Kentucky - Au Pair in America

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Au Pair in America in Kentucky

Regional Update | Driving in Kentucky | Education in Kentucky | Tourist Information

Regional Update

Regional Presence:
Region 5 encompasses the four states of Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. The clusters in the 4 states vary in size, with Michigan having the largest contingent of Au Pairs and host families. There are 10 Community Counselors in Michigan, primarily located in the northern suburbs of Detroit, with another grouping in Ann Arbor, home of the University of Michigan and Lansing, the State Capital. Kentucky is home to two clusters in Lexington and Louisville and Indiana has a group in the Indianapolis region. Ohio accounts for the second largest grouping of families and au pairs with 8 community counselors spread across the entire state, with Cincinnati and Cleveland having the biggest presence.

The community counselors have, for the most part, been with the organization for over 5 years, which makes them seasoned veterans, and knowledgeable in both cultural diversity and counseling. They are also some of the most fun and spirited of 'social directors' and hold numerous events and activities for their groups. They have diverse educational and life experiences and bring those to bear in relating to both young adult and family issues.

The Midwest region is home to a special quality of people and values, and the host families, with support and encouragement from their community counselors, are open, warm, and giving to the au pairs who live in the area for their year in the program. With the rolling hills and horse farms of Kentucky, the famous Indy 500 car race, the car capitol of the world in Detroit and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and art museums of Cleveland, the region offers a wonderful opportunity for au pairs to learn and live the American way of life.

Quarterly Message:
January 2009
Region 5 had a very busy and eventful 2008 fall into winter season.
We are lucky in that we have the most beautiful colors in the fall months that usher in our holiday season of Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The counselors, au pairs and families were all busy!
A look around the region!

Indiana:
Our counselor in Indianapolis arranged ‘specialty’ activities over the quarter:
October - annual Au Pair Halloween party. What a great time everyone had! We had a mummy wrap contest and it was so difficult to choose a winner since all the au pairs were so creative!

November - time to relax and enjoy a cup of coffee and a chat about the upcoming holidays. It was cold outside but cozy and warm in Starbucks!

December - a traditional holiday party at the counselor’s house. There were games and a holiday craft along with a gift exchange and, of course, food, food, food!
Ohio:
Our counselor in Columbus arranged:
October – annual dress-up Halloween Party. The Au Pairs were the judges and the counselor awarded the prizes. We played games and had lots of Fall yummies!

November - we played laser tag and had a 'coffee clatch’ at Starbucks; lots of talking and fun.

December 7 - Christmas Party at counselor’s house where I served dinner (complete with Peppermint Ice Cream for dessert). We played a gift exchange game called GREED... lots of laughs. We then went to the zoo to see the zoo lights which were awesome!

Cleveland:
October - Halloween party at a host family’s home and then caravanned over to a local Haunted House. Fun!

November, we had two cluster events. The first one was a Winter Driving Tips night with an area driving instructor. That talk is always well-attended. An additional cluster event was also held later in the month; a woman who does scrap booking came over and we had a Crafts night. Au Pairs went home with several craft projects to use for the holidays.

December, au pair/host parent holiday cookie party at the counselor’s home.

Cincinnati area - we have two community counselors who hold individual cluster as well as combined cluster activities.
Au Pairs had dinner at the new counselor’s home in November. They made their own taco’s and ice cream sundaes . Everyone got to know each other a little better with a scavenger hunt and of course there was a prize for the winner!

During November there was also a cultural party for au pairs and host families at the restaurant Maggianos. The two Cincinnati clusters had a wonderful time eating and discussing topics related to diversity and child care.

In December the clusters combined to host a cookie exchange and gift game. Santa made an appearance bringing ideas for the girls to implement while their children are home for holiday break!

Kentucky:
October – a fun Halloween Costume Party.

November - Au Pairs met at a custard shop for a "going away" party for one au pair who is moving out of the area for her extension year.

December: We attended the Festival of the Lights at the Kentucky Horse Park. Lots of Christmas lights, gifts, petting zoo and food!

Michigan: this state is lucky as they have 7 counselors which gives them the opportunity to do things together and then on their own:
Grand Rapids:
October, we went to a Haunted Corn Maze, full of lots of frightening beings! November, we had our International Dinner with au pairs invited to bring a dish from their home country.

December, the Lansing/Grand Rapid clusters combined to again participate in "shop with a cop" - a volunteer program that helps children select gifts for their families with money that has been donated for children with financial needs. The au pairs, a police officer, and a child team up for a holiday shopping experience. While the children ate lunch the “au pair elves” wrapped the Christmas gifts purchased.

The two clusters again joined up to meet at Meijer Gardens for a joint cluster event, that included host families, for the annual "Christmas Around the World Exhibit". This exhibit features 40 decorated Christmas trees from around the world.

Ann Arbor: the Ann Arbor cluster went to Historic Greenfield Village for Halloween costuming and fun. The au pairs’ costumes were fabulous, great photos were taken and it was good fun to be outside in the crisp October air making the hot cider all the more welcome!
Sandwiched in between these events were Welcoming coffees and Farewells at Starbucks. The Sports fans in our cluster purchased tickets at the major league Tiger Baseball Game and they also enjoyed ice skating in Ann Arbor. It’s a great advantage to already know how to skate but just as much fun to learn! There were also Farewell parties given by host families, and a welcome bar-b-cue too!
Ann Arbor Arboretum has a great green space which affords a great place to spread blankets for a picnic: Au pair Education and Au pair Fame awards (a cluster tradition!) were awarded.

December – again this year we celebrated the holidays at our annual formal luncheon for all au pairs in Michigan. All the Detroit area and Ann Arbor clusters attended the games and fun in Livonia at a beautifully decorated banquet center. Some singing gets us rolling as well as Santa who welcomes au pair photo ops! There was a fun gift exchange with the whole group. After the luncheon Ann Arbor au pairs went to one of Michigan’s most beautifully decorated shopping malls. A couple of hours later, and a few more miles east, the day ended at the Detroit Opera House for the performance of the musical Wicked.

Detroit area:
October - multi-cluster walking scavenger hunt in downtown Birmingham, followed with a pizza party and awards!!

November - a host family graciously opened their home for a Thanksgiving dinner. The au pairs brought a dish from their country to share. We had a lot of delicious desserts!

December several clusters went to see the musical Wicked. We also held our annual Holiday Party, with food, games, gifts and Santa!

Individual Michigan cluster events:
November – four clusters combined for a multi-cluster bowling party at Langans Bowling in Farmington Hills. 8 teams had lots of fun bowling in our "special" bowling alley where there is no smoke, light weight bowling balls, and a great atmosphere. Au pairs enjoyed bowling (for a few it was their first time), hanging out and, of course, eating Linn’s homemade chocolate chip and snickerdoodle cookies.

Regional Representative:
Donna Hanley Crudder has been part of the Au Pair in America family almost from its inception. She was the second Community Counselor hired in Michigan and from a base of 4 families in 1987 organized and managed a cluster of 50+ in the Ann Arbor, MI area.

Donna has a great deal of experience working with cultural diversity, problem solving techniques and commiunication strategies. She became the Regional Representative of Midwest Region 5, which encompasses Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky, after serving in the community counselor role for 13 years.

She has held numerous other positions with both community based non-profits, as well as large manufacturing companies, where she led organizational learning and change management strategies to a global workforce. She has traveled extensively with her jobs to Europe, Japan, India, and South America and feels that these opportunities have afforded her insights and information into the different perspectives and cultures that make up the Au Pair world.

Driving Information for Au Pairs

Visit the Kentucky Division of Motor Vehicle Licensing website for information about driving in Kentucky.

Educational Information for Au Pairs

The information listed here is your starting point to fulfilling the education requirement. Your community counselor will have the most popular and affordable choices in your area.

The schools listed here are not all reasonable options. Ask your community counselor for the schools closest to you.
Continuing Education (also Adult Education or Lifelong Learning) classes are generally the most affordable options for au pairs.

Review the cost, class schedule, and transportation needed for the classes you are interested in with your host family. You need to be responsible about selecting courses that meet at times that will not conflict with your work schedule. Take into consideration the time it will take to travel between home and the campus. Your host family must approve your plans.
Host families reimburse tuition costs and costs of related materials (books and supplies) up to $500 ($1000 for EduCare) for you to complete your six semester hours (12 for EduCare), or the equivalent. You are responsible for all payments for tuition, fees, books and materials that exceed the host family’s contribution. Education money is not paid to you in cash if you do not use the complete amount.