Professional Au Pair from Germany to Perform with Oakland Civic Orchestra
The following interview with Johanna Dittmar was conducted by Jane Smith, the apex PROaupair area director for San Francisco. Dittmar, a speech therapist from Germany, has been living and working with her host family in Oakland, California since last summer. Her host family adores her and raves about her kindness, friendliness and love. How old
Why is Friday the 13th Considered Unlucky?
For many Americans, Friday the 13th either conjures up images of unlucky things: a black cat, a broken mirror, walking under a ladder – or horror movies (the “Friday the 13th” franchise includes 2 movies that spanned three decades!). But where did our fear of Friday the 13th come from? Some historians say it came from
New Study Shows How "Cybercycling" Benefits Children with Special Needs
A new study published this month in the American Academy of Pediatrics journal Pediatrics says that “aerobic cybercyling” (riding a stationary bike attached to a virtual-reality gaming screen) helped children with behavioral health disorders significantly minimize incidences of acting out – much more so than a traditional physical education program.The study was conducted at a therapeutic day
PRO Tip: The Realities of Cross-Cultural Communication with your Professional Au Pair
For an au pair to participate in the U.S. Department of State’s J1 au pair program, such as the program offered by PROaupair, she or he must be proficient in English. While levels of fluency will vary from au pair to au pair, you can be sure that you will be able to communicate with
Parenting Goals for 2017
For an amusing, slightly tongue-in-cheek look at parenting resolutions, read Jordan Shapiro’s recent column at Forbes. A contributing writer who focuses on global education, game-based learning and kids, he makes suggestions about rethinking everything from punishment (“writing is the new spanking”) to mealtime (“video games are the new dinner time”) to cultivating curiosity (“Google is