – noon
Saturday, October 17
UNM Family Practice Center, 2400 Tucker NE – 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. (Drive Thru)
UNM Southeast Heights Clinic, 8200 Central SE – 9 a.m. – noon
Young Children’s Health Center, 306-A San Pablo SE – 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 24
UNM Family Practice Center, 2400 Tucker NE – 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. (Drive Thru)
UNM Northeast Heights Clinic, 7801 Academy Blvd. NE – 9 a.m. – noon
UNM Southeast Heights Clinic, 8200 Central SE – 9 a.m. – noon
Saturday, October 31
UNM Southeast Heights Clinic, 8200 Central SE – 9 a.m. – noon
Lobo Care / Senior Health Clinic, 1101-4 Medical Arts NE – 9 a.m. - noon
Saturday, November 7
UNM Southeast Heights Clinic, 8200 Central SE – 9 a.m. – noon
Saturday, November 14
UNM University Area Clinic, 1209 University Blvd. – 9 a.m. - noon
UNM Southeast Heights Clinic, 8200 Central SE – 9 a.m. – noon
Saturday, November 21
Young Children’s Health Center, 306-A San Pablo SE – 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Tip on getting your Au Pair set up.
I was asked by one of my families if I could put pointers on my website for after the Au Pair arrives at the families home. I always tell everyone that I was an AP and I had to go through that whole process myself. The biggest change since I was an AP, is they now need a Social Security number. Plan on taking some time within the first week after the AP arrives in your home to get these things done. That is what my HM did. Oh, and don’t worry if you don’t like the way how I put it together and maybe have a better way or easier way. Just let me know and I could put it on my website so everyone could take a look at this.
Call your car insurance company to add your AP. You could also do this a few days before he/she gets here, that’s up to you.
Open a bank account for your AP. I went to Wells Fargo but I also heard Bank of America is ok.
Next you could go to the Social Security office and get him/her a Social Security number. There is a link on my website if you want to read a little more. You might be able to just full out a form online. It should take about 2 weeks to get the number.
If you like, you can set up a weekly automatic transfer from your account to the AP’s new account so that you don’t have to worry about paying the AP.
An Au Pair who is under 25 years old must do a written DWI test if they want a drivers license. You get the forms at the MVD. You have to mail a request form with a cashiers check to get the DWI test which comes to you in the mail. The AP can pay you back for the test fee. If you don’t want to wait for it to be mailed to you, ask the MVD where she could go to pick it up. Before receiving the test, the AP could read the drivers manual to understand all the rules, and he /she could fill out the DWI paperwork. Feel free to take her for rides around town so she gets use to driving. Also talk to her about the traffic laws to make them easier for her to understand. There is also a link on my website where she could do a little fun quiz to learn traffic rules.
The AP should have their license before within three months of starting their year. Under the program, the AP is allowed to drive if he/she has a driver’s license and permission from you to use your car.
What can I do to make my new au pair feel welcome?
It is important to make your new au pair feel welcome. You might want to send something to her at the Au Pair Training School in her first week in the U.S. Greet her at the airport with homemade signs and balloons. Decorate her room with photos from home and small gifts – PJs, a travel book on your area, a baseball cap for a local sports team. Show her around your town. Help her get her drivers license and open a bank account.
I have a way to save you hundreds of dollars
Can You Hear Me Now?
I recently learned an interesting little tidbit about cell phones in the U.S. versus cell phones abroad and thought you might find it quite helpful as well. Did you know that in many overseas countries, you are NOT charged for incoming international phone calls on your cell phone? This is quite different in the U.S. as most cell phones here do incur a charge when receiving international calls. As a result, an au pair may be unknowingly creating a rather sizeable phone bill by simply giving this number out to friends and family back at home.
Au pairs are responsible for these kind of personal expenses so it’s important that they understand that there are some differences in how plans work here. It is important for families and au pairs to look into this before the calls start coming in. This way they can make sure that they don’t get a surprise at the end of the month in the form of a massive cell phone bill. This can be an expensive lesson to learn and save the trouble of learning it the hard way.
by: Natalie Jordan - Senior VP at Cultural Care Au Pair
New - Social Events Hosted by our Families
Our families are jumping in with a new idea that we are trying out - non-meeting social events each month where the au pairs can go hang out, enjoy some food and fun and get to know each other better. So far we have tentative events planned for the next several months! Thanks to Lourdes Vizcarra Wurzel for her great idea and for getting the ball moving on this. We’ll be e-mailing directions, etc. closer to the event.
I’ll also post event photos that anyone can e-mail me afterward.
New! Our specialty preparation courses
In addition to the basic curriculum mandated by the U.S. Department of State on child safety and development, Cultural Care’s Training School now also offers specialty preparation classes. Host families can choose to enroll their au pair in an additional day-long program which is offered before the standard training begins. Topics include:
- Sharing Your Native Language with Children
- Focus on the School Aged Child: Academics and Activities
- A Practical Introduction to the American Home
What do Cultural Care au pairs learn at the Au Pair Training School?
The Cultural Care Au Pair staff developed the curriculum for the four-day program in collaboration with The Children’s Foundation in Washington, D.C.
Topics covered include:
- Health and Safety in the Home
- Child Nutrition
- Common Childhood Illnesses
- Safety and Emergency Education
- Effective Communication
- Au Pairs as Role Models
- Ages & Stages: Birth to Teenage Years
- Age-appropriate Materials and Activities
- Building Self-esteem in Children
- Behavior Management
In addition to their time in the classroom, au pairs attend group workshops. In the communication workshop, teachers and au pairs discuss cultural differences in communication and effective problem solving skills necessary for a successful year. Au pairs also attend a personal safety workshop led by a New York police officer and are offered a tour of New York City. Au pairs depart from the school feeling confident, socially-connected and ready for the year ahead.
Training School
Upon arrival to the U.S., Cultural Care au pairs attend an exclusive, four-day training program focused on child development and safety. Our unique Au Pair Training School offers instruction from dedicated and experienced educators in a classroom setting. Small class sizes allow teachers to give au pairs one-to-one attention. The Cultural Care Au Pair Training School is located on the beautiful Oakdale campus of St. John’s University on Long Island, New York—allowing au pairs to adjust to their first days in the U.S. in a comfortable, collegiate environment.