Sonia Shane

Summer is always a busy time for a  family, and what better time to host an au pair to help out with all of your summer activities!!

We have many qualified, carefully screened candidates who can help you manage your busy household. And in honor of Father’s Day, we’ll offer you a significant savings AND a free Nintendo Wii gaming console when you apply this weekend! Wii games are great for the whole family to play together!

Apply to Cultural Care Au Pair between Wednesday, June 16th and Tuesday, June 22nd using promotion code, PCWII2010 to earn:
- $75 application fee waiver
- $625 program fee discount
- Complimentary overseas connection service during the matching process (a $150 value)
The total value of this promotion is $850!*

Apply now to take advantage of the opportunity to save on our program and once you welcome your au pair into your home, you will receive your Wii gaming console!

We hope that you will take advantage of this great savings and apply now for free while you work towards securing your summer childcare needs.

*To qualify for this promotion, you must apply between June 16 and June 22, 2010 and welcome an au pair into your home by October 22, 2010. Selection fee of $275 must be paid at time of selection of au pair. Nintendo Wii gaming console, 1 remote and Wii Sports game will be sent to host family within 30 days of au pair’s arrival to host family home. Wii package is subject to change if Nintendo chooses to change their bundle pack. Wii cannot be substituted for cash, gift card, program fee discount or any other gaming system.

While Cultural Care is not able to provide specific tax information for host families because their circumstances are so different, we are pleased to provide general guidelines regarding host family and au pair taxes, as well as information to help au pairs complete their tax returns.  Because we update these guidelines on a regular basis, we suggest that you download our most current guide to host family and au pair taxes. You can also call our office and request a copy by email.

Please note that Cultural Care is not licensed to provide official tax advice, so none of our staff may counsel host families or au pairs regarding tax issues.  Since tax laws vary from state to state and are changed on a frequent basis, we advise host families and au pairs to speak with a local professional tax advisor or directly with the Internal Revenue Service for definitive answers to any specific questions regarding taxation.

Cultural Care Au Pair has an incredibly strong au pair pool this winter, and we want to match up all of our great candidates with families in need of childcare! We are introducing a New Year Savings offer to encourage families to take advantage of our incredible au pair pool and an opportunity to save. Families who apply between January 4th and January 31st, 2010 are entitled to a $275 selection fee waiver and a $225 program fee discount. So, families will save a total of $500. Because we haven’t raised our prices in two years, families will also take advantage of the same program fee we charged in 2008!

Speaking from the heart, is the name of the new blog by David Fougere who is a father, host parent and President of Cultural Care Au Pair and who will be sharing his perspectives on the au pair world at www. culturalcarepresident.com.

When you apply to Cultural Care Au Pair by August 31st, 2009 we’ll not only waive our $350 application fee, Cultural Care will extend to you a $500 program fee discount and free overseas connection service during the matching process (a $150 value). So your total savings = $1,000! Use promo code PCBTS2009 when you apply to take advantage of this offer. Host families must be new to Cultural Care Au Pair, apply by August 31, 2009 and welcome an au pair into their home by October 23, 2009.

Please note that all Mexican and Czech citizens now require a tourist visa in order to enter Canada. This information was published on the Citizen and Immigration Canada Website yesterday in form of a press release. While all materials for APs, HFs and LCCs ask for all APs to check if they need a tourist visa to enter the country they are planning to visit, this new regulation will certainly catch many APs by surprise since the announcement and final implementation of this rule is less than 48 hours apart.
 
What does this mean for Mexican and Czech APs wanting to travel to Canada for vacation?

Taken from press release: “This change means that nationals from Mexico and the Czech Republic [among many others] who want to travel to Canada will first need to apply for a Temporary Resident Visa and meet the requirements to receive one. It is up to the applicant to satisfy the visa officer their visit to Canada is temporary, they will not overstay their approved time in Canada, they have enough money to cover their stay in Canada, they are in good health, they do not have a criminal record, and are not a security risk to Canadians. These requirements are the same for anyone who wants to visit Canada.”

For more information on these new regulations please read the News Release on the Citizen and Immigration Canada website. For a complete list of countries needing a tourist visa to enter Canada as well as information on how to apply for a visa, please follow this link: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/visas.asp

Due to the Central TX drought and water shortage we are forced to cancel the Kids First Carwash for our July HF/AP event.  Our sponsor, Chick-Fil-A has decided that they cannot support our carwash at this time due to the water shortage. 
 
Jerri and I have decided to postpone the HF meeting once again so that we can plan the meeting with the au pairs.

Host Families - Cultural Care Au Pair has an additional resource for you!

Au Pair Answer Mom is now on YouTube! In addition to our office staff and me, your Local Childcare Coordinator (LCC), there is someone else who can help answer questions about hosting an au pair and that’s Au Pair Answer Mom.

The Au Pair Answer Mom shares her own thoughts on some of the most common questions about hosting a Cultural Care au pair through short video clips. Be sure to check out Cultural Care Au Pair’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/culturalcare for answers to the most common questions.

Have a question you’d like answered? Email aupairanswermom@culturalcare.com with your question

2009 “Au Pair of the Year” Award Winner: Cultural Care Au Pair Ricardo Silva de Araújo! Cultural Care Au Pair is proud that for a second year in a row, IAPA, the International Au Pair Association, has chosen one of our au pairs to receive this prestigious honor. Congratulations Ricardo!

www.culturalcare.com/award

The deadline for completing the surveys has been extended to 4/10/09. I’d like to encourage all my host families to fill out this survey. Your input is invaluable to the development of new programs at Cultural Care Au Pair. The repeat rewards program is a direct result of ideas born from this survey. Your name will be entered to win $1000 American Express Gift Card or future program discounts. Please let me know if you haven’t received the survey or if you are having trouble filling it out.