AU PAIR NANNIES 'GIVE BACK' AT THE DOWN TOWN WOMENS DAY CENTER!

Thanks Giving is a time of thanks for all we have, a time of sharing and giving and a time when the whole of America celebrates this unique and wonderful holiday.

To coincide with this special time of year the fabulous au pairs of the San Fernando Valley ‘gave back’ to the LA community and spent a memorable Sunday morning at the Los Angeles Down Town Women’s Center, preparing, cooking and serving a healthy and hot lunch for some of LA’s most needy women.

Founded in 1978, the DWC is the only resource in Los Angeles that is exclusively dedicated to serving the unique needs of homeless and very low-income women in the downtown Los Angeles’ Skid Row community. The majority of the women who drop in to the DWC’s Day Center live on the streets, in encampments, or in night-to-night shelters. Their life is unstable and unsafe and the Day Center provides a respite from the rigors of street life in a nurturing and safe environment uniquely aimed at the personal needs of women. On average, 200 ladies a day drop in to the Center where three meals — breakfast, lunch and a hearty afternoon snack — are served seven days a week. Women come to use clean, private bathrooms and showers. They are fed, able to rest in day beds, use laundry facilities, make phone calls, secure a mailing address for receipt of any government subsidies, and get a fresh change of clothes if needed.

The au pairs entered the fully spirit of the occasion and chopped, grated, sliced and diced their way through a variety of fresh ingredients and cooked, from scratch, Caribbean Chicken with a mango based sauce, served with red quinoa and black beans, and a mixed salad, accompanied by pitta bread. All the girl took their turn in serving the women and, in by the end of the morning they had served around 150 ladies!

The girls were given a tour of the Center by one of the permanent managers and were better able to understand and see first hand the vital role that the DWC plays in the Skid Row community.

Each au pair got something wonderful from the morning and came away with a great sense of having given back to America at this special time of year.

As Josefine, 19 years old from Sweden put it…

"One of the reasons I became an au pair was to experience family life in America and see American life first hand. I had never heard about Skid Row. In Sweden we have very few street people and have a system that helps citizens in need. I think it was important for me to see this and I was so happy to be able to give back at this special time. It has made me realize how lucky I am and its made me more appreciative of all that I have in my life.”

Suzy Price, the Local Childcare Coordinator for Cultural Care Au Pair, who overseas host families and au pairs along the Ventura Boulevard corridor from Tarzana through to North Hollywood and Toluca Lake, says, “I felt it was  important for my au pairs cultural exposure that they saw first hand that there is an different side to life here in Los Angeles. Au Pairs come to America to not only offer a culturally rewarding childcare alternative for American families but also to experience American life and culture themselves. They join loving families, in wonderful homes, located in safe family neighborhoods. In Los Angeles, in particular, there is an expectation of typical Californian life style linked closely to the glamour and glitz of Hollywood. This great Community Service opportunity opened the girls minds to the very great needs that exist in our community and gave them a chance to say give back to the USA for their year here.”

As an alternative to daycare or nanny services, au pairs offer live –in childcare to families across America. It is, perhaps, the most misunderstood form of childcare but the au pair program, is actually quite straightforward and provides the flexibility and affordability that many parents are looking for when it comes to safe and dependable live in care for their children – plus an extra pair of hands around the home! . Au pairs are educated young adults, ranging in age from 18 to 26, who come to the United States on legal Visa’s. They are interested and have referenced experience working and caring for children and live with a family, offering childcare of up to 45 hours per week. They typically come for one year, but can extend their stay for up to two years. Au pairs hope to acquire a better understanding of the cultural aspects of American life while living and immersing themselves with an American family and caring for their children.

For more about live in childcare from a dedicated and loving au pair please contact …

Suzy Price

Local Childcare Consultant

Cultural Care Au Pair

Cell: 310 908 3975

Email: suzy.price@lcc.culturalcare.com

http://sprice.aupairnews.com

Welcome an au pair to your home   - and open your children's eyes and minds to a bigger and brighter world!