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    • Apex Program Overview
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    • Compare Professional Au Pairs, Traditional Au Pairs and Nannies
    • Resources for Apex Caregivers & Families
  • Special Needs
    • Expertise in Special Needs
    • Autism Spectrum Disorder
    • Developmental Delays & Seizures
    • Undiagnosed / Severe
    • Cerebral Palsy
    • ADD/ADHD
  • Meet Our Candidates
    • Search Candidates
    • Learn About Apex Care Professionals
    • Care Professional Screening
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    • Founder's Story
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    • Department of State
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    • 2017 Au Pair of the Year Winners
    • 2016 Au Pair of the Year Winners
  • Career - Join Our Dream Team!
    • Administrative Bookkeeper
    • Area Director
    • German Program Advisor
    • Regional Director
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Resources for Apex Caregivers & Families

Children who have special needs often require extra special care and understanding – something that isn’t guaranteed with just any childcare provider. Apex PROaupair’s Special Needs program is dedicated to helping families find experienced, professional caregivers who are trained, interested and motivated to care for children with special needs. In addition, they understand the unique needs of children without special needs who are part of the same family.

Apex Instructional Coaching for Care Professionals

Apex Families have the option of scheduling virtual Instructional Coaching with one of our expert coaches. Our coaches have backgrounds in U.S. based Special Education and classroom instruction and are passionate about seeing children reach their full potential.

Schedule your consultation with an Apex Coach Now

What is Apex Instructional Coaching?

Apex Instructional Coaching is a “train the trainer” approach designed to provide care professionals support in conducting successful homeschooling, structuring their host children’s week, being proactive & planning for the elements of success needed, based on the individual needs of each child.

What are typical concepts covered in a coaching session?

The sessions will be conducted based on feedback gathered in the onboarding questionnaire from both the parent and the care professional. The coach will address the pain points identified.

Some areas that can be effectively addressed in a 1:1 coaching session include:

  • creating a weekly schedule
  • incorporating a sensory diet in the daily schedule
  • tips for managing anxiety in children
  • adjusting the educational schedule & lesson plans to accommodate special needs
  • partnering with teachers & therapists for the children’s success
  • creating routines that help kids avoid excess screen time
  • incorporating art, music and physical activity into the weekly schedule
  • managing challenging behaviors at home
  • creating a feedback loop between care professional and parents

Schedule your consultation with an Apex Coach Now


Online Resources for Apex Caregivers and Families:

Homeschooling Resources

Sample Homeschool Schedule

7:00 a.m. Wake up, dress up, show up!
Get dressed, eat breakfast, brush teeth make your bed and assemble learning tools
8:00 - 9:45 Academic Time
Gather for family planning session for the day, and then then begin daily assignments in designated location
9:45 - 10:00 Morning snack
Make sure this is healthy and preplanned and prepared ahead
10:00 – 11:00 Get some exercise
Try your PE activity for the week and/or go for a walk, do some yoga or tumbling, bike rides
11:00 – 12:00 Creative Time
Make something: Legos, drawing, painting, crafts, cooking, baking, planting, writing; piano or other music practice
12:00 - 12:30 Lunch
Make it healthy! Don’t forget fruits and vegetables.
12:30 - 1:00 Chore Time
Complete age-appropriate chores from a prepared list or visual schedule; don’t forget about wiping surfaces, chairs, door handles, light switches, bathroom sinks and fixtures and remember that chemicals are not recommended for kids!
1:00 – 1:30 Quiet Time
Read, journal, listen to relaxing music, practice mindfulness, work on a puzzle - by yourself
1:30 -3:30 Academic Time
Continue assignments from your teacher(s) plus any extra projects assigned by parents (passion project, educational videos, research). Keep a portfolio to show your teacher when you return.
3:30 - 4:30 Snack and Fresh Air
Child-choice snack, then ride your bike, take a walk, play outside.
4:30 - 5:30 Media Break
Music, TV or games as allowed
5:30 - 6:00 Family Meal Prep
Set the table, read recipes for the cook - or be the cook! Assist with measuring, chopping, stirring; plan menus, try something new!
6:00 - 6:30 Family Dinner
Express gratitude, talk about something you learned, ask and answer thought-provoking questions (​What do you like better..?, What
would you do if…?, How were you kind today?
...Brave? How did you fail today?
6:30 - 7:00 Free Time
Child-choice games and activities
7:00 - 8:00 Family reading and prayers
Read a chapter book aloud to all members of the family. Adult reads, children listen.
Age Dependent Bed Time
Be content. Be grateful. Sleep well.

Online Educational Classes & Resources

Dyson engineers have designed these engineering challenge cards specifically for children. Ideal for home or in the classroom, they encourage inquisitive young minds to get excited about engineering.

Virtual Drawing demonstrations & readings by the Writer/Illustrator of Captain Underpants: Dav Pilkey (who is proudly neurodivergent; Dyslexic, ADHD) is collaborating with The US Library of Congress to create weekly videos for kids.

Turn screen time into reading time with Storytime from Space. Storytime has partnered with the Global Space Education Project to create these amazing videos of stories read from space! (and adults!) who might want to try their hand at drawing while physical distancing at home.

Head over to Jingle Jam: Dance music for kids if the kids (or you) are ready to get moving and burn up some energy, 

ABCya offers hundreds of educational games, for grades PreK to 6, designed by parents and educators, who understand that children learn better if they are having fun. ABCya is used in countless classrooms and homes around the world and covers topics such as multiplication, parts of speech, typing, pattern recognition, and more.

GoNoodle offers free movement and mindfulness videos created by child development experts to get your kids moving to be their strongest, bravest, silliest, smartest, best selves. 

Looking for ideas to keep children busy? Parents.com offers best activity ideas that caregivers can use to engage children ranging from games, to arts and crafts and more. Click here to discover fun activities to keep children happy.

Need tools to help with home-schooling, lesson plans or homework? Kid’s Health offers a wealth of information for caregivers and parents. Click here to discover new ideas and resources for all ages of children.

Special Education Resources

If you have a host child on the Autism spectrum, click here to see the National Autism Association's website for helpful resources during COVID 19.

Autism Speaks website has put out a great list of tips on how to help children with Autism at home during COVID 19. Click here to see.

Need some online learning activities for children with all types of disabilities? Click here for the Top 12 websites for children with learning disabilities.

Yet another great website, Common Sense Education highlights their most recommended Special Education apps and websites. Click here to see their top 37!

Ever heard of implementing a Sensory Diet for kiddos with all different types of Special Needs? It's NOT an actual food diet! Click here to find out what a Sensory Diet is, and how you can use Sensory Diet activities in your daily routine. Click here to see a sample Sensory Diet for your host child and, as always, speak with your host family about it together!

Caregiver Tips & Resources

Online Classes  for Caregivers

Take free online child development courses to build your skills and advance your career. Click here to learn child development from top universities and institutions.

edX is a trusted platform for education and learning and was founded by Harvard and MIT.  Click here to gain access to high-quality education and a wide variety of course options. Make sure to look at how many credits/hours a particular course is, and if it offers a completion certificate.

Self Care for Caregivers

Child Mind Institute gives tips for How Mindfulness can Help Caregivers. Click here to learn techniques to reduce stress and anxiety.

Now for some self-care! Ever listen to a Ted Talk? Ted Talks are free, 20 minute motivational speeches done by experts around the globe. They cover every subject you can possibly imagine, and they will inspire you in so many ways. They are educational, heart warming and useful. If you need a little bit of self-care or maybe just a little "me-time", click here to see the list of the 10 best Ted Talks that just might change your life.

Register Now to Candidates

Speak with an Apex Family Advisor 844-787-6566

Register Now to Search Candidates

What Makes Apex Different?

What Makes
Apex Different? Our Mission: Empowering families & children with special needs and infants to reach their full potential.

  • We provide: international, live-in professional childcare, developmental support resources & cultural exchange, through a customized intake process.
  • Apex Care Professionals are mindfully recruited through our long-standing relationships with educational institutions in Germany. This process ensures our families receive the highest quality of talented care providers.
  • More specifically, our Care Professionals have degrees and/or experience in fields such as: pediatric nursing, occupational and physical therapy, early childhood education and more
  • Apex American Professional Exchange is designated by the U.S. Department of State as a J-1 Visa sponsor.
  • We are your partner in this journey, and we are here to empower your family to: achieve, succeed and thrive!!

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What Our Families
are Saying

Claudia

Host Mom in Dallas

"Sarah never tired of wanting to know how we do things, why we do things this way, and even why we don’t do them the other way. She wanted to understand so that she could make the most of her time with the kids, and not just be someone watching the kids. This is one of the reasons we wanted to have a professional au pair, so that there would be meaningful interaction with our children with lots of fun, yet structure. Sarah’s background as a kindergarten teacher with special needs experience was perfect for choosing activities for our children, whether it was raining or 100 degrees outside."

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What Our Families
are Saying

Vacelia

Host Mom in Florida

"Sarah is very kind, gentle and has a positive attitude. She is very knowledgeable and works very hard to care for our son. Our son has cerebral palsy: he is non-verbal, visually impaired and does not walk on his own. He requires full care. Sarah never complains and she has won his heart. She has meshed into our family like we have known her a million years. I cannot say enough about Sarah. She is an excellent representation of what an Apex PROaupair should be. We are first time users of Apex PROaupair and due to Sarah we will continue as long as possible. She is more then we had ever hoped for."

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What Our Families
are Saying

Lesley

Host Mom in Maryland

"Mateja came to us as an au pair back in February, taking a break from her work as a pediatric nurse in Austria. Very soon after she arrived though, she became part of our family, a younger sister to us and an aunt to our children. That is really the only way to label our relationship. Mateja has bonded with our family and provided such outstanding care to our children, going above and beyond, through efforts that could only come from a place of deep and genuine affection."

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What Our Families
are Saying

Peter

Host Dad in San Francisco

"Our family had been hosting au pairs for 4 years through another agency before switching to Apex PROaupair this year. While I believe every au pair experience depends almost entirely on the interaction of the au pair and the host family, my impression is that Apex PROaupair does a better job vetting their candidates, and their matching coordinators are more familiar with each individual candidate. This allows them to provide more useful assistance in finding a good match."

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What Our Families
are Saying

Hillary

Host Mom in Washington D.C.

"The best part about Kati is something we never could have known from her application – she is always smiling and happy. She leaves everyone around her in a good mood. She is cheerful, joyful, and –important for our family – funny too! She can dance, play, and be a role model. She connects with our 10, 8, and 6 year olds. They can’t get enough of her. We truly love her and she will forever remain part of our family."

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What Our Families
are Saying

Teresa

Host Mom in Virginia

"Simone arrived in August. She continually entertains and works with our wheelchair bound angel, from creating projects to involve her fine motor control to exercising her daily so her spastic limbs move better. She sings traditional German folk songs while feeding our daughter, who depends entirely on caregivers to feed her as well as perform all the activities we take for granted with a child who is typical. Our lives have been blessed having this saint living here and she has totally become one of our family!"

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What Our Families
are Saying

Sharon

Host Mom in San Francisco

"Svenja joined our family in June 2015 and it is sometimes hard to remember what life was like without her. My son has a sensory processing disorder and behavior problem and she has remarkable patience with him but also has been helping him simultaneously with coping strategies as well as course correction for behaviors. Her approach is firm but kind and my son adores her. She is also confident enough to point out where I was enabling him, possibly making things worse, and did it in a way that felt non-threatening - just kind and well intentioned."

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What Our Families
are Saying

Holly

Host Mom in San Francisco

"After working with another agency and experiencing a challenging year with our first au pair, we switched to Apex PROaupair. We are thrilled with our current au pair and feel that only now is our family experiencing the true spirit of the au pair program. Janina is like part of our family and we never would have found her if it weren’t for Apex PROaupair."

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What Our Families
are Saying

Laxmi

Host Mom in Atlanta

"We have two boys with special needs, one with high functioning autism and one with ADHD. I have always had female nannies or babysitters but given the boys ages (9 and 11) I decided to choose a male au pair. I am pleased to say that Marcel is a wonderful au pair from Germany. His thousands of hours of training and education with at risk youth in Germany proved itself in our house. His approach to the boys helped curtail the behavioral issues my boys were having. We had tried therapists and counselors with little effect but live in help with Marcel's loving but no nonsense approach did the trick."

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What Our Families
are Saying

Katherine

Host Mom from Chicago, IL

"One of the biggest strengths is the level of maturity, knowledge and concern that their au pairs exhibit. Our professional special needs au pair is committed to doing a great job and the occupational therapy training she received in Germany has been a godsend. I am confident that my daughter is receiving the support she needs."

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Apex PROaupair Coach

Welcome to Apex PROaupair!

Renee Whiten
Renee WhitenFamily Advisor
renee.whiten@apex-social.com
(844) 787-6566
Renee speaks:

English

Search Apex PROaupair Candidates HERE

Ready to get started?

Ready To Get Started?

  • 1
    Review pre-screened candidates below and add your favorites to your “Hotlist.”
  • 2
    Create your Host Family Profile so that you can view candidate profiles, and so we understand your exact needs, enabling us to help you find the right Care Professional for your family.
  • 3
    Schedule a No-Obligation Childcare Consultation with us to discuss your family’s situation and needs.
  • 4
    Interview your favorite candidate(s)
  • 5
    Make your final Care Professional selection
  • 6
    Your au pair will arrive based on a mutually agreed upon date. Apex will manage the visa process, schedule all international and domestic flights, and obtain health insurance for your au pair.

Sitemap

  • Programs
    • Apex Program Overview
    • Professional Special Needs
    • Professional Infant Care
    • Professional Childcare Ages 2+
    • Compare Professional Au Pairs, Traditional Au Pairs and Nannies
    • Resources for Apex Caregivers & Families
  • Special Needs
    • Expertise in Special Needs
    • Autism Spectrum Disorder
    • Developmental Delays & Seizures
    • Undiagnosed / Severe
    • Cerebral Palsy
    • ADD/ADHD
  • Meet Our Candidates
    • Search Candidates
    • Learn About Apex Care Professionals
    • Care Professional Screening
    • Professional Au Pair Work Hours & Duties
    • Common European Degrees
    • Care Professional Training
  • Family Process
    • Overview of Host Family Process
    • Host Family Requirements
    • The PROmatch Process
    • Start Your Application
    • Personality Assessment Tool
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Tax Information for Host Families
  • Costs
  • Videos
  • About Us
    • Founder's Story
    • Meet our Team
    • Department of State
    • Career - Join Our Dream Team!
    • 2017 Au Pair of the Year Winners
    • 2016 Au Pair of the Year Winners
  • Career - Join Our Dream Team!
    • Administrative Bookkeeper
    • Area Director
    • German Program Advisor
    • Regional Director
  • Blog

News & Resources

  • Guide to Hiring the Right Caregiver
  • Caregiver and Host Family Videos
  • Are you a Care Professional?

Awards & Honors

Awards & Honors

Programs in Other Countries

  • For Australian Families
  • For Australians to the USA
  • For Americans to Australia

Partners & Organizations

Partners & Organisations
Credits
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