Are you confident your childcare provider would know what to do in case of emergency?
Starting in January, 2013, all Cultural Care au pairs will complete American Red Cross CPR/AED and first aid certification at our Au Pair Training School before traveling to their host families homes.
The course that the au pairs will take includes:
- Pediatric First Aid: responding to common first aid emergencies, including burns, cuts, poisoning and head, neck and back injuries
- CPR/AED: responding to cardiac and breathing emergencies in adults, children and infants, including the use of automated external defibrillators (AED).
The au pair’s Red Cross First Aid and CPR training, for all participants arriving in January and beyond, will incorporate the latest scientific guidelines, have a low student-to-instructor ratio and be focused on hands-on learning. Two-year certification is issued upon successful completion. Other benefits of the Red Cross training for the au pairs include free online skill refreshers and free digital course materials.
Jennifer Mintzer, Director of the Cultural Care Au Pair Training School, which is located on the Oakdale campus of St. John’s University on Long Island, is looking forward to the addition to the school’s syllabus. “We have always been proud of the level of preparation we have provided to the au pairs during their first week in the United States. Our curriculum includes child development, effective communication, behavior management, food and nutrition and, of course, safety and emergency education. Adding CPR and first aid instruction by Red Cross trainers is an excellent enhancement to our comprehensive training program.”
Many au pairs have already had similar training, but providing thorough instruction at the Au Pair Training School will ensure that all participants have completed the CPR certification program. Marc Jaschinski, Country Manager for Cultural Care in Germany says, “Although all German au pairs are required to take CPR in order to get their drivers license and therefore come to the U.S. with relevant training, the course at the Au Pair Training School will reinforce the basics of pediatric CPR and serve as a good refresher for the au pairs.”
The American Red Cross has been the go-to source for more than a century for information, skills and confidence to act in an emergency. Joseph Grappone of the American Red Cross of Greater New York states, “The purpose of the training is to give individuals the knowledge and skills necessary to recognize and provide basic care for first aid, breathing and cardiac emergencies in infants, children and adults until advanced medical personnel arrive and take over care. The Red Cross is looking forward to providing this important training to young people from around the world before they start their year caring for American children.”
Our approach to this training is unique in that we are the only organization to provide au pairs training in a formal academic setting. “We believe this is a crucial adjustment period for au pairs and want the four days of learning to be as effective as possible,” says Melissa Fredette, Executive Vice President of Cultural Care Au Pair. “We are now also the only au pair agency who contracts with the American Red Cross to provide certification in adult and pediatric CPR and first fid for all au pairs.” In addition to the training the au pairs receive at the school, Cultural Care au pairs also offers supplementary training three times during their year in the U.S. as part of their Continuing Safety Education Program. These seasonal seminars supply au pairs with additional information on safety measures and injury prevention for children.
According to the American Heart Association, 70% of Americans may feel helpless to act during a cardiac emergency because they either do not know how to administer CPR or their training has significantly lapsed. Qualified, recent training can provide the essential information as well as the confidence to take life saving actions. And, given that 88% of cardiac arrests occur at home, if an au pair is called on to administer CPR in an emergency, the life saved is most likely to be that of a child.