Sabine Campbell

Putting Kids First: helping at-risk children worldwide

Posted by: scampbell on February 27, 2010

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 Sabine Campbell at sabine.campbell@lcc.culturalcare.com.

Wonderful Au Pair available

Posted by: scampbell on February 12, 2010

Eunha, 21, from South Korea  

“I remember taking care of my younger sister when I was ten years old. My mom could not stay at home to look after her so it was kind of my job at home. After school, I would pick her up from the kindergarten, walk home with her and help her with her homework. When the weather was good I would take her to the playground, push her on the swing, enjoy a seesaw ride with her and help her get along with her friends.”

Additional information about Eunha:

• Certified in First Aid and CPR
• Has been driving for 2+ years
• Was a volunteer Sunday school teacher for a group of nine 11 to 14 year olds
• Is currently a university student studying English
• Loves to swim, read books and search for new restaurants to try
• Au Pair ID: KRS101292
• Preferred Arrival Month: March 2010

For more information about Eunha, other available au pairs, and the Cultural Care Au Pair program contact me at sabine.campbell@lcc.culturalcare.com or (703) 966-4950.

The results are in !!!

Posted by: scampbell on January 23, 2010

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.

Finding the perfect au pair made easy

Posted by: scampbell on January 15, 2010

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.

Sample & Save - try our 3 “Ways to Match” risk free
Now for a limited time only, host families who apply to Cultural Care Au Pair will have the opportunity to try our 3 Ways to Match FREE. New families who submit an application from January 14th to January 19th, 2010 and take an au pair into their home by October 22, 2010 will have the $75 application fee waived, in addition to our $275 au pair selection fee waived. In addition, families applying will also receive a $500 discount off the program fee - a total savings of $850!

There’s never been a better time to begin your search for an au pair. For more information about our 3 Ways to Match or our limited-time-only $850 discount, contact your local childcare coordinator.

Getting an Au Pair is more affordable than ever

Posted by: scampbell on January 8, 2010

Our host families spoke, and we listened. The economy had an impact on everyone last year. Many families faced new financial challenges, but in the end, they still needed flexible, affordable childcare. As a result, Cultural Care Au Pair has created several new payment options that help lower the initial cost for welcoming an au pair into their home in the New Year. Along with this exciting new change, we are also keeping our prices the same for the second year in a row!

Now new families applying to Cultural Care Au Pair will have even more payment options available. Not only have we reduced our application fee, we have created several new payment plans for new and repeat families. As a result, they can continue to enjoy all the benefits they have enjoyed from Cultural Care Au Pair in the past - and even more!

Lower application fee, lowered payment plan options
How does it work? Now new families applying to the program will pay a $75 non-refundable application fee -a savings over our previous $350 application fee. Upon finding the right au pair, a $275 selection fee will be due so the au pair can finalize arrangements to come to the U.S. Offering this new payment structure not only helps secure the au pair for the family, it allows the visa process to begin moving forward.

In addition, families now have even more flexibility when it comes to making payments. On our regular payment plan, families now have the ability to pay the program fee 30 days prior to the au pair’s arrival, instead of upon selection of an au pair. This is great for families who select an au pair early, as it provides them with additional time to pay their program fee.

In addition, our Extended Payment Plan option now lowers the initial deposit to $2,395, plus a $200 payment plan enrollment fee. Families have the option of making a payment in three easy installments or they can log into their host family account at their convenience and pay weekly, bi-weekly or monthly - whatever works best for the family, as long as it’s within the Extended Payment Plan timeframe. Repeat and extension families enjoy all these flexible payment benefits as well, with the additional benefit of a waived application fee!

Along with keeping prices the same in 2010, and creating several new, lower payment plan options, we are also decreasing the cost for enrolling in our Extended Payment Plan, making it even easier to afford an au pair in the New Year. For more information about how to utilize these new options, contact me, your local childcare coordinator, and I will be happy to provide you with additional details about Cultural Care Au Pair’s exciting new payment options for 2010!

Contact me at sabine.campbell@lcc.culturalcare.com for our Winter Savings promotion!

What are the unexpected benefits of hosting an au pair?

Posted by: scampbell on January 5, 2010

Au Pair Answer Mom reveals 5 benefits to hosting an au pair that most families don’t even know about! FInd out more about what you can enjoy as a host family if you decide to welcome an au pair into your home. 

Nominate your Au Pair for the 2010 IAPA Au Pair of the Year Award

Posted by: scampbell on December 22, 2009

Recognize your au pair! Nominations due for 2010 IAPA Au Pair of the Year Award

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’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 contact me at sabine.campbell@lcc.culturalcare.com.

What is the role of my Local Childcare Coordinator (LCC)?

Posted by: scampbell on December 20, 2009

Meet Simon - one of our many male au pairs

Posted by: scampbell on December 20, 2009

LCC Sabine Campbell attends Cultural Care Au Pair International Summit in Berlin, Germany

Posted by: scampbell on November 28, 2009

November 2009 - Local Gainesville resident Sabine Campbell was recently invited to join more than 75 of her peers at an international summit in Berlin, Germany, hosted by Cultural Care Au Pair. Sabine Campbell is the local childcare coordinator (LCC) for Gainesville, Haymarket, and Aldie.

As a local childcare coordinator, Sabine Campbell supports area families who are currently hosting an international au pair in their home, as well as the au pairs themselves. Sabine earned her invitation to the summit by expanding the program in Virginia and other states in the previous year, as well as for her role as a local community resource for parents interested in intercultural childcare.

The group was in Berlin for the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, a fitting venue for the celebration of Cultural Care Au Pair’s 20 years of providing a childcare and cultural exchange program for American families. This was an emotional trip for Sabine, as she herself was born in east Germany and experienced the fall of the Berlin wall first-hand at the age of 11. “It was fascinating and overwhelming to be part of the celebrations,” says Sabine. “It’s incredible to think that just 20 years ago, it would not have been possible for some of my German au pairs to come to the United States. The dismantling of the wall shattered cultural and travel barriers for so many people.”

Sabine Campbell is a member of a nationwide network of more than 600 local childcare coordinators dedicated to promoting global understanding through intercultural childcare. In addition to supporting a local group of host families and their au pairs, Sabine organizes social activities throughout the program year, advises au pairs on educational opportunities in the community and provides information on intercultural exchange. Sabine and her colleagues use the conference as an opportunity to network with other coordinators and collaborate on the most effective means to support families and au pairs locally, ensuring a positive experience for everyone involved in the program.

Sabine Campbell can be contacted at 703-966-4950 for additional information on the Cultural Care Au Pair program. Interested families may also visit her website at www.scampbell.aupairnews.com.

Cultural Care Au Pair is the leading provider of intercultural childcare and educational exchange. Since 1989, Cultural Care Au Pair has placed more than 70,000 au pairs in welcoming American homes. A U.S. Department of State regulated program, Cultural Care Au Pair is headquartered in Cambridge, MA, with an extensive network of recruitment, screening and orientation offices worldwide.