Dr. Sharon Thomas-Parker

Au Pairs Invited to International Ball

Posted by: Sharon Thomas Parker on March 14, 2010

Save the date, ladies.  Get out shopping for you dresses!  This year’s international ball has been announced.  Get your tickets now.  And don’t forget to take a group photo for me.

44th Annual International Ball

Saturday, April 10, 2010, 8:00PM

To purchase tickets, visit tickets.com

Parents of Multiples Discount Offer

Posted by: Sharon Thomas Parker on January 25, 2010

• Flexible, live-in childcare for $330*/week (per family, not per child)

• Qualified, carefully screened candidates

• Local support throughout the year
• NEW-”Search & Select” option giving your family 3 ways to match

• NEW-”pay-as-you-go” option to accommodate your family’s needs

For more information: Please contact Local Childcare Coordinator:

Dr. Sharon Thomas Parker at: (410) 365-1010 or email:

sharon.thomas-parker@lcc.culturalcare.com

Use promo code PCMUL2010 to receive a $275 selection fee waiver plus a $325 program fee discount. TOTAL SAVINGS: $600!

Au Pair of the Year 2008 and 2009 Winner!  Average weekly cost just $330*!(that’s just $7.30 an hour)

The Results are in!

Posted by: Sharon Thomas Parker on January 25, 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.

Sojourner Douglass College Au Pair Weekend 2010 Schedule

Posted by: Sharon Thomas Parker on December 15, 2009

The 2010 schedule for Sojourner Douglass College weekend classes is available and posted on the website.  The spring semester is currently available for enrollment.
 
A much requested weekend course has been added. There is limited space for this session.
Understanding American Culture and Government will take place January 9-10, 2010. 

Registration is ongoing and can be completed online by visiting www.aupairweekend.org

To register, visit the website and click on the “schedule of events” tab.

 Please note the location of Au Pair Weekend Courses:
 The Conference Center at the Maritime Institute                         
 692 Maritime Boulevard Linthicum, MD 21090-1952                              
 (410)-859-5700 Front Desk ext 0

Using your health insurance!

Posted by: Sharon Thomas Parker on July 15, 2009

Using the Erika Travel Insurance
Eleven Tips for Cultural Care Au Pairs
 
 
Find a Doctor:  Look up an Aetna provider on www.aetna.com\docfind\erika - this will save you money if you use a participating provider.
Aetna vs. Erika Insurance:  Call the doctor’s office and say you have “Aetna” (not Erika insurance because they will not recognize the Erika name).
Insurance Card:  Bring your Insurance Certificate Card with you to the doctor’s office
ID number:  Give the doctor’s office your CCAP booking number - this is your insurance ID number (do not give them the policy number 10462 or 11190 as your id number because all au pairs have the same policy number). 
Your name:  Provide the doctor’s office with your FULL name (as it appears in your passport or visa) - Including all of your family names.
Billing address:  If the doctor does not send Aetna the bill, they will bill YOU instead. Tell your doctor to send bills to:
Aetna Student Health
P.O. Box 15719   
Boston, MA 02215
Deductibles:  Do not pay the Aetna provider’s office for the visit except for your deductible:  $65 for Basic and $35 for Extended.
Call Aetna if the doctor’s office can’t find your name:  Be sure to have the doctor’s office call Aetna at 800-783-7447 to confirm your insurance benefits and coverage dates.  Have them call while you are there in the office so you can have the insurance pay for the visit.  If they cannot reach someone or give you difficulties, be sure to take down the name of the person in the doctor’s office and we can contact them during the next business day. Call Aetna yourself and ask them to contact the doctor’s office on your behalf.
If Aetna does not have your name: Call Cultural Care at 800-448-5753 and they will confirm your eligibility with Aetna. All au pairs have insurance coverage while participating on the program, so do not panic! It is usually just a clerical mistake that can be easily fixed.
Emergency Room:  Remember that you have an extra Emergency Room deductible if you go to the ER:  $150 for Basic and $50 for Extended, plus your normal deductible of $65 or $35. 
Routine Care:  Remember that routine care is NOT covered - if you go for a doctor’s visit because you do not feel well, or something is wrong, remind the doctor’s office that routine visits are not covered and they must send Aetna a bill explaining why you needed treatment.
Hospitalizations or Accidents while driving:  Be sure to contact the Assistance Company in the event that you have to go to the hospital or are in an accident with your car.  The Assistance Companies are open 24/7 and the phone numbers are on your insurance certificate and in the policy booklet. 
If you get a bill at home:  if you receive a doctor’s bill at home, please contact the insurance at 800-783-7447 to be sure the insurance has also received the bill to pay it.  Otherwise, the doctor will expect payment from you and you may begin to receive Collection Notices.  To prevent this from happening, contact Aetna immediately after you get a bill.
Prescriptions:  If you have a prescription, you must first pay for it and then send in a claim form with the receipt from the pharmacy (both the cash register receipt and the medication information label attached to the prescription.)  You will be reimbursed for all medications except for acne, birth control or medication that you take for a pre-existing condition.
Claim forms:  go to www.erikainsurance.com and you can download claim forms.

Traveling To Canada? Know The Requirements!

Posted by: Sharon Thomas Parker on July 15, 2009

Effective July 14th, Canada has updated their list of countries that require a tourist visa when visiting there.  Au Pairs should check this link to see if their country is listed:  http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/visas.asp

Au Pairs should also visit Cultural Care’s website at: http://infosource.lcc.culturalcare.com/au-pairs/support/traveling-outside-of-the-us.aspx  to make sure they understand all the requirements, documents, etc. for traveling outside the United States.

Au Pair Answer Mom

Posted by: Sharon Thomas Parker on June 4, 2009

http://buzz.culturalcare.com/post/108271693/au-pair-answer-mom-is-now-on-youtube-in-addition

About Cultural Care Au Pair

Posted by: Sharon Thomas Parker on April 30, 2009

Cultural Care Au Pair is the leading provider of intercultural childcare in the United States. Now in its 20th year, Cultural Care Au Pair has placed more than 75,000 au pairs in welcoming American homes since 1989. A U.S. Department of State regulated program, Cultural Care Au Pair is headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., with an extensive network of recruitment, screening and orientation offices worldwide and more than 600 local coordinators across the U.S. For more information about hosting an au pair, call Dr. Sharon Thomas-Parker 410 365-1010.  View Available au pairs

http://www.culturalcare.com/hostfamilies/availableaupairs/

May 1st and 2nd Towsontown Spring Festival

Posted by: Sharon Thomas Parker on April 19, 2009

Directions to the Towsontown Spring Festival:

From I-95 take 695 West to Exit 26 (Towson South - York Road)
From exit ramp turn right on West Road then left on Kenilworth Drive.  Turn right onto Bosley Avenue.

The Festival encompasses the entire Towson Core Business Area….and the streets in this core area are closed.  We have a map of the festival grounds  on the left side of our home page www.towsontownspringfestival.com with parking garages identified.  The garages are marked with a “P” ( for parking) - select one of those and park…. The fee is $4.00 for the entire day, our organization has nothing to do with the parking fee, it is a county parking fee.

Au Pair Stipend Rate Increase $195.75 effective the week of July 20th, 2009.

Posted by: Sharon Thomas Parker on March 11, 2009

Please be advised that in May of 2007, legislation was passed which resulted in a three-step plan to increase the federal minimum wage each July until 2009. The first increase occurred in July, 2007, the second occured in July, 2008 and the third increase will go into effect on Friday, July 24, 2009.

As a reminder, the au pair weekly stipend is based, in part, on the federal minimum wage and, therefore, will increase accordingly. In order to remain compliant with U.S. Department of State regulations, we are asking all host families pay their au pair at the new stipend rate of $195.75 effective the week of July 20th, 2009. Cultural Care Au Pair literature and agreements stipulate that host families comply with all regulations and, therefore, adherence to these changes is required of all program participants.

The exact calculation used to determine the weekly stipend as well as the resulting changes to the stipend over the course of the three year plan.