We celebrated the holidays at the Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurant in St. Paul for our Dec. Meeting. The food was delicious and we had a great time just enjoying each other’s company and doing our gift exchange game. The holidays are such a special time of the year but also the time when au pairs are most likely to feel homesick. I hope this time together helped ease the homesickness and set the mood for the other celebrations they enjoyed with the host families.
There is often confusion surrounding au pairs and the need to obtain the MN drivers license so here are the facts. The MN Department of Public Safety states:
You may drive a motor vehicle on public roads in Minnesota without a valid Minnesota driver’s license or permit, if you meet one of these exceptions:
- You are a nonresident who is at least 15 years of age and have in your possession a valid driver’s license issued to you in your home state or country.
- …
- …
Au pairs meet the exception above and therefore are not required to obtain a MN driver’s license to drive legally in our state as long as they have a valid licese from their country (their actual home country license, not the international driver’s license that is a translation of their country license and only valid for 6 months in the US regardless of the state they are). That being said, CCAP still strongly encourages host families to guide their au pairs through the process of obtaining a MN license so they can learn more about our traffic laws, our roads, and gain more driving experience. Having a MN driver’s license also provides au pairs an extra set of ID and can facilitate their life in other ways while living in the U.S.
If your au pair who drives does not have a MN driver’s license for some reason, please make sure to instruct her/him with the right information to avoid problems with the cops. There have been many reported cases of au pairs receiving abusive and inapropriate treatment by cops enforcing the wrong information regarding this law and claiming au pairs are not allowed to drive without the MN license .
In Sum:
- Au pairs are not required to have a driver’s license in MN
- CCAP still encourages them to obtain one but it is ultimately your decision (host family)
- If your au pair does not have a MN license for any reason, make sure she is carrying her home country driver’s license (in addition to her international one) and be sure she is aware of the facts/laws.
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2012 Meeting Schedule
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| Sunday, Jan 15th |
Snow Tubing |
| Sunday, Feb 12th |
Fire Station Tour |
| Sunday, March 11th |
Omnitheater - Science Museum of MN |
| *Wed, April 11th (8:00 - 9:30 PM) |
Volunteering - Feed my starving children |
* Note April meeting is on a Wednesday night. Please plan accordingly.
We embraced the meaning of Thanksgiving with a little twist in our November meeting. We talked about all the amazing things au pairs are thankful for in their adventure in the United States and that reminded them of how much they love and sharish their own culture and traditions. Thanks to everyone for bringing a little bit of that culture to share with us!!! I am so thankful to be able to be a part of such a fun, unique, and diverse group!!
We also talked about internet and personal safety. Hopefully au pairs will remember to be more careful with information they share on social media sites like facebook and also more aware of basic rules regarding cell phone and internet use.
Check out Cultural Care Au Pair’s featured on Thumbtack Spotlight!
Thumbtack gives special recognition to the best service professionals in certain cities around the country in the form of a Thumbtack Spotlight. Less than 1% of service professionals get this honor. So, I’m thrilled to have been selected!
Click on the Link below to see the article spotlight.
http://www.thumbtack.com/mn/minneapolis/nanny/
What a perfect day to host the Cultural Care Au Pair & Host family event.
The weather was gorgeous and we all had a great time picking aples, venturing in the corn maze, and just spending time under the warm sun!!
Thanks to all au pairs and host families who participated!
Our Group has become bigger and even more fun!!! Two families returned to our group after being in another LCC’s group for a few months. Please help me welcome these families and their au pairs.
August Meeting at the MN History Center
The Cultural Care Au Pair Scavenger Hunt at Como Park was a big success!! Au Pairs participated in an afternoon of fun and games, and also contributed in helping kids in need.
The money collected from au pairs as entry fee for the event was used to cover event expenses and a donation of $300 to the Kids Foudation (CCAP non-profit public charity foundationand soon-to-be 501(c)3 tax exempt organization). For more information on Kids First click here.
