Vicky Elkins’ Cultural Care Au Pair Site - Memphis

As part of Cultural Care Au Pair’s mission to break down barriers of culture and language through educational exchange, a group of local childcare coordinators and staff recently visited South Africa to see firsthand the difference the donations from the Cultural Care community have made through our charitable organization Kids First.

Since it’s inception in 2004, Kids First has supported many worldwide organizations that work with at-risk youth. From the daycare center in Brazil to the school library in New Orleans to an orphanage in Russia, Kids First has supported a wide range of global organizations. Our most recent work at an orphanage and daycare center in a poverty-stricken township outside Capetown, South Africa is another great example of the work we are doing worldwide.

Cultural Care staff and LCCs had an opportunity to visit several projects funded through CHOSA, an organization that Kids First supports. CHOSA provides support to programs that work with at-risk children and their families to provide nutrition, medication, clothing, food, shelter and an education.

During the service visit, those who participated had a chance to visit the Ubuhle Babantwana Care Center, which helps 150 children, some of whom are HIV positive. Donations received from au pairs, host families and Cultural Care LCCs and staff have provided funds for the building of a new structure for the infants and toddlers in the center. The group from Cultural Care Au Pair had an opportunity to see the new structure, meet the inspirational director and dedicated teachers and had some time to play with the children.

In addition, the group visited the Ilitha-Labantwana Place of Safety, the Philani Child Health and Nutrition Project, the Emasithandane Children’s Project and the Baphumulele Children’s Home. The Cultural Care team is now bringing their experience back to the U.S. to raise awareness, and additional funds for even more projects that Kids First supports.

“Our Kids First trip to Cape Town was truly amazing and inspiring,” says Local Childcare Coordinator Trudy Mar. “The work, effort, love and sacrifice the women heading up these projects give to all of the kids goes well beyond what most of us could imagine. If one little body sleeps better, eats better and smiles more, we’ve helped to change their future and make the world a better place. Every dollar we raise for Kids First definitely does make a difference.”

For information about how you can make a contribution to Kids First, or raise awareness for the programs it supports, visit http://www.culturalcare.com/aboutus/kidsfirst/ or contact your Local Childcare Coordinator.

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 and other members of the Cultural Care community in our effort to aid the millions of Haitians who need our support.

Together, we can make a difference.

Click here to make a donation:
http://american.redcross.org/efeducationfirst-emp

The results from the 2009 Host Family Survey are in … and the consensus is that our host families are overwhelmingly happy! To share a few of the stats:

- 96% of host families are satisfied with the quality of childcare that their au pair provides
- 95% are satisfied with the support provided by their Local Childcare Coordinator
- 97% are pleased with the choice they made to use the services of Cultural Care Au Pair
- 96% would recommend the services of Cultural Care Au Pair to other families

Thank you to our current host families for participating and for helping us to further improve our program! Host family feedback gathered through our customer satisfaction survey has contributed to several changes at Cultural Care Au Pair including an improved host family and au pair matching process, increased new and repeat host family discounts, new payment plan options, and better online and phone support for host families. In addition, host families are able to provide direct feedback to senior management at face to face meetings held throughout the country, and they may participate in an online forum (www.community.culturalcare.com) created just for program participants.

We’re thrilled with these results, which are certified by independent survey company Discovery Surveys, Inc. In fact, our participation rate (52% of active host families this time around) and the results themselves have improved each of the four times we have administered the surveys (spring and fall of 2008 and spring and fall of 2009). For more detailed survey information, visit our website.

Cultural Care Au Pair offers 3 Ways to Match
Cultural Care Au Pair host families now have the ability to review even more applications and au pair profiles with our new 3 Ways to Match, a program feature that let’s host families select the style of matching that best suits their needs. Host families can now search through multiple candidates on their own timeframe, set an appointment for a consultative matching session or work one-on-one with a placement manager who carefully selects possible matches. Best of all, our 3 Ways to Match allows you to enjoy the benefits of all three matching styles to help you find the right au pair for your family.

To get started
Whether you’re a new family to Cultural Care Au Pair or have already hosted an au pair, our 3 Ways to Match makes it easy for you to begin reviewing au pair candidates right away. Simply fill out your new or repeat application. Once it’s processed, you can log into your account and begin matching. Here’s how it works:

Personalized, exclusive matching
Enjoy the benefits of our trademark one-on-one matching. Your placement manager will select carefully screened applications for you to review based on your family’s unique needs. Each au pair is exclusively reserved for your family’s review, which means no two families are contacting the same reserved au pair candidate at the same time.

Consultative matching
Review our pool of au pair candidates in real time by setting up a consultative matching appointment by phone with your placement manager. This highly effective method allows you to carve out time with your placement manager to review available candidates who are not being reviewed by other families. At the end of the appointment, you have the opportunity to have up to three candidates maximum reserved for your family exclusively.

Search & Select
An enhancement to our current profile review system, this new feature offers families the ability to build a list of au pair profiles available for review. Families can narrow the search field and request, for example, a driver, a second year au pair or someone available now. If you find a candidate of interest to you, you may add the au pair to your list and notify your placement manager of your interest by clicking the Notify Placement Manager button. Your placement manager will review your suggested matches and place up to three of those matches into your host family account for further review of their full application.

Please welcome Lukas!

Lukas is from Germany, and this is his first year as an aupair. He will be taking care of a 1 year old boy and a 5 years old girl in Lakeland.

He is 20 years old and his birthday is October 11.

Welcome Mara. She is from Argentina, this is her first year as an aupair.

Mara is 18 years old, and her birthday is March 22. She will take care 11 and 8 years old girls and 5 and 4 years old boys.

January
Thursdays, January 7 at 7pm.
Manicure at Happy Nails in Collierville
($13.5 for a manicure)
3601 houston Levee
Collierville, TN 38017
Phone: 901-861-0125
 
February
Sunday, February, 7 at 12pm
Collierville Police station  (Personal Safety)
We need to meet at the police station Annex which is on the corner of N. Rowlett and Walnut. 
There is a parking lot directly across the street as well as one located near Walnut and Mulberry. 
Once inside, you will notice the training room on the right.  That area should suffice to hold your group. 
The speaker will be Lt. Sean Williams, our SWAT Team Commander. 
He is well-versed in citizen safety
 
March
Friday, March 12 at 7pm. 
(tickets are $10)
For aupairs are not allow to take the car out of Memphis, they can drive with me.
Just let me know. Also I need the $10 by Februay 7 in our meeting to buy tickets online.
Riverking Hockey Game  
De Soto Civic Center
 

April
Sunday, April 11 at 3pm
Mud Island Park
 

May
Saturday, May 22 at 10:30am
HOST FAMILY EVENT ( I will send more detailed information later)

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

Francisco Ricardo Silva de Araújo of Brazil

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’s 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.

We will meet December 13 at 2:30pm at the Bellevue Baptist Church to enjoy the event: Singing Christmas Tree.

Bellevue Baptist Church
2000 Appling Road
Cordova, TN 38016

We will meet at the entrance where I mark on the map on a blue circle with red letters “MEET HERE”

About the event:

Back to Bethlehem
Where Ancient Truths Meet Today’s Trials

During the holidays, we see signs everywhere that remind us to simply “Believe.” Evan believes…in holidays, not Christmas. But Evan is about to discover that when you come to the end of your job, your dreams, your family, and your self, you are ready to go…Back to Bethlehem.

For a limited time only, current host families can earn a $15 amazon.com giftcard or $15 program fee discount for each new family referred to our program. When a referred family welcomes an au pair into their home, referring host families receive an additional $250 program fee discount or $250 CASH! Limit 20 referrals per host family. To qualify for the referral bonus, referrals must be received by December 31, 2009. You must personally know families you refer, and they must have children under the age of 18 years. For referring and referred families to qualify for the $250 and $200 program fee discounts (respectively), referred host families must welcome an au pair into their home by April 10, 2010. A program fee discount will be applied automatically to your account. If you would like your $250 referral bonus in cash, please contact Account Services at 1-800-333-6056. Refer now!